Rancher-turned-designer Scott Kuhlman (above) is brightening up men’s wear. Since his Scott James label which features pastel-colored designs was acquired by Hampshire Group in 2010, it has
spread to 100 specialty retailers and 11 Bloomingdale’s stores. (
)
Manly men of America, you’ve got permission to wear pink.
If you think it isn’t masculine to wear pastel pants or bright-colored blazers, maybe Scott Kuhlman can change your mind.
The designer of the fast-growing Scott James men’s wear label, who insists that “any guy can wear an orange gingham shirt,” was raised on a ranch in western Nebraska and helped brand, de-horn and castrate his first calf at “age 3 or 4.”
“One guy holds the head and the other holds the back legs,” Kuhlman explained in a recent interview with The Post, just before heading back to the ranch for the weekend to “dig some post holes and string some barbed-wire fence.”
While American men have long made do with drab colors amid deep-seated fears about their manhood, Kuhlman says the key is to strategically mix a few bits of color into an otherwise conservative ensemble. “You don’t want to be a peacock, but you don’t want to be boring,” he says.
Scott James clothing and accessories — which aim to deliver the quality fabrics and design of pricey Italian luxury labels at less than half the price — have spread to 100 specialty stores nationwide since the label was acquired by New York-based Hampshire Group in 2010.
The label is cashing in on growing demand for men’s wear amid a shift to more casual yet sophisticated styles. In the second quarter, men’s sales jumped 4.4 percent to $13.2 billion, nearly 28 percent of the apparel market, according to NPD Group. Women’s clothing grew just 2.5 percent, by comparison.
This fall, Scott James is in 11 Bloomingdale’s stores after launching at four this spring. “I think it has some real upside potential,” says David Fisher, executive vice president of men’s wear at Bloomingdale’s.
At the swanky Shaia’s men’s shop in Birmingham, Ala., where brands like Brioni, Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli dominate the racks, Scott James is the fastest-growing line, says owner Ken Shaia.
“He puts a little color into a jacket or pant or scarf, giving guys just enough courage to start to wear that,” Shaia said of the designer. “That’s what most men are missing when they go to their closet: courage.”