Russell Simmons will be relaunching his Argyleculture collection this fall, and this time around he has a secret weapon — designer Jospeh Abboud. The famed menswear designer is joining Simmons on the line, which is aimed for the “urban graduate” according to the pair. It seems to be going pretty well so far, with both men calling their experience working together one of the best they have ever had.
While the price point is incredibly affordable for the collection of blazers, knits and shirts, the one thing both men seemed to be focused on is quality. “We can sell you a great shirt but if the quality isn’t there you are never going to buy anything from us again,” Simmons explains.
For Abboud, it is the styling that seems to have him the most excited. “The colors are just so great, and there are little unexpected pops of it on the clothes.” This is most noticeable in the knit cardigans, which offer colorful piping inside the sweater. “It takes a plain gray sweater and makes it more interesting and attractive,” Abboud says.
The line will be sold at Macy’s come fall and Simmons is eager to fill what he calls a “white space” for male buyers. “There is Ralph lauren and there is Lacoste, but for many men there is a hole in the market. These are the men that are now aiming for a timeless style and that customer is not being serviced.”
The line is certainly preppy, but the quality and timeless quality set it apart from others in the market. Enough cannot be said about how amazing all the knits were, and how well the blazers and vest and shirts all went together, providing a slew of styling options from just a few pieces. This time around, Argyleculture seems destined to thrive.
With this in mind the men are already hard at work on the Spring 2013 line which, from what we could tell by some of the mood boards, will be very colorful and somewhat nautical. And, like the Fall line, should have no problem selling out.
These two should get together more often.
