Mizzen+Main

Mizzen and Main (styled Mizzen+Main) is an American clothing company that specializes in performance menswear: performance fabric dress shirts, blazers, jeans, and casual shirts online and in United States retailers,[1] i .[2][3] Launched in 2012 with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the firm has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Men's Health, ESPN and MSNBC.[4][5]

Mizzen+Main
Founded2012
FounderKevin Lavelle
Headquarters
Dallas, Texas
,
U.S.A.
Key people
Kevin Lavelle, CEO
ProductsPerformance menswear
Websitemizzenandmain.com

Mizzen+Main has been endorsed by several professional athletes like Phil Mickelson and NFL player David Vobora, in exchange for a share in the company and additional payments.[6]

History

Mizzen+Main was co-founded in 2012 by Kevin Lavelle who served as the company CEO until stepping down in April 2019.[7] Chris Phillips, formerly head of men's clothing at Stitch Fix, became CEO of Mizzen+Main in April 2019.[8]

Lavelle,a graduate of Southern Methodist University, worked as a management consultant.[9] The idea for the firm's signature product, a fabric performance dress shirt, originated in 2005 when he was in Washington D.C. as an intern.[1] He has said that he noticed sweat stains on the shirt of a congressional staffer, leading to the idea of producing a moisture-wicking dress shirt similar to the capabilities of athletic clothing.[10] He experimented with numerous fabrics, before finding a combination that became the first prototype.[5] The company officially launched in July 2012.[11]

The firm was initially self-funded but later received an investment from several angel investors.[4] It began by selling its products online and adding boutiques that carried the products in large stores.[11] The brand made wholesale retail a part of its distribution strategy, partnering with men's specialty stores and golf pro shops.[12] The initial offering included two dress shirt designs. In 2013, it caught the eye of executives from Saks Fifth Avenue, [13] and was invited to be one of two pop-up stores inside of Saks' New York store as part of Super Bowl XLVIII weekend.[14] [13] In the summer of 2014, the firm raised an additional round of capital from a variety of investors, [15][4]

Endorsements

In September 2015, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt signed an endorsement deal with the company in return for an undisclosed equity share of the business.[16] In July 2017, J.J. Watt and Mizzen+Main launched "The J.J. Watt Collection,"[17] a clothing line "that includes eight pieces ranging from polos to dress shirts."[18] In April 2018, golfer Phil Mickelson wore a Mizzen+Main's long-sleeve dress shirts while playing in a golf tournament, part of an agreement with the company in which he received an undisclosed stake in Mizzen+Main as well as cash.[19][20]

Products

Some Mizzen+Main products are manufactured in the United States with a portion of each sale being donated to charities and programs for veterans.[9] Its product line includes moisture-wicking and wrinkle free shirts as well as men's blazers and jeans.[4] [21]

References
  1. Ramsey, Raya (June 2014). "Mizzen+Main's 'Co Sweat' Success". D Magazine. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. "Stocklists". Mizzen+Main official website. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  3. "Bringing Shirt-Making Back To America, One High-Tech Button-Down At A Time". Fast Company. October 26, 2017.
  4. Kolodny, Lora (28 August 2014). "Mizzen+Main Raises $1.2M for Clothes That Look Upscale, Feel Athletic". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  5. Teeman, Tim (18 December 2013). "A No-Sweat Work Shirt? No Sweat". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  6. "How a $0 Marketing Budget Bought a Fortune in Athlete Endorsements". AdWeek. June 30, 2015.
  7. "Mizzen+Main CEO to step down to fight 'crony capitalism' with Koch-funded policy group". Dallas News. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  8. Thomas, Lauren (2019-04-11). "Stitch Fix's head of men's clothing is leaving to become CEO of online retailer Mizzen+Main". CNBC. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  9. Ward, Patricia. "SMU Alumni Name To '40 Under 40' Business Leaders List". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  10. Zak, David (20 September 2013). "So Long, Pit Stains: This 'Performance Dress Shirt' Eliminates Your Sweat Problem". Fast Company. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  11. Cho, Hannah; Gales, Arsella (15 March 2014). "Dallas Becomes A Mini Hub of Fashion and E-commerce Startups". Dallas News. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  12. Danziger, Pamela N. "Why Digitally Native Menswear Fashion Brand Mizzen+Main Made Wholesale Retail Part Of Its Distribution Strategy". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  13. Eaton, Dan (27 January 2014). "Mizzen & Main getting Super Bowl showcase". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  14. Heine, Christopher (26 January 2014). "Marketers Are Pushing Hard to Be Seen at This Year's Super Bowl". AdWeek. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  15. Cho, Hanah (28 August 2014). "$1.2 million capital for new Design District digs, fulfillment center and showroom". Dallas News. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  16. "J.J. Watt, shirtmaker Mizzen+Main strike endorsement deal". ESPN. September 16, 2015.
  17. "J.J. Watt debuts menswear collection with Dallas-based Mizzen+Main". Houston Chronicle. July 11, 2017.
  18. "Mizzen + Main + NFL Star JJ Watt = Your Next Shirt". Men's Journal. September 1, 2017.
  19. "Phil Mickelson to endorse, wear shirt brand he popularized at Masters". ESPN. May 9, 2018.
  20. "The reason why Phil Mickelson was wearing a dress shirt at The Players Championship". USA Today. May 10, 2018.
  21. Eaton, Dan (10 December 2013). "Online dress shirt retailer Mizzen & Main experimenting with Short North showroom". Columbus Business Journal. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
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