Club Monaco Wakes Up and Smells the Man in You

When the news broke last week that Club Monaco had decided to hop on the Manwagon and create a “dynamic shopping experience for guys,” well, many of us just had to roll our eyes just a bit.

You might have caught our recent post (click here) about how San Francisco has been leading the way in terms of men’s boutiques. And of course J. Crew went whole hog on the concept of partnering with heritage brands like Filson, Globe Trotter, Red Wing, and just about anyone else they could dig up to make them seem more, you know: masculine.

At times, Club Monaco's assortment has resembled J. Crew's (This is Club Monaco's stuff, in case you were confused.)

It’s true, Club Monaco’s black-and-white aesthetic has worn thin and the Ralph Lauren Corp.-owned company has been a bit stubborn about change. With 35 stores in the U.S. and 24 in Canada, it was only a matter of time before they were going to join in the fray.

A selection of Club Monaco's clean and simple basics.

So they’ve enlisted the help of Michael Williams, the earnest blogger who’s A Continuous Lean has become something of a bible for those who worship at the shrine of heritage brands and Made in America. “We took inspiration from classic men’s specialty stores – ones that our fathers and grandfathers shopped in,” said Williams in WWD.

Oh, if I had a dollar for every time someone has said this in the past couple of years. I even got sick of myself saying it when I was on my book tour for Branding the Man.

It’s clear that when every last heritage brand has been trumpeted and yet another store is kitting themselves out in reclaimed wood and “old school” materials, the question will remain: what next, boys?

I believe that the awakening of men to the power of fashion – no matter how utilitarian or quietly “authentic” — will hopefully be the gateway towards a broader definition of the conventional men’s retail market as a whole and in turn, the men’s retail experience. Now more than ever, men are exploring their own identities and sharpening the American definition of masculinity with potentially exciting new ways of expressing themselves.

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.