hickey freeman
lajqi teuta, rochester, sews together pieces of a jacket at hickey freeman .
democrat & chronicle business reporter matt daneman talks about the kodak and hickey freeman bankruptcies .
in 1899, jeremiah hickey and jake freeman raised $ 40, 000 to found hickey freeman. they opened the clinton ave. plant in 1912, where it remains today .
the rochester - based operations of iconic clothing brand hickey freeman have been sold yet again .
in the coming years, the big firms, including hickey freeman, appointed labor management experts .
hickey freeman ceo duffy hickey said the company did serious number crunching before deciding that it was better off in rochester where hickey' s grandfather helped found the company more than 100 years before .
hickey freeman® is a registered trademark of abg - hmx, llc ©2018 abg - hmx, llc .
the sale of the hickey freeman parent company was approved by the u. s bankruptcy court wednesday .
hickey freeman — now to be called hickey freeman tailored clothing — is a sister company to what had been one notable competitor, canadian high - end men' s clothier samuelsohn, which also is owned by grano .
samuelsohn is
a very highly thought of company in the industry ,
said walter piccone, founder of omero' s clothes, a rochester by - appointment tailor and retailer specializing in such brands as hickey freeman and brioni .
their buying of the hickey freeman company is only going to enhance the hickey freeman company. what they bring to the table complements what hickey freeman does. that' s a really good union .
loved the story. i totally agree that hickey freeman is one of the finest men’s made in america brand .
hickey freeeman' s to - do list ranges from rebuilding confidence in hickey freeman in the retail and supplier world to trying to turn around its struggling pants manufacturing operation .
months later, authentic brands group llc bought hickey freeman and turned running hickey freeman and sister clothier hart schaffner marx over to w diamond group corp. , a private company created by hmx ceo doug williams and his wife. diamond' s deal to sell hickey to grano closed monday .
woven exclusively for hickey freeman by the storied loro piana mill, tasmanian continues to be the standard bearer of our brand .
this is probably my favorite tour series yet. looooove hickey freeman stuff even though i personally own only one thrifted piece .
hickey freeman suits are a testament to both the delicate artistry of hand - craftsmanship and the steady consistency of modern technology. men of style and achievement have, for generation after generation, turned to hickey freeman for authenticity and quality, elegance and innovation .
ramona ortiz, left, and douane phongsavat, right, both of rochester, prepare large yards of fabric for cutting at hickey freeman .
the parent company of the last surviving clothing manufacturer in rochester has filed for bankruptcy. hartmarx warned hickey freeman’s 500 workers there could be layoffs .
granovsky said grano first looked into buying hickey freeman in 2009, with hartmarx' s bankruptcy, and again in 2012 with hmx' s .
matt daneman from the democrat & chronicle discusses the kodak patent sale, the sale of hickey freeman, and tax breaks for the sibley building .
hmx acquisition corp. , parent company to rochester - based hickey freeman, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today, according to bloomberg news .
along with hickey freeman' s too - frequent discounting, the company also at times has had trouble with prompt turnarounds in its high profit made - to - measure custom clothing business, granovsky said. made - to - measure today accounts for about 24 percent of hickey freeman' s business, granovsky said, vs. 33 percent at samuelsohn. and made - to - measure is one of the key ways hickey freeman expects to turn its fortunes around .
in the 1970s, most of them closed. only hickey freeman remained. if it doesn’t survive, the final chapter of rochester’s clothing industry will be written .
hickey freeman owners look to restore lost luster from a bigger custom business to fewer furloughs, grano capital has big turnaround plans. check out this story on urltoken urltoken
stephen granovsky, ceo of grano capital, which just bought hickey freeman, tours the north clinton avenue plant wednesday on his first visit since buying the clothier company .
hickey freeman, founded in 1899 in rochester, ny, remains the luxury clothier made in america that men rely upon for business wear, formal wear, and sportswear .
yet far too much hickey freeman product ends up sold for well below those prices, said stephen granovsky, the latest head of the iconic but often troubled menswear company .
in the past few years hickey freeman has gone through a bit of a reorganization and was taken over by a new ownership group. through that process the company has taken on three very skilled stewards in doug williams, joseph abboud and mike cohen to help lead the brand. i would think it would be tough to find three better people to run an american clothing company. williams as the ceo of hmx group (hickey freeman’s reorganized parent company), abboud as group creative director and cohen as hickey freeman president .
for over a century, h. freeman has been synonymous with quality, excellence and classic american style. nothing is ever compromised in the creation of an h. freeman suit .
stephen granovsky, ceo of grano capital, which just bought hickey freeman, tours the n. clinton ave. plant on his first visit since buying the clothier company in rochester .
in the early 20th century, young jacob freeman and jeremiah hickey had a dream to build a business that combined the art of fine tailoring with newly developed technology to offer well - made suits to men across the country. today, hickey freeman continues to espouse the ideals of beautiful tailoring and consistent quality with its collection of impeccable suiting crafted from the finest materials .
samuelsohn purchased the rochester - based factory from w - diamond group, also taking over a 40 - year license agreement with the owner of the hickey freeman brand, authentic brands group .
hickey freeman workers represent 17 different nationalities. the plant has historically been an entry into rochester for immigrants, beginning with italians in the early 20th century, then turks, hispanics and asians .
the great depression forced a number of factories to close and thousands lost their jobs. hickey freeman would not lay off workers and took a 16. 5 percent hit in profits. by 1935, there were five factories left: bond, michael sterns, hickey freeman, fashion park and timely clothes. world war ii kept the plants busy. they employed 9, 000 workers .
today, only hickey freeman remains. talented craftsmen are still making suits in the same 77, 000 square foot factory on north clinton avenue that they did way back in 1899, when the company was first founded. if you take a peek at the heritage section on the hickey freeman website, you will find some great shots of what the factory looked like in its heyday .
piccone said he hoped the new hickey freeman ownership commits to better advertising and marketing .
they' ve got to get the name out to the consumer more ,
he said .
people don' t understand what a hickey freeman garment is. right now the italians are at the forefront of the fashion world, and this will compare favorably if not more favorably .
home to corporate juggernauts like kodak and xerox, rochester, new york has a rich industrial history. in addition to some of america’s largest companies, the city is also quietly home to hickey freeman, one of the country’s oldest and last surviving (and arguably one of the best) clothiers. founded in 1899 by jeremiah hickey and jacob freeman, the company is still at it, making suits in their sprawling 77, 000 square foot factory in rochester. having been to several other clothing factories in the u. s. , i have been interested in paying a visit to hickey freeman for the past several years. i wanted to see firsthand the quality of the hickey freeman full canvas construction. needless to say, when i finally got the opportunity to see the operation i was not disappointed .
their idea turned into an epic american success story. men of style and achievement have, for generation after generation, turned to hickey freeman for authenticity and quality, elegance and innovation. they still do .
the rochester area' s entire state assembly delegation appeared with johnson, county executive maggie brooks and governor pataki, most pulling back their suit coats to show off the hickey - freeman labels inside. state assembly speaker sheldon silver told plant workers he buys both his suits and his shirts at the plant' s factory store, prompting rochester business alliance ceo tom mooney to remind the gathered politicians that hickey freeman also makes boxer shorts .
that' s what everyone calls it: the temple to fine tailoring. two young entrepreneurs named jacob freeman and jeremiah hickey built it in the early years of the 20th century. their plan was to bring high - quality hand - tailoring to men from coast to coast. as they envisioned it, a hickey freeman suit would be a testament to both the delicate artistry of hand - craftsmanship and the steady consistency of modern technology .
the sticker price for an off - the - rack hickey freeman suit is typically $ 1, 500 to $ 1, 800. a sports coat might have an advertised price from $ 1, 000 on up .
the sale worked out as a joint purchase, with the intellectual property of iconic clothing brands hickey freeman and hart schaffner marx going to authentic brands group, and the operating company being purchased by w - diamond corporation .
hickey freeman' s parent company - - hartmarx - - had offered the men' s suit maker space at a vacant plant in chicago. had the plant left, it would have taken more than 650 jobs with it .
mayor johnson says loss of hickey freeman would have devestated northeast rochester, where many of the largely immigrant workforce lives within walking distance of the plant gates. johnson says the city worked for more than two years to keep that from happening .
for decades, anyone who stepped into the temple saw the phrase
keep the quality up
carved into the oak entryway .
keep the quality up
was the hickey freeman motto — and its mission statement. it still is .
all of this adds up to a return to the classic style and expert construction that gave hickey freeman the reputation it has today. to see hmx group revitalize and re - brand the company should be pleasing for anyone interested in wearing a quality american made suit .
hickey freeman is a reminder of rochester’s history in the clothing and textile industry. fueled by immigrants who settled on the northeast side, the garment trade was a large employer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. it also played a large role in the labor movement .
while the cheapest pants hickey freeman makes retails for close to $ 300, granovsky said he' d like to introduce one closer to $ 200. while marginally profitable ,
it' s better than leaving people at home two days a week (due to furloughs) or selling at clearance prices .
the h. freeman style is an adaptation of hyman freeman and his wife, both master tailors from russia, who opened a custom tailoring shop in 1885 in the university district of philadelphia. the pair pioneered a soft, natural shoulder in tailored clothing, which later became a trademark of the ivy league look .
they put together a package of four million dollars in state aid and one million from the city of rochester. the final two million is coming from hickey freeman itself and from the unite union which represents plant workers. it will fund extensive renovations to keep the plant competetive and air conditioning for the production workers who hand - stitch exclusive men' s suits together .
the film will air monday night on wxxi - tv, but first, we sit down with some of the people who help tell the story in the film. from the ways that the garment industry pioneered mass production, to the impact of immigration, to the high end of fashion with hickey freeman, we get an education in the clothing business. in studio :
the factory in rochester ranks up there as one of the most well organized i have ever seen. wait, i should clarify that last statement a little bit. hickey freeman’s plant is one of the most well organized clothing factories that i have come across in the u. s. allen edmonds also has a pretty amazing production facility in wisconsin that i have toured. there aren’t a lot of clothing companies still operating in the u. s. , which is why it is interesting to see how advanced the hickey freeman process and facilities are. everything is clean, well organized and modern. and all of this in the same building the company was founded in. pretty amazing if you ask me. all of the garments move through the production line on special trays that the company has produced especially for its needs. in most clothing factories pieces and parts are bundled. you will notice in the photos that special care is given at every step to preserve the desired shape of the clothing as it snakes its way through the process. this example just illustrates the care and attention that goes into making a hickey freeman suit .
that, in turn, should bring back the numerous independent stores, which is where hickey freeman has seen the biggest decline in sales volume in recent years, he said .
when we go to market with a much stronger made - to - market offering, it' s going to benefit first and foremost the independents. they' re the ones who are going to come racing back .
when this opportunity became available we jumped at it ,
he said .
samuelsohn and hickey have always been a natural fit — anyone in the industry will tell you that. there' s a third name … that is the natural third point on the pyramid that as soon as we feel comfortable that hickey is where we need it to be … we' re going to go after that one. i don' t want to sound arrogant because we' re focused on hickey day and night until we get it right but i hope (that third company) becomes an opportunity as soon as possible .
i just got my first hickey blazer, though i grew up with a father who only wore hickey, and i love it. it’s actually one of the new styles being made for opening cermony btq. , and it’s just that extra bit of hip, that looks great with jeans, which is how i wear it. you know when you wear a jkt and it just feels perfect……that’s my new h. f blazer .
the clothing industry spawned factories making neckties, mittens and buttons. in the 1880s, many of the manufacturers moved to big buildings on st. paul st. the rochester clothing industry was not producing as much as new york or chicago, but was known for high - quality products. by 1900, there were more than 500 clothing shops employing nearly 9, 000 people. they included hickey freeman, stein bloch, and l. adler & co .
every suit i own is a hickey and some are still going strong the 10 years after i bought them after i graduated from college. i’m from rochester, and its a point of pride to wear them at work in dc .
this business does a lot of clearance business, a lot of outlet business ,
the ceo of grano capital investments said this week as he walked through the company' s north clinton avenue plant, shaking hands and chatting with employees there just days after the toronto - based private equity firm closed on its takeover of the rochester company. that needs to change if grano is to avoid the fate of hickey freeman' s most recent owners, all of whom struggled to stay profitable .
a lesser - known impact of the hickey - freeman plant on the 14621 neighborhood (and all of rochester) is that the plant has recruited workers from all over the world who have garment skills. that contributes to the amazing multi - cultural vibe in that part of the city. in fact, in some of the background research we did for the el - camino rail - trail (a block west of the plant) and the 14621 boa (brownfield opportunity area) indicated, iirc, 80 + languages spoken in the neighborhood .
very happy to see that hickey is well set for the future. one of the few brands that never let their image tarnish. staying true to their heritage and sticking to the quality that brought them to today has paid off. very nice post - thank you .
rochester has a long history of innovation and is home to some of the largest, most influential giants of industry. take, for example, kodak, xerox, bausch & lomb, ragu and wegmans. these names are synonymous with rochester, but what about the city’s lesser - known giants? before we were known as the flour city or the birthplace of film, rochester was a huge hub for the garment industry. the garment district, located in the st. paul neighborhood, is still home to one of the oldest clothiers in the country, hickey freeman .
jehiel barnard was rochester’s first tailor, setting up shop in what is now reynolds arcade. he arrived in 1812, the same year as the city’s permanent settlement. by 1834, at least 20 tailors were operating in rochester. by 1848, rochester was home to more than 30 garment shops. most of these were crowded in low wooden structures along the main street bridge and nearby front street. tailor shops soon made way for wholesale manufacturing, most of which were headquartered on mill street. in 1879, some 2, 700 workers filled the factories daily. in the 1890’s, rochester was the 4 th largest manufacturer of men’s clothing in america. by the end of the great depression, the industry was mostly controlled by a handful of powerful companies: michael - sterns, timely clothes, fashion park, bonds clothes and hickey freeman .
jacob and louis weinberg founded oxxford clothes in 1916 with a mission to establish the standard by which all men’s tailored clothing is judged. the weinbergs were determined that no possible fineness in craftsmanship or material be overlooked in the achievement of that purpose. today, the oxxford mission remains unchanged .
since 1916, the world’s leading men have worn oxxford for its elegance and character. early on, gentlemen such as clark gable, cary grant, walt disney and joe dimaggio chose oxxford, and to this day, oxxford' s client list reads like a' who' s who' of the world’s gentlemen .
for nearly 200 years, holland & sherry has supplied the world' s most prestigious tailors and luxury brands with the world' s finest fabrics. founded in london in 1836 by stephen holland & frederick sherry, the brand has established an enduring reputation as a purveyor of the highest quality wool and silk cloths .
in 1998, holland & sherry interiors was created and continues this legacy. taking inspiration from the traditional apparel fabrics, the line of luxury textiles has quickly garnered the same level of international acclaim .
with roots tracing back to the 1930s, the gitman family name is synonymous with a rich heritage of american manufacturing. widely regarded as the foremost manufacturer of shirts and ties in the usa, each gitman garment combines the finest fabrics with unparalleled construction and finishing .
gitman vintage builds upon the this heritage with a carefully curated line that blends retro detailing with a distinct seasonal collection that can be found in over 30 countries around the world .
since 1947, corbin has remained the purely iconic american trouser brand. in the years following world war ii, corbin rose to popularity for their trousers' unique tailoring and expert craftsmanship .
today, the corbin line has expanded to incorporate sports jackets and suiting in addition to the extensive range of dress and casual trousers. with a new generation of consumers, corbin is experiencing a renewal of interest based on its longstanding history of quality and fit .
coppley has been creating outstanding tailored pieces for over 120 years. drawing on a heritage of distinctive british style and meticulous canadian workmanship, coppley has created an unmistakably modern form of design and luxury .
the family crest stretches back to the 16th century, and includes such notable personages as john singleton copley, the famous colonial american painter and george coppley, the prominent canadian businessman and politician that launched the coppley brand with four other entrepreneurs in 1883 .
in 1961, two experienced shirt makers, john la resca and george zimmerman, decided to launch a small custom shirt manufacturing business in paterson, new jersey. they had a vision that great american specialty retailers needed a shirt maker to help them build an in store custom business. from that vision, they created individualized shirts .
fifty years later, individualized shirts celebrates its golden anniversary as america’s largest and most successful custom shirt maker .
for over 20 years, measure up have produced finely crafted custom dress shirts combining expert construction with fabrics sourced from the world’s most exclusive mills. each shirt is hand made in the foothills of tennessee, one at a time, by america' s most skilled sewers .
with a broad range of styling options, measure up offers customers a truly unique shirt of their own design .
english american tailoring traces its roots back over 100 years. based in westminster, md they manufacture the highest quality garments available today .
at english american, elegance is not an accident, but the result of a longstanding dedication to detail. luxurious fabrics, excellent fit, and the latest styles combine to create a fashion statement that is truly available nowhere else .
tj chile was established in 2008 to assist english american with furnish tom james company with quality suits, sport coats, trouser, dresses and skirts .
we manufacture the highest quality garments available today. our employees are committed to providing our customers with a quality product and a high level of service at competitive prices .
elegance is not an accident, we work at it. luxurious fabrics, excellent fit, and the latest styles combine to create a fashion statement that is truly available nowhere else .
in 1910, in the small town of cleckheaton, joseph h. clissold established his cloth manufacturing business at brookhouse mills. the business expanded and joseph h. clissold relocated to bradford, one of the centres of britain’s fine worsted industry .
joseph h. clissold developed the company and built a reputation on traditional craft skills and leading technology. in 1976 the company was bought by a management team who owned and ran the business until 2007. in april 2007 the business became part of the prestigious holland & sherry group, part of the tom james group of companies .
today the craft, skill and expertise in cloth making have been developed further by new generations and today’s fabrics are finer and more technically advanced than ever. the company has its own in house design team, where 6 designers have the use of the scotweave cad system and can produce samples in single and full width through either hattersley, data weave or dobcross looms .
the business is truly worldwide with major customers in the uk, europe, the middle east, south east asia, china, japan, united states of america, canada and latin america .
the clissold collection is designed with the finest australian and new zealand merino wool ranging up to super 180’s, super 220’s and pure cashmere and other noble fibres and features a variety of cloths from tailoring fabrics with clean cut, milled and flannel finishes, country style two colour twist suiting and jacketing, soft brushed checked jacketing and bold striping blazers, coatings in light and heavy weights, these are just a cross section of fabrics available from our extensive collection .
crossville fabric mill in tomé chile, is a fully vertical textile producer making apparel and interiors fabrics. all facets of the manufacturing processes are fulfilled with in the plant including dyeing the wool, spinning the yarns, to weaving and finishing the fabric. crossville has the ability to produce and ship over one million meters of cloth per year, making them an important supplier to fabric merchants and garment manufacturers .
governor pataki, mayor bill johnson and other officials joined her in announcing a seven - million - dollar economic development package. it will keep the 104 - year - old men' s clothing company in northeast rochester by funding extensive renovations of its north clinton avenue plant .
governor pataki says officials of all levels and all parties pitched in to keep that from happening .
he says that research included studies on where the highly - skilled tailors who work in the factory lived .
our brand portfolio is constantly growing and evolving. our team continues to expand and we' re actively recruiting new and exciting talent. we' d love to meet you if you think you fit the mold .
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urltoken
the temple — a 225, 000 - square - foot factory in rochester, new york — is where it all happens. tailors from around the world gather in rochester' s sartorial sanctuary to set sleeves and stitch collars and roll lapels. each tailor has a different specialty, but they all share a common goal: to create suits that represent the very pinnacle of american tailoring .
lightly on the body. silk yarns give luminosity and clarity to the color, while lightening the weight of the fabric. blending summer wools and linens
carlo barbera mill. using 100% biella weaves, they are masters of color. yarns are stored in temperature - controlled facility “caves” to keep color intensity
and consistency. but don’t be fooled by all the prestige, these are power suits with natural stretch, breathable, water repellent, stain resistant with wrinkle recovery .
the fleece of sheep raised in the unique climate of the blue mountains of tasmania yields an especially fine wool that is perfect for year - round suits .
wes believes that what is important in a vet’s reintegration to society is not merely a renewed sense of purpose, but also a continued sense of mission—the value of urgency, getting the job done, and getting it done right. # purposeneverends # heroesandleaders # hickeyfreeman
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jehiel barnard was the first tailor to arrive in rochester in 1812. by 1834, there were 20 tailors. in the 1840s, when rochester’s population hit 24, 000, german immigrant myer greentree set up the first mens suit manufacturing shop. by 1848, there were at least 30 shops where suits were made and sold, most located on main and front streets. these were small stores and many workers finished garments at their houses. most of the workers were jewish immigrants .
in the 1850s, the sewing machine led to large - scale production. by the end of the 1870s, the clothing shops employed 2, 700 people and were centered on mill st. only rochester’s shoe industry exceeded the clothing industry in sales. the city was the sixth largest clothing hub in the country .
workers, however, struggled. they included children. many of them were crowded into unsanitary sweatshops, mostly subcontractors of the big firms. by the 1890s, unions were starting to take hold. there were lockouts, boycotts and strikes. there were agreements and companies that broke the agreements. labor strife never ended .
in 1911, a scathing state investigation shined harsh light on the clothiers. the report made news all over the country :
new york new world... published an article…’in the model city of rochester, where civic pride is eclipsed only by the pursuit of the almighty dollar, girls sit in unsanitary and unventilated rooms for ten hours a day stitching garments…” a stinging restatement of the charges appeared in the toledo blade, which concluded sneeringly, “possibly it may not be denied that ‘rochester made means quality. ’ but in light of the factory report, ‘rochester made’ means disease, dirt, poor air, poor light and the exploitation of the flesh and blood of children. ”
in 1913, the workers, many of whom now included italians, voted to go on strike to get an 8 - hour work day, 10 - cent raise and overtime and holiday pay. when the strikers saw a light on at dusk at a factory on clifford st. , one through a rock through the window. the owner fired into the crowd, killing 17 - year - old ida braiman .
the 1913 garment workers strike was on. the strike lasted a couple months, cost several million dollars and resulted in a 52 - hour work week with five no - work holidays, time - and - a - half overtime pay and no discrimination toward striking workers .
in 1960, when mckelvey wrote his history, he said the clothing industry was “remarkably stable” and the fifth largest in terms of output in the country. the industry employed 7, 900 people making 15, 000, 000 suits and coats a year .
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so loss of the h - f plant would be not only the end of a chapter in rochester history, it would lead to major changes in the character of that part of the city .
another thing that stood out to me about the factory is the diversity of the work force, something that is also unrivaled at any facility i have been to previously. the plant manager told me they have workers from 17 different countries under one roof. it literally is the closest thing to a melting pot that i have ever seen working together. and everyone is working toward one common goal, to make fine tailored goods .
i have spent some time with mike cohen and he could be the best dressed guy in the game. in addition to being painfully nice and in possession of a much evolved sense of style, mike can literally construct an entire suit by hand. now that’s not something many executives can say. cohen also understands the ins and outs of what is happening in menswear at the moment. mike is the type of guy you want to go out drinking with and talk shop. the simple way to say this is that: mike gets it .
the photos below are pretty extensive, but there was so much to see in rochester that i couldn’t resist sharing all of these with you .
made in america. nice. mw you took a massive amount of pictures .
outstanding! i grew up and still live / work in rochester. great post! ; - )
did you get to check out another great rochester clothing label, adrian jules? some of the finest bespoke suits available in the us .
great stuff at hf, but their mature styles and padded shoulders never appealed to me. now, they are making natural shoulder models .
until the 80s / 90s, upstate new york hosted some of america’s finest clothing manufacturers. a bit east of rochester, in syracuse, learbury was still cranking out brooks and polo suits in the 90s; not sure if they still are, but they produced high - quality pieces. and of course, syracuse was home to the famous (and finest) nettleton shoes until about 1990. east of there, in utica, duxback, a sort of ll bean hunting wear manufacturer held on until the mid - 70s. northeast of there, i believe daniel greene bedroom slippers were originally made in dolgeville .
and further east, along the hudson, in glens falls, troy guild manufactured dress shirts for the finest stores in america, again until about 1990. their distaff side, mcmullen blouses, probably the finest peter pan collar chintz blouses made in the usa stopped production by about the 80s. both of these brands, using the finest imported fabrics, pearl buttons, etc. were stalwarts of saks, neiman marcus, paul stuart, etc. and they all had killer, genuine factory stores .
i once needed a new tuxedo shirt and was passing through glens falls, so i popped into troy guild’s factory store and they didn’t have any in my size. my timing was perfect: “no problem” said the store manager, “i’ll run down stairs and pull one off the line. ” back he came in a few minutes with a paul stuart model–still warm off the ironing board .
so, those of us living upstate never had to venture to nyc to buy great clothes, you just had to pick your thruway exit or ride up the northway to glens falls .
great story & wonderful pictures. and it’s all here in the usa. even more wonderful .
i really love hf. i used to only be a suit guy until i bought a hf sportcoat. i find myself forgetting to take off my coat when i get to the office because it fits so well .
this is very important. there needs to be a better appreciation for “homemade” quality. we spend too much time and interest to that abroad .
as a rochester native, it is great to see this post. great american craftsmanship from my hometown. i was back in town for a graduation a few years ago and stopped by the hf outlet downtown. i got an insanely beautiful 100% cashmere herringbone blazer. it was a steal at $ 500, down from around 1, 500. one of those items of clothing that every time i wear it, i get compliments. definitely worth the trip if you’re in the downtown area .
hmmm not so much a melting pot as it is a stew…. the more immigration the more sewers and workers there are to rebuild north american industry. the biggest problem besides costs / subsidies to produce in china that the schmata trade faces in canada and likely the u. s. is a lack of qualified sewers…. no body wants to do it…hundreds of kids graduate fashion school every year and they all think they will be designers…but there are no indigenous sewers…americans and canadians dont want to work that hard…and a lot of immigration policy focus on attracting young people with tech skills or immigrants with money…. so in reality the business is limited by the potential for labour i face that every day in my clothing business and it is one of the biggest barrier points nice post michael
yet another inspiring and great story with the pictures to go with! thanks! i own one of their items and it’ll last me forever .
excellent post! i love to see my city get exposure for the positive things. if i am not mistaken, the st. paul area used to be know as a garment district .
fast forward to 2016 and you will find very different neighborhood. those incredible industrial buildings on st. paul, north water and andrews streets have recently been converted to loft apartments, artist studios, professional offices and trendy restaurants .
it is also home to waterstreet music hall, where high - school me saw some pretty great shows in the early 2000’s .
‘tailor made: the story of rochester’s garment industry, ’ which premiers monday, february 29 at 8 p. m. on wxxi - tv .
sources: “ the men’s clothing industry in rochester’s history, ” by blake mckelvey, city historian, july, 1960. “ retrofitting rochester: rochester button company, ” by jeff ludwig, historical researcher, city of rochester, democrat & chronical in partnership with the office of the city historian. tailor made: the story of rochester’s garment industry, media release, wxxi .
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from a bigger custom business to fewer furloughs, grano capital has big turnaround plans .
stephen granovsky visits with sacha smits, pants dept. manager, center, and kristina lako, pants dept. manager, left .
stephen granovsky visits with sacha smits, pants dept. manager, left, as he tours the n. clinton ave. plant .
after longtime owner hartmarx corp. filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the british private equity firm emerisque brands and sknl, an indian clothing manufacturer, bought hartmarx' s assets. then the holding company they formed, hmx acquisition corp. , itself filed for bankruptcy in 2012 .
it' s probably the fastest growing part of the business in the industry in general ,
granovsky said .
... it' s not a secondary thought, it' s not a leftover thought .
it is a critical component of our merchandizing, our design and our inventory purchasing strategy. we' re going to do that here .
that means we' re going to redesign... the physical presentation you see when you walk in the store ,
he said .
we' re going to invest in promotions. we' re going to spend money on travel to get our experts into stores to fit people and size them and talk about what the product looks like. and we' re going to build a much bigger made - to - measure business — millions of dollars bigger than it is today .
we have to grow this pants shop ,
granovsky said as he stood in the midst of numerous work stations of people cutting and sewing fabric .
this shop of all the shops in the building has probably suffered the most (in terms of down business). we need to get this shop able to produce different types of pants, different price points, we need to get much more aggressive on price – whatever it takes to build the pant business .
the challenge is that the market for dress pants overall
has flatlined, probably shrunk over the last three to five years. people are wearing more sport pants, khakis and the like with sports jackets. we need to grow that business. but it is a unique challenge we have .
workforce issues are also a big part of the turnaround plan, granovsky said .
the capacity in rochester, the current workforce capacity, is significantly higher than the right profit formula ,
he said .
they' re making a lot of unprofitable goods … to keep people working. even then, these folks aren' t working beyond the range of 60 to 70 percent of the time. they' re laid off one day, two days a week. it' s not the way you maintain a motivated, high quality workforce. it' s a priority of ours to fill this building not only with more work but with profitable work .
we' re buying a brand that has withstood two bankruptcies. and we have a factory and a workforce here that is extremely efficient. much more than samuelsohn when we acquired that business. i have a lot of confidence we' re going to be able to do what we say were going to do. we think we' ll have a profitable business next year. getting to a really profitable business and a really growing business is the real challenge .
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we go inside the history of the garment industry in rochester as we preview the new documentary, tailor made .
montreal - based clothier samuelsohn became the latest parent company of the brand when the deal closed friday .
w - diamond group ceo, doug williams says he’ll continue to be involved with the brand. he says this latest deal will promote growth and add jobs in rochester .
authentic brands groups (abg) and w - diamond corporation have been given the go ahead to purchase the intellectual and physical property of the company .
the bankruptcy documents cite that the company had less than $ 50, 000 in assets, against debt of more than $ 50 million.
hickey freeman is a manufacturer of quality suits for men and boys , based in rochester , new york , us , founded in 1899 . the hickey-freeman co. is the most distinguished of the once booming men ’s clothing industry based in rochester at the start of the 20th century . hickey freeman tailored clothing continues to be made in the same storied rochester facility opened in 1912 . the hartmarx corporation bought the company in 1964 and after several changes of ownership , grano retail investments acquired the company including the rochester factory in 2013 . authentic brands group currently owns the brand , and neither is affiliated with the similarly-named h. freeman , a brand owned by individualized apparel group . 
hickey freeman is a manufacturer of quality suits for men and boys, based in rochester, new york, us, founded in 1899. the hickey-freeman co. is the most distinguished of the once booming men ’s clothing industry based in rochester at the start of the 20th century. hickey freeman tailored clothing continues to be made in the same storied rochester facility opened in 1912. the hartmarx corporation bought the company in 1964 and after several changes of ownership, grano retail investments acquired the company including the rochester factory in 2013. authentic brands group currently owns the brand, and neither is affiliated with the similarly-named h. freeman, a brand owned by individualized apparel group.
hickey freeman is a manufacturer of quality suits for men and boys, based in rochester, new york, us, founded in 1899. the hickey-freeman co. is the most distinguished of the once booming men ’s clothing industry based in rochester at the start of the 20th century. hickey freeman tailored clothing continues to be made in the same storied rochester facility opened in 1912. the hartmarx corporation bought the company in 1964 and after several changes of ownership, grano retail investments acquired the company including the rochester factory in 2013. authentic brands group currently owns the brand, and neither is affiliated with the similarly-named h. freeman, a brand owned by individualized apparel group.