Men?s Suits May Be Down, But They’re Not Out

As America becomes more casual, sales of men’s suits have plummeted — down 34 percent in the past nine years to $2.3 billion in 1999, according to the NPD Group Inc., a New York marketing information company.

That’s a drop of $1.2 billion in suit sales nationwide in less than a decade. Unit sales have dipped 13 percent in the last five years to 11 million in 1999.

Suit sales are reportedly still on the decline nationally this year — but apparently not in northwest Arkansas.

John W. Cole, owner of Walker Brothers Dry Goods in Fayetteville, said sales of men’s suits had been increasing this year for the first time in at least five years. So far, revenue from suits is up 40 percent over last year at his store. Cole declined to give hard sales numbers, saying he doesn’t want to reveal too much to his competitors.

Steve Sohosky, owner Soho Clothiers in Rogers, the only other upscale men’s store in the area, said his dollar volume also had risen this year.

Dillard’s has had an increase of 8 to 10 percent this year in suit sales, both in dollars and units, at its store in the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, but that’s a comparable increase to the past few years.

Why the increase here? Some say it’s northwest Arkansas’ thriving economy, even though America’s economic engine appears to be sputtering.

Many professionals believe a suit gives them an edge in business. So the increase in suit sales may reflect a concern for the economic future and a boredom in general with business-casual attire.

Others believe the men’s suit — a descendant of the 18th century English dress coat and ruffled shirt — is a relic that should be retired to the apparel attic permanently in favor of khakis and open collars.

First Impressions

After dressing down for a while, Mike Kirkland, branch manager for Morgan Keegan & Co. in Rogers, has gone back to wearing a suit on workdays. Kirkland said it is a matter of “first impressions, relationships and trust.”

“We’ve gone back to pretty much dressing up again,” Kirkland said. “I’ve gone back to almost every day wearing my suit. I just feel more comfortable if I’m going to be seeing somebody new.”

With fall approaching, Kirkland said he was encouraging the seven brokers in his office to dress more formally — a sportcoat and tie, at least.

“In our business, the bottom line is production,” Kirkland said.

Although they’re allowed to vary from the uniform a bit, employees at Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale usually wear matching khaki pants and shirts to work.

“It takes the guesswork out of getting up in the morning,” said Ed Nicholson, a Tyson Foods spokesman. “You know [khakis] are going to be appropriate.”

Nicholson said the khaki tradition began in the early days of Tyson Foods, back in the 1940s, when “all we did was produce chickens and sell them on the market.”

Khaki is a Hindi word meaning “dust colored.” British troops began wearing khaki trousers while stationed in India. By dying their traditional white pants light brown, the soldiers discovered that dirt was less noticeable.

Nicholson said John Tyson, founder of the company, would have been just as likely to spend his day in a chicken house as in the office, “so khakis were appropriate attire.”

“The culture became firmly established.”

Even today, Tyson executives are likely to spend part of the workday in processing plants. Nicholson said Tyson employees at the corporate headquarters in Springdale are allowed to wear polo shirts, “but suits would be out of place.”

Although their employees don’t wear uniforms, other companies based in northwest Arkansas, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., have a more relaxed dress code for employees than if they were located in other parts of the country.

Historically, dressing down fits in with Upland Southern culture, said Mary Jo Schneider, chairwoman of the anthropology department at the University of Arkansas. Schneider teaches a class on “Cultures of the South.” In the mountainous regions of the South, she said, employees are more likely to be considered equal, and dressing down reflects that.

Dollars vs. Units

Cole, owner of Walker Brothers Dry Goods, said the number of suits he sold had been declining steadily over the past few years, but revenue from suits had remained about the same. In other words, Walker Brothers’ customers were buying fewer suits, but that the suits they did buy were more expensive than in previous years.

“I think we have gone through the trend and bottomed out,” he said. “Now we’re uptrending after five years. Two years ago, we didn’t have anybody say, ‘My office is starting to dress up.’ Now we hear it.”

Cole noted that there’s less competition for suit sales in Fayetteville. Three stores that sold suits — Campbell & Bell, Mr. Guy and Paul Bunyan — have closed in recent years.

Cole said his customers include lawyers, doctors, accountants, stockbrokers and vendors to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. He is now carrying a line of less expensive suits for UA graduates who want to look sharp for that first job interview.

Cole has owned an upscale men’s store in Fayetteville since 1977. He moved John W. Cole’s Clothing for Gentlemen from the downtown Fayetteville square to Singletree Plaza in 1997.

Sohosky said his suit sales also had increased this year in dollar volume but that he didn’t know how much. Soho Clothiers has been open only since 1997, so Sohosky couldn’t give a historical perspective on area suit-buying trends.

“My unit sales have gone up since I opened,” he said.

Soho Clothiers’ suits range in price from $600-$2,200. Most suits sold at the store are in the $1,000-$1,300 range.

In addition to suits, both Walker Brothers and Soho Clothiers sell casual clothing for men.

Suits the Masses

Department stores, such as Dillard’s and J.C. Penney in the Northwest Arkansas Mall, also sell men’s suits along with a variety of other items.

Joe Sweetser, a suit salesman at Dillard’s in Fayetteville, said suit sales had increased 8 to 10 percent per year over the past few years. Suit prices have increased little during that time, he said.

Sweetser agreed with Cole that shoppers are buying more expensive suits.

Since Penney’s has curtailed its suit line and the specialty stores sell expensive suits, Sweetser said, Dillard’s has become the main supplier of suits to men in Northwest Arkansas. That’s because Dillard’s suits, at $500-$600, are more affordable than those at the specialty stores, he said.

“Suits have come back into vogue because they’re more flattering looking and easy to wear,” Sweetser said. “Used to, people thought of a suit as uncomfortable.”

He said wider shoulders and larger arm holes have made suits more comfortable, and the stiffening fabrics that help the suits hold their shape have become lighter.