SAN FRANCISCO — Man Up, a new indie men’s wear and lifestyle marketplace in the Golden Gate City, is going to pop up again later this year, after a Jan. 29-31 run in a 17,000-square-foot space on the edge of downtown.
Additionally, a couple more Man Ups are being planned for other West Coast cities to be announced, as organizers look to spread their curated retail aesthete, focusing on good design and craftsmanship for the modern guy.
The concept is patterned after The Pop-Up Flea in New York, which had its second showing in November.
Responding to blog and Website postings, the men’s wear showcase drew crowds to a vacant gallery space on Market Street. Artists also exhibited their work, and there was free food and drinks.
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Michael Maher, one of six men in their mid 20s behind the event’s organizing body, the Durable Goods Concern, said the event was popular with the 25-to-45-year-old man “who’s in a creative field, like an architect or designer.” Maher is also co-owner of a new online shirt brand, Taylor Stitch, based in San Francisco with production in New Jersey.
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Besides a dozen fashion vendors, Man Up included San Francisco importers of Dutch utility bikes (My Dutch Bike) and Xetum watches ($995-$1,400), designed in the City by the Bay and made in Switzerland. Out of towners with no Bay Area connection were also welcomed, including Minneapolis-based Pierrepont Hicks with $59 reversible bowties and $20-$92 Beckel canvas bags from Portland, Ore.
SF denim retailer AB Fits, with a shop on Grant Street in North Beach, created a jeans shop at Man Up, focusing on $175-$400 artisanal brands, including Rising Sun & Co. made in Pasadena, Calif.; Raleigh Denim, Raleigh, N.C.; and Berlin-based Dope + Drakkar.
“It was worth our while to have participated. As far as pure numbers and margins it was good for us and also for good exposure,” said AB Fits’ proprietor Howard Gee.
“The three days brought in a lot of people who didn’t know us,” concurred Todd Barket, proprietor of Unionmade, a new casualwear boutique in the Castro he opened after 18 years in merchandising and marketing at the Gap. Barket described his inventory as steeped in “heritage brands,” like Pendleton flannel shirts, Armor Lux striped French sweaters, American Optial aviators and J. Crew cardigans and khakis.
Interestingly, Man Up was organized in only three weeks. Maher attributed success to social media buzz, as well as a demand for well-made goods by twenty- and thirtysomethings who grew up on mass market retailers. “It’s an old Main Street aesthetic people are looking for, knowing where things came from and why things are made a certain way,” Maher said.