Father’s Day Provides Sales Boost for Menswear Retailers
Last year was unquestionably the year of the wedding and menswear retailers reaped the benefits with soaring sales of suits and furnishings.
Although the wedding frenzy has weakened a bit, merchants are still experiencing a heightened demand for dressier apparel and accessories, whether it’s for weddings, proms or returning to the office. But in addition to traditional nested suits in black or navy, unstructured sport coats that can be paired with chinos and lightweight knit shirts have risen in popularity.
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That trend was evident during the runup to Father’s Day, when most stores posted solid sales in everything from soft blazers and dress slacks to the more-traditional polo shirts, shorts and bathing suits.
The National Retail Federation had projected total spending for Father’s Day this year to exceed the $20 billion figure of 2022 with apparel, electronics, personal care and special outings leading the way.
“Overall we were pleased with Father’s Day sales,” said Ken Ohashi, chief executive officer of Brooks Brothers. “The brick-and-mortar traffic was not as robust as it had been, but we definitely saw a nice build.”
He attributed that in part to an aggressive Father’s Day marketing campaign that launched around six weeks ago featuring a cast of actors, chefs and creators with their children. “We really went for it,” Ohashi said, adding that as a result, Brooks Brothers “had a very nice performance in digital,” with strong comparable-store sales that “materialized in the key weeks leading up to Father’s Day.”
Ohashi said that while sportswear has emerged as the top category for the company in recent years, “tailored clothing has been consistently good for us. I think men have come to realize that there are deals happening around Father’s Day so they’re shopping for themselves.”
In all categories it was summer fabrics including linen, seersucker and madras that were the most popular for Father’s Day, he said, along with Golden Fleece polos and non-iron shirts. Neckwear, sales of which are still down from 2019, are finding some fans as men are looking to refresh and replenish their stock. The bestseller here is the Brooks Brothers repp tie, which Ohashi said the store ensures is always in stock.
Looking ahead, he said he’s cautiously optimistic about the summer and fall seasons thanks to a strong assortment designed by Michael Bastian. And with the trend toward luxury casual gaining in importance, he expects Brooks Brothers to benefit.
“That’s in our wheelhouse,” he said. “Two years ago it was all about athleisure but now the guys are looking for things to wear to work and on the weekends, and we’ve seen the evolution of that.”
John Tighe, president of Tailored Brands, parent of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, was similarly pleased with Father’s Day sales. The continued popularity of summer weddings as well as the back-to-work trend led consumers to shop for unconstructed soft jackets and blazers with Joseph Abboud linen suits and Made in America suit separates among the top performers.
Ties, which were incredibly strong last year, still did well but not at the same level as in 2022 when weddings were at their peak, he said.
Tighe also singled out Egara, the stores’ younger-skewed tailored clothing and furnishings brand — much of it in bright colors — as doing well thanks to proms and graduations. He also said the grooming business, led by fragrance as well as Man Bar, a soap from the San Francisco Soap Company, as well as other products from Manscaped, did well.
Sportswear, driven by a promotion the company ran last month, was another strong category at both Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, leading the company to feel optimistic about the future.
Louis DiGiacomo, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of menswear for Saks Fifth Avenue, said the company had “a very good reaction in the past few weeks leading up to Father’s Day.” Among the top sellers was novelty knitwear with texture in elevated fabrics such as silk and cotton, linen, or cotton cashmere that could be worn under a sport coat at the office or alone for a night out.
Crewneck or Johnny collar polos from Zegna, Brunello Cucinelli, Isaia and the Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Collection were also popular for the same “transitional” purpose, he said, as were colorful micro floral-patterned sport shirts. Swimwear from Vilebrequin, Orlebar Brown and others was also popular, along with “lifestyle” pieces from Kiton, Isaia and Cucinelli.
In footwear, it was the loafer — both dressy and more-casual models — that was “the clear winner,” he said, since they offer an alternative to a sneaker and are dressy enough for the office but can also work for the weekends. The “big home run” in accessories was sunglasses, he said, from Loewe, Cartier and Prada.
Tailored clothing has continued to do well, although there has been a clear shift, DiGiacomo said. “Last year there was a big resurgence in basics colors like navy and black to update the wardrobe, but this year, it’s more about easy soft tailoring that can transition from the office to evening to weekends.”
Looking ahead to the remainder of the summer into fall, DiGiacomo said the company believes its assortment is trend-right and hopeful that consumers will feel confident enough to shop.
Sam Archibald, general business manager of apparel at Macy’s, said the company’s “very strong men’s business” positioned it well for Father’s Day. “We were very pleased,” he said. “But it was a new Father’s Day — men are reacting to fashion in a different way.”
Specifically, he said shoppers gravitated toward seasonal fabrications such as linen and chambrays in a variety of categories, as well as new silhouettes such as popovers and messenger shorts that they may not have in their wardrobes. Short-sleeve woven shirts, an historic bestseller for Father’s Day, were given a boost by new patterns such as tropical prints or florals, and shorts were also popular. “What used to be a very traditional business has been expanded by newness,” Archibald said.
Perhaps surprisingly, tailored clothing continued to lead the way, but driven by soft, easy sport coats, he said. “Sport coats are actually a key gifting item,” he said.
While ties are still a challenged category, Archibald said Macy’s still does a nice business in neckwear as men seek something for summer weddings, graduations and other occasions. “We still offer a large variety of styles and brands,” he said. “And one thing I’m pleased about is that we didn’t vacate the business like a lot of our competitors have.”
Looking ahead to fall, Archibald believes it will be good due to Macy’s strong position in tailored clothing and refined sportswear. He’s also expecting a “refreshing” of the activewear business with shoppers heading to the store for the latest from Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok.
Chris Riccobono, founder of Untuckit, said that while Father’s Day sales were up slightly from last year, “there’s no question there’s a little bit of a slowdown that started in April. People are looking for sales, which is a clear indicator of the economy.”
That doesn’t mean that they’re not shopping, he stressed. “When we have sales, it’s better than when we don’t.” And while Untuckit, which operates 85 stores and has a wholesale business, has tried to avoid promotions in the past, Riccobono said he felt forced to take the plunge because so many competitors were also on sale. “But we’re never more than 25 percent off,” he said.
In terms of product, he said the company has been selling more button-down shirts than polos as men head back to the office. Short-sleeved printed button-downs are actually Untuckit’s number-one seller, he said, followed by solid linen models. “The good news is that you can wear our shirts to work, at night or on vacation.”
Riccobono founded Greatness Wins, a sports apparel brand with Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky and Misty Copeland, and this business posted strong sales of T-shirts and shorts for Father’s Day gifts along with the newly launched golf collection.
Looking ahead, he said the future is a bit uncertain, but he’s hopeful.
“We don’t know what to expect,” he said. “Everyone is saying the economy is only going to get worse, so if things slow down, we’ll go on sale. But travel will be up this summer, which helps us. And the upcoming election is also concerning going into next year. But we’re optimistic and think the rest of the year will be good.”
Ken Giddon, president of the four-unit Rothmans specialty store, said that last year, there was “so much pent-up demand, the numbers are challenging to beat. But on an historical basis, the numbers were very, very, very good.”
Giddon said in terms of bestsellers, “it was back to the traditional gifts: bathing suits, fun shirts.” In swimwear, terrycloth has moved into the mainstream, he said, and top brands included Fair Harbor, Faherty, Closed and Johnnie-O. Surfside Supply’s fun beach shirts were also good, as was Emanuel Berg’s dressy sport shirts.
Giddon said tailored clothing continues to be good as male shoppers look to update their wardrobes for a return to work and special occasions. But for now, it’s more about sport coats, dress slacks or chinos than nested suits.
Looking ahead, Giddon is anticipating the traditional slowdown that happens every year after Father’s Day but is expecting an uptick again as the year progresses. “There’s so much wedding business still in the pipeline so men will still feel the need for suits.”
Bob Mitchell, co-CEO of Mitchells Stores, said that while sales this Father’s Day were slightly below last year, business was still strong. And this comes despite what he estimated was an 8 to 10 percent drop in traffic.
“Father’s Day is very short,” he said. “There are not weeks of business leading up to it‚ it’s just the last three to four days before.” But the customers who did shop responded to higher-priced merchandise, he said, adding that the top performers were shoes and luxury sportswear from Loro Piana, Cucinelli and Fedeli.
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