Behind Lilly Pulitzer’s bigger bet on men’s fashion
Lilly Pulitzer is focusing more on men’s as it looks to bring its colorful and vibrant prints to a wider audience.
Last month, Lilly Pulitzer launched its first men’s collection in 15 years. Called “Men’s Stuff,” the collection takes its name from Lilly Pulitzer’s original men’s line in the 1960s and includes shirts, pants, blazers and pocket squares. Encouraged by “strong demand” and “consistent interest across all channels,” Lilly Pulitzer now vows to churn out new menswear every season, its executives told Modern Retail.
“Men’s won’t be just a capsule or drop,” said Craig Reynolds, Lilly Pulitzer’s svp of merchandising. “It will be part of our business going forward, and we think there’s room to expand.”
Lilly Pulitzer carried men’s collections until around the time of the Great Recession. In that tough economic environment, Lilly Pulitzer “pulled back” and shifted its focus to its core women’s business, Reynolds explained. Last year, though, the brand marked its 65th birthday and decided it was time to try menswear again. While Lilly Pulitzer collaborated with golf brand Southern Tide on a limited batch of men’s shirts and shorts in 2023, the brand had yet to make its full return to the segment.
“We’re really leaned into our heritage and who we are with this anniversary,” Reynolds said. “Print is having a big moment in menswear, and we’re one of the originators of that. Taking advantage … of that energy seemed like a real opportunity for us.”
Lilly Pulitzer is also making its return to menswear at a time when it’s looking to return to sales growth. The brand, which is owned by Oxford Industries, Inc., reported $69.8 million in revenue during its third quarter of fiscal 2024, down 8.5% from a year earlier. Of its sibling brands, Lilly Pulitzer ranked behind Tommy Bahama ($161.3 million) but ahead of Johnny Was ($46.1 million), in terms of quarterly sales.
Lilly Pulitzer first showed off its newest iteration of “Men’s Stuff” at a VIP fashion show in Florida in November. The collection spans 15 SKUs, which run from $128-$498 online and in stores. Developing the collection “came naturally” for the brand as it worked on new styles for its women’s line, Reynolds said. Lilly Pulitzer has a team of artists who make custom artwork for each print, so the brand was able to repurpose patterns across both genders.
Going forward, the men’s assortment will complement the women’s, although “the styles can certainly be independent,” Reynolds explained. The majority of the brand’s merchandise will remain geared toward women.
Once Lilly Pulitzer decided to bring back men’s, it brainstormed ways to make the clothes more modern. It added stretchy cotton to its pants, made its silhouettes more fitted and downsized its tie collection due to customers dressing more casually. In the future, Lilly Pulitzer plans to add men’s swimwear to the assortment. It’s also interested in performance fabrications that can be worn on the golf course or pickleball course.
Gabriella Santaniello, founder of the consultancy A-Line Partners, told Modern Retail that it “makes sense” for Lilly Pulitzer to bring back its men’s line. “They are clearly identifying categories for growth, and right now, men’s is the logical place to start,” she said. “Culturally, it’s a good time, considering we are entering a time when the fashion trends are classic Americana and traditional, and Lilly is both of those, plus they add some fun to it.”
Santaniello said she expects the Lilly Pulitzer customer to purchase something for herself and then pick up something for the man in her life. “That’s how a traditionally womenswear brand gets traction in men’s,” she said. “I remember when Lululemon launched men’s. They said a lot of the initial purchases were [from] women who picked up men’s products while they were in the stores.”
Lilly Pulitzer is marketing its new men’s collection on its website and social media channels. Most of its social posts about the launch show men with women or with children. “Something iconic is making a comeback… and it’s not just for her,” the caption of one Instagram post reads. The brand also held a preview of “Men’s Stuff” in February at a store in Palm Beach, Florida.
Lilly Pulitzer will dedicate a small portion of its store floor to men’s clothes. The brand is pouring more money into physical retail and hopes that customers will come in to touch and feel the men’s products. Lilly Pulitzer has 67 stores and is expanding into new markets, including Arizona, South Carolina and Hawaii. According to Reynolds, sales are split 50/50 between online and physical retail.
“We’re always looking for new locations within resort areas that are really appropriate for our brand,” Reynolds said. “We do have plans for new stores. … There is some kind of gravitational pull that the stores are having now.”