AYR to Launch Menswear in September
After eight years focused on selling classic womenswear, AYR is taking the plunge into men’s for fall.
It has brought Brice Pattison, a veteran men’s designer who has worked for J. Crew, Todd Snyder and the Black Tux, on board as creative director. Pattison, who is married to AYR cofounder Maggie Winter, has created a 60-piece collection of key men’s pieces — everything from jeans and graphic T-shirts to overcoats — that tick all the boxes for the modern man’s life.
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AYR, which stands for All Year Round, was created by Winter and her college friend Max Bonbrest as a direct-to-consumer business focused on key pieces that are ageless and seasonless. The company has been profitable since 2020 and is on track to hit $60 million in sales in 2022, which is 10 times its pre-pandemic volume, according to Bonbrest. It has received only one round of institutional funding — a $4 million series A in 2016 — but is otherwise self-funded.
Ninety-eight percent of sales come from e-commerce and 90 percent are at full price. AYR’s oversized button-down, The Deep End, was named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2021. Wait-lists for bestselling styles have reached in excess of 25,000 people, and restocks sell out in days.
“Sometimes the simplest things were really the hardest to find,” she said. “Our mission is to create confidence through clothing.” So whether that’s denim, knitwear, outerwear or dresses, it strives to “honor the heritage and craft of fine apparel, while understanding and appealing to the needs of today’s consumer.”
Bonbrest said the goal of AYR has also always been to appeal to a wide range of people, so moving into menswear was a “super natural evolution.”
“As an independently owned, profitable business, we’re in the unique position of being able to chart our own course,” she said. “We have a very lean but expert team running an extremely efficient d-to-c [direct-to-consumer] business. So the goal for the company is to continue to put all of its profits back into improving design and expanding our offerings — which brings us to this new category of menswear.”
Geordie Wood
The team has been talking about expanding into men’s for a while now and will launch with a tight assortment centered around pieces that “never go out of style,” she said. “We produce in small batches to ensure less waste. We believe that the better materials are worth the investment so each piece is team-tested, can layer into your existing wardrobe and last season after season, year after year.”
In addition to being part of the family, Pattison’s background working with Todd Snyder and Frank Muytjens at J. Crew and then spending five years with Snyder when he launched his own brand made him the perfect choice to create the men’s collection.
“So much of what Max described about the women’s brand resonates with me personally, but also resonates with a lot of men,” he said. So he embraced the opportunity to “create clothing that folds into an existing wardrobe.”
Geordie Wood
Made-in-L.A. denim is a “strong foundation” of the offering, along with sweaters created from Italian yarns and a camel-hair double-breasted Italian melton wool coat, which Pattison described as “a crown jewel of this tight assortment.”
There are heavyweight flannel overshirts, Peruvian pima cotton T-shirts, a reversible down vest, cotton twill peacoat, french terry hoodies, crewnecks and pants, a merino fisherman’s sweater, khaki pants, and bold striped button-down shirts, he said. Trousers have “classic sartorial” details, such as side tabs on the waistbands, eliminating the need for a belt.
Prices range from $65 for T-shirts and $200 for denim to $985 for the 100 percent wool overcoat. Shirts range from $145 to $195, sweaters and sweatshirts are $145 to $275, pants are $195 to $225 and vests and bomber jackets are $245 to $365.
The fit of the men’s collection is “relaxed” and easy, he said. “We definitely don’t have a slim fit. And we don’t have anything exaggerated and baggy. We’re moving toward that place where you wear the clothes and the clothes don’t wear you.”
Speaking to the assortment as a whole, Pattison called the styles “very grounded, versatile and durable from a fashion perspective.
“One of the things about AYR as a brand is its voice. When you come to AYR, you know you’re going to be shown items you’re familiar with, but maybe you’re wearing [them] in a different way. And I’m excited to bring that to menswear.”
Geordie Wood
Pattison selected the pieces for the launch collection after exploring what he would need to pack in his carry-on for a trip: a great pair of jeans, a T-shirt, a poplin shirt and other “key items that a man can pack in his suitcase that would be all-encompassing and work and last forever,” he explained. “And when he gets home from the trip, he can use them again.”
Bonbrest is confident about the success of the upcoming men’s launch but wouldn’t venture a guess on how large the category could be, saying the launch is small and the company is waiting to see how it will perform before making any projections.
The men’s line will launch on Sept. 12 exclusively on the company’s e-commerce site.
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