In the Spotlight: Adium Targets Mature Men With Sophisticated Essentials
It’s a far cry from the reality TV business, but during the pandemic Mark Grove and Troy Queen, who spent 15 years in Los Angeles, California, working on shows such as “Extreme Cougar Wives” and “Treehouse Masters,” were searching for multipurpose clothes they could wear at a home office, to the gym, for a lunch date and out for drinks at night. Clothes that were appropriate for men in their 40s and older.
But they didn’t find any. So they set out to make their own.
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After consulting with Grove’s sister, who is the chief merchant for Kate Spade, they started to assemble a team. They hired former J. Crew designer Jeffrey Uhl to bring their vision to life and brought a team of athletes into the fold as advisers and minority owners. They include Steele Stanwick, a former professional lacrosse player; Ben Olsen, a former soccer player and now artist, and others, all of whom believed in the positioning of the brand.
“These are all men who have achieved success in their fields because of their hard work, but they’re not Tom Brady,” Queen said.
“My sister said men are always an afterthought in fashion and there’s such a white space for men in [their] 40s, 50s and 60s,” Grove said. “Everything is either too young or at an incredibly high price point. It’s Nike or Lululemon gym clothes or its Cucinelli. That’s where we see the void.”
So working with Uhl, they spent two years creating a line of menswear essentials such as chinos, track suits, polo shirts and shorts with minimalistic design and classic, streamlined and sophisticated silhouettes.
The line features high-end fabrics developed from bio-based nylons and cellulose fibers that are naturally wrinkle-resistant, durable, anti-microbial, water-repellent, quick-drying and have four-way stretch. It’s being produced exclusively in Portugal.
Once the design and aesthetic were set, it was time to come up with a name. They settled on Adium, which is Stadium without the first two letters. “That’s where life happens,” Queen said, whether that’s playing or spectating at a sporting event or going to a concert.
Adium will launch direct-to-consumer on Nov. 15 and will also be carried at two locations of the buzzy Paris-based Temple Noble Art boxing gym.
The hero pieces within the collection are expected to be the shorts, which are made from bio-nylon and are available in both 5-inch and 6.5-inch lengths; the classic track suit; a dual-knit jogger with pleats and a coordinating hoodie, and the chinos. “And we think the lyocell polo will be a sleeping giant,” Grove said.
Retail prices will run $78 for a pima cotton T-shirt; $88 for a lyocell T-shirt; $118 for a pique polo; $248 for the chinos; $298 for the track jacket and $288 for the matching pant; $138 for a fleece jogger, and $168 for a half-zip hoodie. Coming soon will be a collection of outerwear made from Italian bio-nylons and traceable down. Anatomic neck and chin guards, silicone zippers and pockets, woven drawstrings and adjustable cuffs to protect against the elements will be offered on the pieces, which will include track and stadium jackets. They’re expected to retail in the $400 to $600 range.
Looking ahead to spring, the line will be expanded further, they said, to include swimwear, chino shorts, sweaters and vests.
“Adium is for real-life moments,” Grove said. “The old saying that clothes make the man is antiquated. We believe the man makes the clothes and Adium is designed to be comfortable and accentuate the beauty of men in their 40s and 50s.”
