WWD.com, May 2010
Barneys Spotlights Men's Contemporary Labels

NEW YORK — Barneys New York has identified contemporary sportswear as a category with significant growth potential and has revamped the fourth floor of the Madison Avenue flagship here to seize the opportunity.

“This is a real then-and-now story,” said Tom Kalenderian, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of men’s wear for the upscale retailer. When Barneys opened the flagship in 1993, the floor concentrated on contemporary tailored clothing. In 2002, it shifted focus to offer sportswear from such vendors as Kiton, Hickey Freeman, Battistoni, Zegna, Giorgio Armani Collezioni and John Varvatos in an attempt to capture the leisure needs of that clothing customer.

Since then, the customer has “evolved” significantly, prompting a response from the retailer. “We’re dealing with a much more sophisticated guy than we were 10 years ago,” Kalenderian said. “This is the floor where you buy things for when you’re off duty. It’s contemporary and comprehensive.”

In 2002, the floor carried 10 vendors; today, there are around 50, many of which are exclusive to Barneys. These include Barena, Chimala, Diesel Black Gold, Post O’alls, Gitman Vintage, Inis Meain, JanSport, Duluth Trading Co., Grown & Sewn, Gloverall, S.N.S. Herning, Schott NYC, Moncler Grenoble and Massimo Alba. Some have already arrived, while others are on tap for fall.

The floor is anchored by Ralph Lauren Black Label, RLX, Armani Collezioni, John Varvatos Collection and Star. There’s also a section for James Perse, whose knitwear has been blown out to service the customer who buys multiples of this line.

“As the customer evolved, so did how we addressed his needs,” said Jay Bell, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of designer collections and contemporary sportswear. The men’s team worked closely with vendors to find product to appeal to a more fashion-savvy man who is comfortable mixing and matching pieces to create his own look.

They also scoured the world for unique brands such as Grown & Sewn, which produces chinos from the original fabric mill in North Carolina; The Stronghold, an artisinal denim brand from California, and Massimo Alba, which offers unique washed and distressed sportswear pieces. Barneys also challenged its vendors to step out of the box. Inis Meain, an Irish brand famous for its hand-loomed fisherman’s sweaters, has created an entire sportswear collection. The same with Moncler, which has moved beyond its signature puffer jacket into a comprehensive offering.

The assortment has allowed Barneys to “introduce a boutiquelike element to this floor,” said Bell. It also necessitated a complete revamping of the physical space. “Our original inspiration was an architect and his loft,” said David New, executive vice president of creative services. “We wanted to make everything as airy as we could.”

The new design “brings the customer closer to the merchandise,” Kalenderian said. “It’s a more-analytical use of space.”

Out went the heavy fixtures and dark woods that marked the space in the past. In its place, Barneys created a lighter, more open sensibility, employing ceiling-based fixtures and other pieces that allow for flexibility in the merchandising. Because the floor offers a “very strong mix of core collections and key items,” that flexibility is “one of the most valuable tools for us,” Kalenderian said.

Although the selling space was reduced marginally — dropping to 6,890 from 7,180 square feet — the fitting rooms were expanded and revamped into what New called “a flashy, James Bond, clublike” feeling, complete with reproduction Scalamandre zebra wallpaper and leather seating.

Barneys would not provide a volume figure for the newly revamped floor, but Kalenderian said the company invested in the contemporary sportswear area because it believes “it has a great opportunity to grow. We’re expanding this category in all our flagships and the success could push us to redo other parts of the store in the same way.”

MONOCLE, March 2010
Fashion, Pitti Uomo – Ones to Watch

Inis Meáin, named after one of the Irish Aran islands, Inis Meáin has been employing local knitters for the past 30 years. From highly decorated Aran Sweaters to a complex tweed stitch developed with an Aran local, the collection was inspired by a 100-year-old photograph of Meáin fishermen in traditional sweaters.

Esquire USA 2008

The three stark and tussocky Aran Islands – Inis Meáin, Inis Mór and Inis Oírr – lurk in the mouth of Galway Bay Ireland. Remote from an already remote western coastline, the resourceful islanders have used their spare time over the centuries to elevate cable knitting to an art form with an intricacy unmatched anywhere else. Today the islands have their own indigenous label, Inis Meáin, which sells its luxurious wares for top dollar at far flung locations like Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

NBC Television – The Today Show (US)

As part of the “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” annual segment on the Today Show in 2007, Inis Meáin Knitting company founder and managing director, Tarlach de Blacam was interviewed by Matt Lauer about modern trends in Irish fashion and five Inis Meáin pieces were presented by irish models. The piece can be viewed at the Where in the World is Matt Lauer webpage under Day 2: Irish Fashion and Food at www.todayshow.com

The Irish Times Magazine (IRE)

Anchored in a long tradition of handknitting and one of the most celebrated knitwear companies in the world, Inis Meáin is in a league of its own. It designs, makes and exports from a tiny island out in the Atlantic to some of the most upmarket stores and boutiques in Europe, the US and Asia.

The Times Magazine (UK)

By setting up the fashion and Knitting Company of Inis Meain in 1977 … he (Tarlach) has provided regular employment for 20 people, which is important in a place where young people are often forced to go to the mainland or abroad to find work. And with around 400 garments per week being shipped all over the world, the island is becoming known as more than just a distant dot on the map. The clothes produced are sought worldwide, with high demand in America, Japan, France and Italy, as well as Britain. The secret of the company’s success is that they produce a unique range of high-quality clothes, based on the traditional island styles and colours, that have been inspired by the unchanging landscape. Imported alpaca, cashmere, silk and silk mixes are knitted and woven into jumpers, jackets and many other garments.

Town & Country Magazine (US)

Twenty miles off the Galway coast, the starkly beautiful island of Inishmaan makes few concessions to tourists. But even here on the most remote of the three Aran Islands, the Irish prove their mettle: Áine and Tarlach de Blácam and their employees make luxurious knitwear bound for Louis Boston, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New York.

The Telegraph (UK)

In order to get to the true Aran sweater you will have to catch a small boat to the middle island of Inishmaan… This is the headquarters of an international fashion business that shows its collections in Paris, Milan and New York. Tarlach de Blacam, the designer and owner, produces knitted garments of the highest quality… His garments are made from super-soft alpacas, winter cashmeres, merino lambswool and linen-silk mixes. The result is informally elegant knitwear that’s more Gucci than Grimsby trawler.