Why This Men’s Wear Expert Is Reviving a Brand That Was Dormant for Decades
Cricketeer is back. And if you’ve never heard of the men’s wear brand, you’re not alone.
Founded in Chicago in 1938 by Joseph & Feiss Co., the men’s suiting label rose to prominence in the late 1960s when it made a name for itself as a cheaper alternative to the likes of Brooks Brothers. Known for its poly-blend garments and attention-grabbing advertising—including a yoga-posing model illustrating the suits’ comfort—the brand fell by the wayside as times and tastes changed.
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But Gary Adelman, president of Trybus Group, which licenses Perry Ellis, Original Penguin, Savile Row and Steve Harvey in the U.S., said curiosity and nostalgia sparked his interest in Cricketeer. “One day the name pops into my head, and I wonder what happened to them. They were nowhere to be found,” he said. “I knew them as an affordable brand; your first real suit.”
As it turns out, Joseph & Feiss Co. was acquired by Men’s Wearhouse parent Tailored Brands in 1996, along with men’s apparel makers including Country Britches and Cox & Hawkins. But it allowed the Cricketeer trademark to lapse and never created a new line after the acquisition.
Trybus acquired the trademark a little over a year ago, and as CEO of Cricketeer 2.0, Adelman wants to resurrect the brand with what he sees as a fresh spin on suiting in a less buttoned-up post-pandemic work culture. “I think people are looking for somewhere in between wearing a suit to work every day and wearing athleisure,” he said. “I think there’s always going to be a need and a desire for a sport coat that you can pair that with anything.”
Trybus’ private label brands, Q by Flint and Ibiza, along with its limited licensing agreement with Perry Ellis, are focused on men’s separates. “We are a men’s tailored clothing company, and we have been successful in a tough market because we have kind of stuck to our niche,” Adelman said. Instead of veering into athletic apparel or loungewear, the company focused on bringing more versatility to tailored jackets and pants with soft fabrics and stretch. Like its other brands, Cricketeer will manufacture most of its products in Vietnam.
It’s also important that Cricketeer maintain an entry-level price point, Adelman said, as it did when he first encountered the label as a young man. Sport coats will likely start at $99, while suits will retail for $200 or less. With the economy in flux and young shoppers watching their wallets, he believes the brand will resonate with Gen Z shoppers entering the job market.
As Cricketeer ramps up for launch, Trybus is courting retail partners including off-price names like Nordstrom Rack and department stores such as Belk. It often works with buyers to develop exclusive product for stores, and plans to tailor its offering based on their customers, pursuing a primarily brick-and-mortar wholesale strategy. Adelman said interest from potential partners has been strong, though nothing has been finalized yet.
The first collection of suits, blazers, shirts, and trousers that can be paired with jeans, shorts and T-shirts is set to launch in early 2024. The brand’s tagline, “You do you,” reflects its anything-goes aesthetic. A new video campaign shows models boxing and doing goat yoga while donning Cricketeer clothes.
“If you want a pair a plaid with a stripe, a sport coat with a T-shirt, go ahead, nobody’s going to question you,” Adelman said. “I think that’s the trend in the market—we’re not going to dictate to you, you dictate to us how you want to wear the clothes.”
