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The luxury business of bespoke menswear

Monday May 22 2017
Red

Samples of what is available at Little Red’s show house on Riverside Drive. PHOTO | CHRISTINE MUNGAI

Little Red is a East African luxury-clothing retailer based in Nairobi that is not only one of the city’s iconic stores for high-end menswear, but also among the oldest. Founded by Abdulla Fazal in the early 1950s, the store now is in its fourth generation of operation.

The story of this remarkable business isn’t just that of the resilience of its owners. Among the sleek designs and luxurious fabrics, you will also find the story of the evolution of the urban East African man, and how demographic change is shaping consumer preferences and business practice.

Today, the generation of young Kenyans in their early-to-mid 30s, those just settling into the rhythms of adult life, have something unique about them.

Between 1980 and 1985 — around the time this group was born — Kenya’s population growth rate was at an astonishing 3.8 per cent, the highest, not only in Africa, but also globally. At the time, Kenya was the youngest country in the world.

Those babies are all grown up now, and as they adopt the habits and style of adulthood, that huge population cohort is a lucrative business opportunity for retailers like Little Red, who have had to customise their product offerings to the young, upwardly mobile urban professional.

Just a decade ago, their primary customer was older, more conservative, and less exposed to global trends in fashion menswear.

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Managing director Aziz Fazal describes the shift.

Shoes and accessories

“We are a fourth-generation business, and now we are dealing with fourth-generation client, 25-35-year olds who are well educated, well travelled and highly paid,” Fazal tells The EastAfrican.

“This group takes fashion seriously. Everything — the suits, ties, shoes and accessories — has to be sleek and trendy, they want the full GQ Magazine look.”

It means that Hugo Boss suits — a brand marketed globally to appeal to the young, trendy, discerning man — are now among Little Red’s best sellers, when this wasn’t the case even a few years ago.

It also doesn’t hurt that Hugo Boss is on the more affordable end of the luxury spectrum, at about $800 to $1,200 apiece, and so is relatively accessible to the younger demographic.

“Hugo Boss is a visible brand, worn by today’s celebrities and athletes,” Mr Fazal explains.

“It is good value at a good price range, and it is where most of our younger customers begin their commitment to luxury menswear.”

It is from here, Mr Fazal explains, that customers begin to evolve into a more classic look.

The higher levels

“In their mid-30s, we see customers leaning towards designers like Armani, known for finer fabric and a more refined cut. The price range for an Armani suit here is $1,800 to $2,400.

The next step is around age 40, when a professional is now ascending into the higher levels of management, moving towards making partner at their law firm, or getting into the C-suite corner office.

Here, the shift is towards brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna, which are more elegant and clean. Unlike Hugo Boss, Zegna is not a trendy brand; it is more known for its classic, timeless designs. Off the rail, a Zegna will set one back $2,200 to $3,800.

Armani and Zegna customers will also typically begin to be invited to international conferences and seminars, where they need to look the part, and be also comfortable for the season.

For this reason, Little Red now stocks winter wear, with everything from trench coats and overcoats its gloves and wool scarves available for travel during the winter season.

The ultimate step in the evolution of elegant menswear is when one begins to wear brands like Brioni and Stefano Ricci, which typically happens in the late 40s to early 50s and beyond, Fazal tells The EastAfrican.

“At this point, bonuses and serious money have begun to kick in – we’re talking the owners of blue-chip firms, banks and insurance companies, presidents and high-flying ministers,” he says.

Boss

Model Iganza Mudacci in some of the suits available. PHOTO | MARK NJOROGE

Mr Fazal describes Brioni as the “Rolls Royce of the suit world,” with exquisite styling on everything from on the inside of the jacket to hand-stitched buttonholes.

Even the New Zealand sheep that provide the wool for the suits have to be reared under precise conditions, and their wool sheared in a temperature-controlled environment.

“You can tell a Brioni by sight, by the way the shoulders fit and the way the entire suit falls on the body.

When you lift your arm, for example, the fabric under the arm and on the back of the neck does not bunch up — it is almost like wearing a second skin.”

A Brioni retails at least $4,000 a piece, and can be even up to $8,000.

Noisy and bustling

Many of Little Red’s Zegna and Brioni-level customers find the store environment too noisy and bustling for their liking.

For this reason, Little Red has set up a showroom house on a quiet corner off Riverside Drive — an upmarket suburb of Nairobi — where one can come and do a fitting in a more private, serene environment.

The company converted a private home into a luxury menswear studio, complete with a fireplace, sofa sets and a lush garden.

Three to four times a year, a master tailor is flown in to the studio from Italy, to take the measurements of select clients in order to create custom-made suits — the epitome of the bespoke experience.

There is a waiting list, so one has to apply to secure a spot with the master tailor. With fixed prices and no discounts, most of Little Red’s customers pay by credit card, Mr Fazal says, and there is not much window-shopping, even for those who would be interested in the “more affordable” brands such as Hugo Boss. When one enters a luxury store like Little Red, they are there to buy.

Wander around aimlessly

It is part of the psychology of luxury retail. Window shopping, bargaining and haggling for a discount is acceptable at a department store or street market. But once you enter a store where jackets retail at $3,000 apiece, you had better know what you are getting yourself into. It would be distasteful to wander around aimlessly or – worse – try and bring the price down. Although not many clients are on that bespoke, Brioni tailor-made circuit, Fazal sees the shifting demographic as a huge opportunity in the future. Today, half the country’s population is under the age of 19.

“The 19-24 year olds are the biggest consumer segment in this country, relatively speaking, says Fazal.

“In five years’ time, they will be at the entry point of Hugo Boss; in ten years’ time, we are looking at future Armani and Zegna customers.

If we keep on this trend of economic growth, increasing incomes, education and exposure, Little Red will be in business for a long time to come.”

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