Mid-priced brands

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I think having a runway fashion show is a pretty good indicator of whether the brand has hopes or intentions of playing in the high-end, especially from the get-go, as Doma, Geller, etc have done.

Band of Outsiders is pretty expensive, FWIW, but traditionally have not been a runway show brand, am I correct? I am not too familiar with the brand and only know the shirts and general pricepoints from browsing.

I agree with you, but there are definite grey cases. For example, Rag&Bone, which I place squarely in the contemporary market, has been doing runway shows for a while, and designers have been doing runway shows for their diffusion lines (aimed squarely at the midmarket) for a long time - DKNY, Marc Marc Jacobs, etc...

 

[impolyt_one]

I think the most intresting point is the difference between Japanese mid-market and western mid... the west traditionalyl treated midmarket as major label diffusion, etc, and now the solid performance of Japanese midmarket has allowed American mid market (especially independents) to flourish... but the Japanese midmarket is so mature that it's allowing for established, mature mid market brands to ascend to the high end; Julius and Attachment will never be dyed in the wool high end brands to me because I remember them back in 2003, 2004, 2005, as Men's Non-no midmarket brands, but they're beginning to command prices that they didn't a few years ago. N. Hoolywood/Mister Hollywood has been cool for a long time, but it's also maturing.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I think the most intresting point is the difference between Japanese mid-market and western mid... the west traditionalyl treated midmarket as major label diffusion, etc, and now the solid performance of Japanese midmarket has allowed American mid market (especially independents) to flourish... but the Japanese midmarket is so mature that it's allowing for established, mature mid market brands to ascend to the high end; Julius and Attachment will never be dyed in the wool high end brands to me because I remember them back in 2003, 2004, 2005, as Men's Non-no midmarket brands, but they're beginning to command prices that they didn't a few years ago. N. Hoolywood/Mister Hollywood has been cool for a long time, but it's also maturing.

Interesting. I never saw it quite that way. I always equated the rise of American midmarket independents with the "premium" denim trend, which really highlighted the demand for, and the deficit of, domestic sub-designer brands in the North American market. A lot of the brands in that market today started as denim brands, and branched out - Rag&Bone, Corpus, etc... all founded in the early 2000s. Previous to that, most of the mid-market brands available were from Europe, and especially from Italy.

 

[Brian SD]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I think the most intresting point is the difference between Japanese mid-market and western mid... the west traditionalyl treated midmarket as major label diffusion, etc, and now the solid performance of Japanese midmarket has allowed American mid market (especially independents) to flourish... but the Japanese midmarket is so mature that it's allowing for established, mature mid market brands to ascend to the high end; Julius and Attachment will never be dyed in the wool high end brands to me because I remember them back in 2003, 2004, 2005, as Men's Non-no midmarket brands, but they're beginning to command prices that they didn't a few years ago. N. Hoolywood/Mister Hollywood has been cool for a long time, but it's also maturing.
I think Julius, Attachment, etc. will never really be dyed in the wool high end brands also because they're always a season or two behind, and rarely inventive. There's nothing wrong with where they're at, Juun J's brand cachet and design method is very similar as has been discussed plenty in relevant threads (Raf that Raf doesn't wanna do no more, etc.) and as many know I think some of his joints are slick. They work as Men's Non-No brands, it's all a bit safer than the latest Raf, Rick, etc. Though Julius is slowly deviating as their prices rise and the designs become more and more their own unique aesthetic - you can definitely see where they want to take the label in the future. And I agree N. Hoolywood is continuing to look better (minus SS 2008 which wasn't so hot imo). I also see the American mid-market as an expansion of the premium denim market as you do, Fok. Some labels (like Band of Outsiders) do follow more closely to the Japanese model, though. I think Spurr will probably head in that direction if they continue to pick up steam.

 

[LabelKing]

Hermes.

Or the low-budget version, Herpes.

 

[svelten]

Nonsense, Hermes is squarely low-price aspiring to be mid.