Luxury Briefing: ‘Made in America’ gets a luxury menswear revival

But while Americana styling is everywhere, “Made in America” production remains rare. On September 16, just after New York Fashion Week, Ralph Lauren unveiled its new three-year plan at its Investor Day, targeting mid-single-digit annual revenue growth through fiscal 2028, margin expansion of 100–150 basis points, and $2 billion in dividends and buybacks. The brand’s executives pointed to the brand’s manufacturing roots by highlighting its first tie “made in America” and the Polo shirt “made in North Carolina,” but made no commitments to expand domestic production, focusing instead on supply chain digitization and vendor optimization.

Robert Talbott, the 75-year-old menswear house founded in Carmel, California, is positioning itself differently. Older than Ralph Lauren but long seen by older customers as “the Ralph Lauren of the West Coast”, according to Alex Angelchik, Robert Talbott’s president, the brand built its name on handcrafted ties before losing its way. The brand, which reopened its Madison Avenue boutique on September 11 during New York Fashion Week: Men’s Day, is building that revival around U.S. manufacturing. “We have blazers. We have pinpoint oxfords. The fabrics are made in America, the buttons are made in America, everything,” Angelchik said. “It’s not easy making in America, I have to say. But we’re excited to have done it.”

After decades as a family-run shirting and neckwear label, Talbott changed hands multiple times before being sold in 2016 and going dormant. In 2021, Newtimes Group — one of the world’s largest supply chain managers — acquired the brand with a 10-year plan to relaunch it. With over 50 offices globally, 600 vendor relationships and around $2 billion in goods landed in North America annually, Newtimes provides the capital and sourcing power most independent luxury brands lack. “We’re extremely well capitalized,” Angelchik said. “We don’t need to chase fast growth, and that gives us the ability to focus on doing things the right way.”

That long-term view is central to Talbott’s strategy. “We are, step by step, rebuilding a real brand that’s existed for 75 years on the same principles that the founders built it on,” Angelchik said. “We’re going to take our time, we’re going to do it right, and, season by season, we’re going to get better and better.”

The brand has leaned on long-standing domestic partners. Angelchik noted that Talbott has worked with the same American factories for 25–30 years, the same facilities that Ralph Lauren uses for its top-end Team USA uniforms, according to Angelchik, ensuring reliable tailoring. The bottleneck is textiles. “The No. 1 problem we have is finding ‘Made in America’ fabrics,” Angelchik said. “Trims, labels and buttons are no problem. But lining fabric and the raw materials are hard to find.”

The company’s leadership acknowledged the contradictions of building in America today. “Being a manufacturer in the United States is increasingly difficult, and it was hard to begin with,” said Angelchik. “Now, manufacturers are faced with a bunch of bad decisions. The government is taking away a very active and very affordable workforce, and yet they’re tariffing goods that are coming into the United States to incentivize us to manufacture and warehouse in the United States and use American trucking firms. The goals aren’t bad, but it’s very difficult to run a factory using just American workers in certain parts of this country.”

However, cost pressures are less daunting than before. “‘Made in America,’ cost-wise, is comparable to ‘Made in Europe.’ By the time it lands in the United States, it’s really almost the exact same number,” Angelchik said. With European blazers now selling for $7,000–$8,000, he sees an opening. “I used to buy a very fine Italian blazer for $2,500 or $3,000. That same blazer today is $7,000 or $8,000. The fabric price has not increased that much. Why should I spend $8,000 on that blazer?” Talbott’s pricing, with shirts at $285, ties at $195, jeans at $245 is positioned as premium, but intentionally below European inflation.

International demand is another driver. “Overseas, everybody’s asking for ‘Made in America,’” Angelchik said. “Our Japanese customers and our European customers love the brand, because they don’t see it [in their market]. Historically, what’s been made in America? T-shirts, fleece, football uniforms. But they certainly don’t see dress shirts and a lot of suiting made in America.” Today, Talbott’s strongest international markets are Sweden and Canada, where products like floral shirts, French-linen dress shirts and Merino sweaters have performed well, according to Angelchik. The brand is also beginning to build traction in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong.

Distribution is being rebuilt cautiously. Currently, 40% of sales come from direct-to-consumer and 60% from wholesale, with Nordstrom carrying select lines and specialty menswear accounts beginning to request domestically made pieces. Angelchik said that if strong wholesale partners aren’t available in key markets, Talbott will open its own stores. “One Boston retailer told us that when the old Robert Talbott went away, it left a huge gap,” he recalled. “Robert Talbott fills this very specific need for colorful, playful, fun [apparel] — stuff that people actually want and they can’t find it anywhere else.”

In contrast, Todd Snyder, now nearing $130 million in sales, has built growth on heritage storytelling and collaborations with brands like Champion, Timex and Alden. His strategy is designed for modern retail, with a mix of selective flagship stores, smaller neighborhood shops and controlled wholesale. Snyder has described his company as “the next great American men’s brand,” but unlike Robert Talbott, his positioning does not center on U.S. manufacturing. Much of Snyder’s apparel is produced overseas, in markets including Portugal, Italy and China, reflecting a broader menswear model where Americana style is globalized even as it draws on domestic cultural codes.

For its part, Robert Talbott is betting that production itself can be the story, including in marketing. To reinforce the message, Talbott produced a short film on American craftsmanship that plays in-store and online, part of a broader strategy to expand its “Made in America” offering in the seasons ahead. Angelchik frames it as both patriotic and pragmatic. “American consumers feel very patriotic when they’re buying ‘Made in America,’ especially with the current political situation in this country,” he said. “But when you look at the costs, it also makes sense.”

Rise & Fall bets on quality as it expands to the U.S., positioning itself as Quince’s luxury challenger

In October, U.K.-based direct-to-consumer brand Rise & Fall, famous for its cashmere and luxury basics, will expand into the U.S. and Australia, taking on a crowded basics market with a model it believes outshines fast-rising rival Quince.

“The Quince customer and our customer are very different. Quince is not real luxury,” said Rise & Fall co-founder Jed Coleman. “It’s just about mass and a lot of product. We’re targeting someone more refined, who really appreciates quality and wants to buy something that’s going to last for a long time.” Quince, founded in 2018, describes its model as offering “luxury essentials, honestly priced,” emphasizing quality materials and affordability over heritage or exclusivity. Its $50 cashmere sweater has become a viral hit, though reviews such as Wirecutter’s in April this year have noted inconsistent quality.

Founded three and a half years ago, Rise & Fall has posted a compounded annual growth rate of more than 100%, even as global luxury sales slow. The brand is now trading at eight figures. Its mission is to bridge the gap between luxury and accessibility by cutting out traditional retail markups. By partnering directly with the same factories that produce for labels like luxury bedding Frette and outerwear giant Burberry, it offers pieces for up to 80% less. Its organic bedding set, made in the same facility that makes bedding for the Four Seasons hotel chain, according to the company, retails for £120 ($150).

Menswear is a key growth driver, led by newly appointed head of menswear Claire French, formerly at Mr Porter, Burberry and Dunhill. “We have a full design team here, so the fabrics have to be as good as they can be. Often that means sourcing from Italy,” Coleman said. New launches include leather trench coats priced below £300 ($375). The brand’s aesthetic is clean, modern and understated, with a focus on a timeless wardrobe and home essentials like pared-back cashmere, crisp organic cotton and refined tailoring in neutral palettes, designed to offer everyday luxury without excess branding or trend-led styling.

Beyond fashion, Rise & Fall is expanding into lifestyle categories, including a forthcoming cold-pressed olive oil sourced from Southern Europe. Coleman believes this diversification underscores the brand’s focus on essentials made to last.

“There’s a lot of backlash against the luxury houses putting prices up so much. They’re not really interested in the aspirational shopper. Those entry price points used to be there at £250-£400 ($315-$500),” said Coleman. “It’s not that anymore — it’s £600-£800 ($750-$1,000). That’s difficult for most people. There’s really an opening for us to come in and say, ‘You don’t need to spend £700 ($875) on a jumper. You can have the quality, the design and curation — the foundation of luxury — and strip away the silliness, the price gouging and the A-list celebrities.”

Backed by £7 million ($8.7 million) in funding from investors in digital bank Revolut and makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury, Rise & Fall is also a certified B Corp. Its fabrics include GOTS-certified organic cotton, European linens and A-grade Mongolian cashmere, with production run on a just-in-time model to reduce waste.

Its soft U.S. launch begins October 20 with bedding, followed by menswear and leather goods.

Inside the buy: What Nordstrom is betting on post-NYFW

“This New York Fashion Week underscored how vital emerging designers are to the future of American fashion. From Ashlyn’s refined collection to standout first runway shows by Diotima and Zankov, the season was rich with fresh perspectives. Designers like Emily Dawn Long, Kur and Heirlome brought new energy to the conversation, while Area’s joyful shift in direction added a sense of play and possibility.” –Rickie De Sole, vp fashion director at Nordstrom

Executive moves

• Within minutes on September 17, Kering announced Francesca Bellettini as Gucci’s new president and CEO while simultaneously confirming the departure of Stefano Cantino.
• Jean-Marc Gallot, exiting as CEO of Veuve Clicquot, will become managing director of Paris FC, while Thomas Mulliez (Moët Hennessy EMEA president) steps up as Veuve Clicquot CEO and Laure Baume (Moët Hennessy France MD) succeeds Mulliez.
• Paul Smith has appointed retail veteran Ewan Venters, former CEO of Fortnum & Mason and Hauser & Wirth, as its new executive chairman effective October 1.
• Tod’s Group has named Marco Felci, former Dolce & Gabbana evp of commercial, as CEO of the Americas, succeeding Roberto Lorenzini.
• Kering CEO Luca de Meo has hired former Renault executive Thomas Cuntz as global talent development and people engagement head, reporting to chief people officer Béatrice Lazat.
• Gap Inc. has brought in Reed Krakoff (Coach, Tiffany, John Hardy) as executive director of accessories, John Demsey (Estée Lauder) as executive director of beauty, Deb Redmond (Nordstrom) as gm of beauty and Michele Parsons (Coach, Kate Spade) as gm of accessories to spearhead its push into beauty and accessories as new growth engines across its portfolio brands. It has also appointed Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, to its 12-member board alongside Richard Dickson, president and CEO of Gap Inc., and Mayo A. Shattuck III, board chair.

Research: EY Luxury Client Index 2025

As luxury faces slowing sales, new data from the consulting firm EY shows a widening value gap. While 71% of luxury shoppers surveyed rank quality as their top purchase driver, 62% walked away from purchases due to high prices. More than half (54%) would buy pre-owned products directly from a maison, and 50% would consider rentals, highlighting underused growth levers. Meanwhile, 70%, including 79% of Gen Z, say they’d pay for exclusive experiences.

“Secondhand is not a short-term trend. It’s a major structural and cultural shift,” said Rachel Daydou, partner at EY Consulting France in an interview. “Maisons can create a market that doesn’t exist today for clients who would buy secondhand but don’t trust [resale] platforms. Within luxury brands, marketing departments are very interested in this, because they see it as a strong consumer trend and also as a way to maintain consumer touch points and increase [those touch points]. Instead of buying just one time and then never seeing [the customer] again, it’s buy, resell, rebuy — maybe with some additional services on top. It’s a way to deepen the relationship with customers. So the confidence to buy luxury again is there, but brands need to reconnect in this new market with trust, similarly to how they built out their first e-commerce sites.”

News to know 

• The U.S. and China have struck a framework deal in which TikTok’s U.S. operations would shift toward American ownership, with the threat of a U.S. ban helping push China to drop demands for tariff rollback.
• Christian Louboutin has appointed Jaden Smith as its first men’s creative director, with the rapper and actor set to move to Paris and debut his first collection in January.
• S&P rated Saks Global’s refinanced debt “CCC” with a negative outlook, citing liquidity risks and a $500 million cash flow deficit this year. The warning matters because ongoing debt pressure and vendor caution could threaten the stability of Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
• Goop has rebranded its in-house fashion line as Gwyn, launching a Fall 2025 collection designed by Gwyneth Paltrow in close collaboration with Sofía Menassé. Menassé joined Goop as design director in 2024 after holding senior design roles at The Row and Maison Margiela. The collection, evolving from Goop’s original G. Label, features Italian-made essentials with a focus on craftsmanship and minimalism. It launches September 19 for subscribers and September 21 for all shoppers online and in stores.
• Kering confirmed a June cyber-attack by hacker group Shiny Hunters that exposed customer data from brands including Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. The attack underscores rising cybersecurity risks for luxury retailers.
• Natalie Massenet is suing Erik Torstensson for $95 million over alleged fraud while he’s countersuing for custody of their son. The clash has become a focal point because the fallout could impact Frame, Skims and other businesses tied to their wealth, reputations and industry influence.
• Now, with court protection in place, $40 million in emergency financing secured and its founding team still at the helm, Ssense is attempting to rebuild after months of turmoil. That included ballooning debt, executive exits, deep discounting and a harsh blow from the elimination of the U.S. de minimis tariff exemption.

Listen in

On this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska catches up with Hillary Taymour, founder and creative director of Collina Strada, following her buzzy NYFW Spring-Summer 2026 show. The conversation covers everything from the collection’s mirrored “shadow-self” runway concept to Taymour’s latest brand moves, including a new OnlyFans partnership and debut fine jewelry line. Listen here.

Read on Glossy: NYFW edition

John Varvatos on growing his brand after bankruptcy. Unexpected partnerships come in all shapes and sizes — including Jason Wu and Purina. Tibi’s Amy Smilovic on Substack, WNBA and the NYFW show. Wholesale is getting tricky for emerging designers at NYFW. Cynthia Rowley on building brand longevity with her 101st show.