Rufus Translates Its Signature Colorful Men’s Shirts for Women

After making its niche in colorful men’s dress shirts, Rufus is launching a women’s line of dress shirts and shirtdresses.

Following a very soft launch this spring, during which the brand offered a few women’s pieces to five stores that carry the men’s line, the full women’s collection will launch officially for fall, bowing at Coterie and then at Project in Las Vegas.

Rufus founder and designer April Singer has been considering expanding into women’s for three years, almost since the spring 2004 inception of the brand. But first, she wanted to concentrate her efforts on growing the men’s line, which now does more than $1 million in wholesale volume. As she made shirts for herself and her friends and started to see feminine fabrics she liked, she decided to make the leap.

“Business is stable and growing now,” Singer said. “This is the time for women. Like with the men’s line, I am filling a niche. A lot of women have to wear suits with shirts to work, but they want to do something a little special and a little more feminine.”

The women’s line offers about 30 pieces using 30 fabrics. The collection adds a feminine cut, as well as patterned silks, to the mix of traditional shirt-dressing materials. Following the Rufus trademark, the button hole is ringed in red thread, and the cuff is finished in a fabric complementary to that of the shirt. A shirt in a traditional fabric will feature a silk cuff and vice versa.

Like their male counterparts, the women’s shirts start at $80 wholesale, while dresses go up to $200. Singer hopes the women’s line over time will match the company’s existing men’s business in sales, and that the two will grow from there.

Of the retailers that carry Rufus now, 20 percent also sell women’s clothing. Singer hopes to pick up many of those stores as clients, plus add new doors.

Until 2002, Singer worked in London for five years as general manager for Nautica Jeans Co. Within a year of returning to the States, she began considering creating a men’s shirt line, as she saw an opportunity in the market “for fun dress shirts.” Her collection of about 30 men’s dress shirts made its debut at Project’s first show. Saks Fifth Avenue and Fred Segal bought the line immediately and are still clients.