Hamilton, a Houston-based company known for custom shirts, is moving into the sportier end of the market.
Called Hamilton 1883, the new line of off-the-rack sport shirts has a contemporary feel thanks to the shorter length, silhouettes and old-school cool fabrics such as chambray and oxford.
But, while modern, the new shirts, made from Swiss double-ply cotton cut from paper patterns and sewn in the firm’s Houston factory, share the quality and craftsmanship of its custom business, said David Hamilton, the company’s co-owner.
“We have this heritage and a point of view that we wanted to put into our own collection,” said Hamilton. “But we wanted to do it in a way that mirrored our standards for bespoke.”
The line, which will be sold at the company’s Houston store as well as through a dedicated Web site, hamilton1883.com, consists of six models including a short-sleeve pullover, a utility shirt and an oxford button-down in a small range of colors and patterns. Short sleeves retail for $165; long sleeves, for $185.
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The company’s core bespoke shirts start at $325.
The company will be marketing the collection exclusively online, and to bolster that effort, cast fashion bloggers, including Mordechai Rubinstein of MisterMort.com and Michael Williams from AContinuousLean.com, as the faces of the line’s ads and look book.
“We wanted to get the shirts to the right people,” said Hamilton of the strategy, noting the growing community of men’s wear enthusiasts that rely on blogs for fashion tips.
But the company will not be expanding into categories other than shirts anytime soon. “That’s for the next generation to decide,” Hamilton said.