Alton Lane’s Peyton Jenkins: ‘Men are getting more comfortable expressing themselves through clothes’

“[Hunter and I] noticed this emerging trend of self-presentation awareness. We were within that crowd, and while we had no fashion or apparel background, we loved the idea of a challenge,” Jenkins said on the latest episode of The Glossy Podcast. “At the time, no one was focused on experiential retail … not like they are today. We thought, ‘If we could combine these two things — better access to fit and a better supply chain — and through a much better experience, then there was something there.’ And we just ran with it.”

Since its inception, the brand has become the official menswear partner of BHLDN, Anthropologie’s wedding brand. And within the last two months, it launched on TikTok. With both of these moves giving the company a boost, its plans include strong growth in 2023.

Below are additional highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.

Crafting a winning and authentic growth and marketing strategy
“With marketing, we’ve realized during Covid that, if we want to play against the biggest competitors in the space — from the Suitsupplys to the J.Crews and even the department stores of the world and the LVMH brands — we will have to raise so much money to dedicate just to that. And even then, they’re probably smarter and better than us there, because they’ve been doing it longer. What we’ve tried to do … is use our Instagram, Tiktok and other marketing [content] be a reflection of our personalities. … We also just launched a blog. Instead of taking a very high-brow approach to what menswear is, [we’re answering] the questions that you probably want answered but you either feel too dumb or you’re too nervous to ask. The best way to put it is: We’re trying to create an environment that’s all-access and all-inclusive for wherever you are on the style, size, age and income spectrum. We [want to] be a playground for everyone within a pretty large demographic.”

Online vs. in-store sales
“Pre-Covid, [our sales were about] 99% in-store. Our goal is to get that to be about 50% in-store and 50% online. We are probably 15% online now. That being said, that number is skewed a little high because, in-store, we’re now adopting the same platform we use online. … Over the first half of this year, we’re strategically bringing our customers into that experience. If we can train them on how to use [the online process] in our store, then they’re going to be more comfortable using it online. We found that buying a $30 T-shirt online is one thing, but buying a nice custom suit blazer online is another. There’s still a mental hurdle that we are getting over with our customer. We’ve also partnered with several department stores to have this [tool] on their floor. There’s a real sustainability play here for department stores of having [this] at their fingertips. With it, they don’t have to hold inventory, which is pretty cool.”

The evolution of the tuxedo
“Pre-Covid, a majority of [our sales were from] wedding outfits. That is still a higher number post-Covid than I expected it to be, but I’ll tell you what has dropped off: The traditional black tuxedo has dropped off significantly. We see even the most style-resistant dude love a bold, blue tuxedo, and I love it. The guy that was ultra-classic is now willing to step out of the box, the guy that was already out of the box is willing to take a gamble, and the guy that was willing to take a gamble is ready to go bold. With all of our different fabric options, we actually get to hit every single one. … As that pendulum swings out to more style, it gets people more comfortable expressing themselves through clothes. Frankly, for [most] men, that just hasn’t been something that they do or necessarily put a lot of thought into. … Now the tide turned, where it’s almost that, if you’re not paying attention to that, you’re outside of the majority.”