State pride courtesy of State Traditions
Last weekend I made it down to Charlotte to check out the Southern Clothing Market. The event brings together many of the best brands, both young and established, for a trade show unlike any other. The main purpose is for buyers from menswear shops to browse the upcoming lines from the brands and discover a few they may not have heard of before. Whereas most shows like this are done in a convention center or other similarly large open space, Southern Clothing Market takes place inside of a hotel with each room serving as a brand’s booth. This makes for some interesting set ups and serves as a quite a challenge to get good lighting for photographs. Each day this week I’ll break down what I saw and let you in on any upcoming product releases (except for a few things that need to be kept under wraps for the time being).
Marlin Hat in Camo
You’ll be seeing a few changes from the Propst brothers in the near feature, the biggest being an updated Marlin Polo (let’s call it 2.0). The big difference is the polos will be going to a traditional 100% cotton pique instead of the current cotton/elastic blend. Why? The brothers believe it has a better feel and maintains its shape better over the long run.
Updated Marlin Polos
The Tour Visor
Perhaps the coolest decoration at the show
The window display
What’s new in the world of sunglass straps? Well, when they aren’t being questioned by dumbfounded delivery men about massive shipments of magnets, they’re working on new designs and prototypes. Look for a leather slider design to be coming out in the future and the already large selection of fabric designs to keep growing. Their barrel display was also one of my favorites. I might need to score myself one of those to store my straps.
Take your pick – plaid, camo, seersucker, gingham, stars & stripes
National Championship Stadium Pants
Pennington & Bailes has already got gameday apparel covered. Now the guys are looking to extend your school pride to the golf course as well. They’re working on a polo specifically designed for the golf course with an old school four button placket and a right chest pocket (so as not to smash a pack of cigarettes) with a built in tee pocket. They also have a couple new patterns coming out for their button down shirts. I also got a look at their new lookbook and I’m hoping to see the excellent lifestyle shots up on the web soon.
The Golf Polo
A full Georgia Bulldog outfit
Notre Dame representing the Midwest
Some love for Indiana
The expansion of the product line at State Traditions to include all fifty states was a much awaited development this fall. Now the depth of each state’s products will be added to, including bow ties and ties made in collaboration with Southern Proper for the states that don’t have any yet. The recently released America Traditional hats were on hand as well as a couple prototypes of a new polo being designed for the links. The guys are real excited about spreading the brand in the Midwest (they just picked up a few stores across the region) so be on the lookout for them at some of the upcoming big events we’re known for.
‘Merica
5 or 75, state pride knows no age limit
Coming to a country club near you
Great article Nick! Especially the part about State Traditions, haha