Father’s Day may not be the same as it used to be, but it still provided a boost for menswear retailers.
Major department and specialty stores reported strong holiday sales, driven by both gift giving and men shopping for themselves. Promotions were kept under control and stocks are in good condition heading into the summer.
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Across the board, stores said that after a few years of men opting to buy basic and add-on items, fashion items have now emerged as the winner. Of course, this is still menswear, so that meant linen shirts, Johnny collar polos in more seasonal colors, and performance shorts.
The National Retail Federation predicted Father’s Day spending this year would reach $22.4 billion, roughly equal to last year’s record $22.9 billion.
“Father’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the fathers and fatherly role models who have played such a positive role in our lives,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF.
The federation predicted that of the three-quarters of consumers planning to celebrate Father’s Day, 54 percent would purchase clothing, followed by a special outing at 52 percent, gift cards at 48 percent and personal care items at 31 percent.
“While spending on these gift categories is largely in line with last year’s record numbers, it is still significantly above pre-pandemic spending,” said Philip Rist, executive vice president of strategy at Prosper, which conducted the research for NRF . “This is especially true for clothing, personal care, tools and appliances, electronics, home improvement items, gift cards and special outings, all of which have increased by half a billion. [dollars] or more since 2019.”
Among retailers, online remained the most important, with 42 percent saying they would buy online, followed by 38 percent at department stores, 24 percent at discount stores, 22 percent at specialty stores and 19 percent at small local businesses.
Ken Ohashi, CEO of Brooks Brothers, pointed out that the company’s Father’s Day campaign — which featured celebrities like New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, with their fathers or children and launched earlier than usual this year in late May — had a clear impact on turnover. “The campaign was a great success,” he says. “We went really heavy in New York City, where we drove around the city in 60 superbuses. It was really big for us.”
Ohashi said suits performed well with the recently launched performance collection of pants, shirts and blazers. “That was a huge unlock for us,” he said.
Ohashi said that while store traffic has been inconsistent, Brooks Brothers is still performing above expectations this year and is not driven by promotions. “Full price remains very strong. When we first came out of bankruptcy we had to promote to clear out the inventory, but now there is very little clearing. We are less promotional than last year and stocks are well controlled.”
Another big shift he sees is the popularity of fashion. “It’s been a tough addition over the last two to three years, but now the fashion part of the business is working,” he said. That translates into Johnny collar polos, shawl collar jackets and linen shirts. Non-iron shirts, which have traditionally made up the bulk of the industry, are being replaced by regular-finish shirts, he says.
“Two-thirds of our customers are loyal shoppers and if they had previously bought navy blue or black shirts, they now want seasonal colours,” he said. “And that’s good for business.”
So while a lot of that work may involve guys updating their own wardrobes instead of giving gifts for Father’s Day, he’ll accept it. And it leads to optimism about the summer and autumn. “I especially feel good about August,” he said, hinting that the company plans to release a new marketing campaign that positions itself as the Ivy League destination for back-to-school merchandise.
At Bloomingdale’s the situation was just as rosy. “It was a good Father’s Day,” said Dan Leppo, executive vice president and general merchandise manager for men’s, children’s, cosmetics and home. “The summer categories performed well, including linen shorts, and short-sleeved camp shirts, which started to peak around mid-May, were even better.”
He said customers have taken “a real fashion attitude” and picked up knitted sweater polos as an updated alternative to piqué in brands ranging from Bloomingdale’s private label to Armani.
Sportswear collections from Zegna, Theory, Vince and Peter Millar were also popular with shoppers, as were shoes from Ferragamo, On, Birkenstock and others, reversing the softness trend earlier this season. And the men’s fragrance from Creed, MFK and Jo Malone – who launched a campaign with actor Tom Hardy that helped boost sales – saw a jump in sales.
Looking ahead, Leppo said: “Every retailer is cautiously optimistic.” There will undoubtedly be distractions, which happens every year with the presidential election, he said, but he believes the assortment Bloomingdale’s has prepared for the fall — new brands and updated offerings from existing suppliers — will leave the company “very well positioned.”
Louis DiGiacomo, senior vice president of men’s at Saks Fifth Avenue, characterized Father’s Day as good for the company. Saks geared up for the holidays with a “curated assortment” of apparel, accessories and gifts across a wide range of categories – and it paid off.
Like the other merchants, DiGiacomo also saw a change in customer interest. “There has been a shift from low-key luxury to more fashion,” he said, especially in “beach chic” items for vacations this summer. New swimwear in prints and colors had a strong presence, along with linen shirts and short-sleeved camp collar shirts from house brands Eton, Armani, Isaia, Kiton and Saks. Polos are also experiencing an uptick in sales, he said, but this time it’s textured fine knitwear from Loewe, Ralph Lauren Purple Label and Zegna.
In terms of footwear, there has been a shift towards elevated dress sandals from Prada and others, as well as ‘cleaner’ sneakers from Zegna, Cucinelli, Santoni and Ferragamo. He sees a renewed interest in sunglasses from Tom Ford and Loewe, and necklaces from David Yurman or Bernard James to complete the outfit. DiGiacomo also noted a “writing instrument revival” at Montblanc, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Meisterstück pen.
The strong sales indicate customers were buying for their fathers as well as themselves, he said, a good sign heading into the fall. “We are cautiously optimistic and excited about what we have purchased for the fall,” he said.
Sam Archibald, general business manager of apparel at Macy’s, said the company is “pleased with our men’s business and Father’s Day in general. We are a gifting destination and when we hit key dates on the calendar, customers rely on us.” He said Macy’s serves a diverse customer base and that “life events” are very important to them – “and Father’s Day is part of that.”
He said among the bestsellers were fragrances from Dior Sauvage, Chanel Bleu and team sports merchandise.
“It was the novelty across the board that controlled,” he said. “People want more novelty.”
In knitwear, for example, the company was driven by core basics in traditional colors such as black, but now shoppers are gravitating towards brighter colors and Johnny collars in shirts; performance fabrics with a higher waist on shorts; printed swimwear from Chubbies and others, and linen. “The linen season was very strong,” he says, “which feels very special. In recent years, customers have rebuilt their core, but now they are building on that with newness and new brands.”
While some of the strong sales may have come from men shopping for themselves, there was undoubtedly a lot of gift giving.
Looking ahead, Archibald said he is “very pleased with where we are” and feels good about the mix of products offered this fall. He said Macy’s will introduce a new private label for men later this year with a relevant, contemporary product, which he expects will further boost sales.
John Tighe, president of Tailored Brands, which owns Men’s Wearhouse stores, Jos. A. Bank and Moores in North America said, “Father’s Day is not the peak in business it used to be.” That said, Kenneth Cole’s sportswear store Essentials and the new Joseph Abboud Indigo Blue collections were among the bestsellers. In particular, white denim, woven tops in synthetic fabrics or linen, quarter zips, full-zip bomber jackets and cardigans with four-way stretch were the highlights of the season.
“It was mainly men buying for themselves,” Tighe said, adding that he would like to develop more gifting activities in the future.
Chris Riccobono, founder of Untuckit, which operates 88 stores and a robust online business, said the company experienced a “boost in sales” in June compared to the rest of the year. Even when the economy isn’t great, people have a reason to buy. Was it historical? No, but it was strong and we expect it to continue.”
Riccobono said that because Untuckit’s shirts and complementary products can be worn in different places — at work, after work, on vacation — it gives the customer a reason to buy. “We are not a product for special occasions. It’s something you can wear in so many places, and it’s cheap,” he said, noting that most shirts retail for less than $100.
He said polos sold about 4 percent more than last year, and printed button-downs and linens all did well. About 55 percent of Untuckit’s sales are online and 45 percent are in stores where there is no traffic, he said. “But it’s all about conversion.”
Looking to the fall, he said there is a lot of uncertainty around the economy and the elections, leading to big question marks about the second half of the year. “Fifty percent of people will react badly if their guy doesn’t win,” he said. “But if inflation goes down and interest rates go down, I think next year will be great.”
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