QUEENS, N.Y. – We are reading the AIA history of New York City architecture and we spy a forgotten name. Russ Togs. The guide mentions the Russ Togs Manufacturing and Distribution Center at 27-09 49th Ave. at the SE corner of 27th Street. The building and its sign were icons, and were engineered by Robert [...]

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We happened upon an interview with Peter Brundige, published in the Luxe Chronicles. It applies to fashion brands, of course, but it also applies to anyone trying to relaunch a brand. The two important factors in a brand relaunch are: research staying true to the original with a new twist. Brundige, now an independent consultant, [...]

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How do you position a foreign brand if you are bringing it to the United States? The question came up over comments on LinkedIn.com’s Licensing, Merchandising and Brand Management discussion board. The points discussed the Jack Murphy brand, which is a 1922 heritage brand from Ireland that is eyeing the U.S. market. A few tips [...]

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Shaheen made Hawaii-print shirts famous Just a big mahalo to Alfred Shaheen, the man who not only made Hawaiian shirts famous and in the process helped gave Hawaii an identity after statehoood. He died in December. Shaheen was Lebanese, and started making Hawaiian shirts just after World War II. It was a perfect time, as [...]

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BATON ROUGE – Haspel is one of those great American brands, best known for inventing the seersucker suit. It was founded in 1909, which means that this year is the centennial. Happy 100 years, you great looking suit! It is so true. So true. Southern men feel better in a Haspel seersucker suit. The company [...]

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PHILADELPHIA – A study released today on mall shoppers by Wharton’s Baker Retailing Initiative makes the case that malls need more interesting stores and better restaurants. The results seem obvious, but retailers have been missing major opportunities, and driving away customers at a time they can’t afford it, says Paula Courtney of the Verde Group, [...]

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Rochas Fashion Brand returns PARIS – Proctor & Gamble shut down the Rochas fashion house two years ago after over 80 years in existence. Bad move. However, The Wall Street Journal reports that the company has signed the Italian company Gibo Co. SpA to make a line of clothes under the brand. The brand Rochas was founded [...]

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Of course, folks miss their favorite department stores. From Burdine’s to Abraham & Straus to Marshall Field’s, across the U.S. these beloved store brand names are no more. But the loss of the regional department store also affected the individual fashion brands and lines that the department stores carried. It was a numbers game. With [...]

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