Mike Gonzalez and Christine Park-Gonzalez are taking the hoodie to a new level.
The husband-and-wife team knew exactly which direction to take when they decided to launch a contemporary clothing label. The line, Mike & Chris, is based on taking a simple hoodie and giving it a bit of a downtown edge. It’s heavily inspired by their former careers — he was a fashion photographer working in New York and Paris, she was a writer and model — and the need for laid-back, chic clothes.
“We just thought about how everyone really loves the comfort of a good hoodie,” Gonzalez said. “And we see so much potential in the item, it can be made into so many different things.”
And that’s what they’ve done. Mike & Chris, now in stores such as Scoop, Henri Bendel, Barneys New York, Fred Segal and Ron Herman, consists of washed leather hoodies, which have become the line’s signature, and supersoft fleece hoodies in antiqued colors detailed with oversize buttons and antique brass eyelets. The designers also created hoodies made of soft, lightweight lambskin lined with classic cotton men’s shirtings. For spring, the company has an array of new products, including T-shirts, vests and coats for women. There also will be a full men’s wear collection in addition to a large selection of leather and canvas utility bags. Wholesale prices for apparel range from $45 to $140 and for bags, from $135 to $480.
Although the brand was launched last holiday, the collection has grown dramatically since then, from six styles to the 43 being introduced for spring. For next fall, Gonzalez said he will launch bottoms to complement the hoodies, and a sweater collection.
“In an industry that is inundated with sweatshirt and jacket lines, it’s a cool new twist on an old idea,” said John Eshaya, vice president and creative director of Ron Herman Inc., Los Angeles. “The designs are interesting, and the leather is washed so it feels like you’re wearing a sweatshirt when you’re wearing a leather jacket.”
Eshaya said customers have been demanding more products from Mike & Chris.
“We always have a waiting list for the leather jackets,” he said.
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Gonzalez said the company generates about $4 million in annual wholesale volume, but he expects that to increase to about $7 million or $8 million with the product expansions.
“Some retailers are asking for more product at a fast pace,” he said. “But we want to make sure everything is 100 percent right and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”