Hickey Freeman's Made-to-Measure Store Is For the Cooler, Modern Man

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Hickey Freeman is in the midst of a rebuilding year. The menswear brand is striving to provide a personal styling and white glove service by taking it a step further than the traditional tailor with made-to-measure services that suits customers' mobile lifestyles, according to vice president of marketing and communications Negi Darsess.

When the Hickey Freeman store officially opens on Monday, March 14th in Brookfield Place — situated between Equinox Sports Club and the forthcoming Saks Fifth Avenue— shoppers will see a clear effort on behalf of the company to target a specific demographic, and it's definitely not "the old power guy." Hickey Freeman's man is cooler and modern, Darsess told us during a recent walk-through of the store. Hickey Freeman's man is larger than life — at least according to its new power suit in the window.

The window displays tie into the brand's messaging, playing off of the Battery Park vignette that Hickey Freeman screened during the inaugural New York Fashion Week: Men's over the summer on the Standard East rooftop with the cityscape in the background, featuring a larger-than-life man in a well-cut suit.

Once inside, you'll notice the store is a jewel box and not terribly large at 900 square feet. But it serves well as an anchor for the concierge service, since the brand can come to your home or office with its made-to-measure program. There is also a separate fitting area in-store for customer convenience.

The store highlights knit ties, sport coats, sport shirts, the summer blends collection, pants, formalwear, and accessories, plus a selection of shirts and suits off the rack. A lot of handwork goes into the pieces, reflected with its tailor's gold label not only displayed inside the clothing, but also in design elements throughout the store — like the gold leather trim on chairs, or the gold hangers — that are inspired by the measuring tape.

Made-to-measure shirts will be offered at $250 and $295, depending on the patterns used. At the helm of the store is the fabric wall boasting 180 different selections that can be rolled out onto the cutting table, allowing the customer to take his pick from the brand's popular assortment, including a bright blue that is touted to look good on everyone's skin tone. Made-to-measure suiting comes with a wait time of four to six weeks; the shirts, three to five.

The store hopes to quietly remind people that the brand is designed and manufactured by artisans in its Rochester factory, not far away in upstate New York. The company is eyeing the Upper East Side for its next location, according to WWD, and it's looking for a space that'll be slightly larger than this gem.