THE MALE SIDE OF THE EQUATION

Menswear is an important ingredient in the recipe of Roots success

Holding up half the sky, men are a vital part of the Roots world. Walk into any Roots store and you’ll see the pride of place afforded menswear. Roots has always been highly popular with men dating back to the first store in 1973 and the negative heel shoes.

As customers, men certainly are not simple. They’re more challenging than women when it comes to fashion and catering to their idiosyncratic ways. Those in the Menswear Department (designers, technicians, graphic artists, buyers) are keenly aware of the differences between the male consumer and his female counterpart. For example, as a general rule, men are less prolific shoppers. And a lot of menswear is actually purchased by women for their husbands, boyfriends and sons.

This month, the new menswear collection for spring started arriving in stores. Promoted under the banner “The Future Looks Bright” (see previous issue of The Source), it features vibrant colours and in many cases includes socially progressive messages.
Over the past year, part of the design mission for the Roots man has been to create the perfect sweatshirt and sweatpants. The Cooper Pant is a prime example, particularly the upcoming vintage salt and pepper version. That pursuit of excellence is a guiding principle for everyone in the menswear department.

Long before the clothes arrive in the stores, the menswear staff begin a multi-staged collaborative process on the second floor of the Head Office. It begins with Rita Shulman, Senior Designer, who creates a storyboard which features a colour palette for the upcoming season. From there, designs are drawn up with inspiration from a wide variety of sources ranging from travel, art, sample shopping, Roots customers, movies, magazines, history, runway shows, international fashion forecasting services and a large amount of people watching.

“Designing menswear is very challenging at any company,” says Rita, who studied at Ryerson in Toronto and worked at different fashion houses including Club Monaco and Bluenotes before coming to Roots in 2005. “Men are very particular. The product can’t be too ordinary or too fashion forward. The fit has to be right. It must be comfortable. The weather has to cooperate. For example, most men won’t buy a parka until it’s 40 below and snowing! And to boot, most men don’t like shopping.”

For Rita, the Roots man prefers casual and functional style. “What I really like about Roots menswear is who wears it,” says Rita. “It’s really fun to see completely different types of people wearing the clothes in completely different environments, from a teenager to a middle aged man, from a cottage to a hipster bar downtown. As a designer, I appreciate that for Don and Michael, quality is very important which many brands pass up in order to achieve lower price points.”

Helping Rita in the design process is Dylan Anderson, Associate Designer in the Menswear Department. “Defining the ‘Roots man’ is extremely difficult,” says Dylan, 32, who joined Roots in 2005 after moving to Toronto from Vancouver where he worked in fashion for ten years. “In my opinion, the Roots man is an active guy who wants to look good without working too hard at it. He ranges in age from 13 to 65. He takes pride in his Canadian heritage, enjoys his family and spends time in the outdoors.”

Like for other menswear and womenswear designers at Roots, the company’s heritage and culture are a source of inspiration and pride for Dylan when creating new products. “I see our menswear, and Roots as a whole, as a true leader and purveyor of the Canadian lifestyle and also Canadian fashion,” says Dylan. “We’ve very lucky to have a deeply rooted Canadian heritage that the majority of our competitors have no way of reproducing or emulating. Simply put, it’s all in the beaver.”

For all its importance in the look of the product, the design is only part of the overall process in having successful merchandise in the stores. Once the designs are drawn including the graphics (which for menswear is done by graphic artist Tracy Klem) and detailed, the technicians (Margaret Marcysiak, Senior Technician) and Caroline Brentnall, Technician) take them and create an in-depth technical package outlining all the features and embellishments of the garment.

Given all the variables involved, the technicians have to be masters of detail. “In my eyes, what makes the Roots style for men distinct is the attention to detail,” says Caroline. “The care and thought that go into each and every product. From the selection of a contrast thread colour that is only visible on the inside of a garment to the refinement of a logo. Every aspect of the garment is carefully considered.”

It is then sent to the manufacturer to make a sample or prototype within a few weeks. That is then fitted and reviewed at the Head Office where Co-Founders Don Green and Michael Budman play an important role in evaluating each product and contributing to its design. Product Coordinator Syd Beder is also a key member of the team. Once an item is judged as being up to the standards of Roots quality and aesthetics, it’s sent to be actually manufactured.

Although not officially involved in the design of the product, all the members of the menswear team work closely together and often offer their feedback and ideas to the designers. “I like the detail that goes into Roots menswear garments,” says Olive Brown, Product Developer. “I like that our garments can look clean on the outside with classic style lines. I like that there’s also always some great hidden bonus, such as an inside ipod pocket, two-way zippers, or printed lining. All these details, plus the combination of classic casual with a stylish, modern twist and great graphics, and the highlighting and promoting of Canadian culture, are what make the Roots product unique.”

Essential to the success of the menswear collection is the role of the buyers who are responsible for deciding the relevant quantities to order for each product. Under the direction of Jarar Kazmi, Director, Merchandise Purchasing and Flow, Martha Galora looks after the actual buying of menswear products. “Regardless of the season, the biggest challenge with buying is always trying to combine all the elements that make up the assortment that the stores eventually see on their sales floor,” says Martha, Merchandising Manager. “The people who are directly involved in the Menswear team who put it all together work very hard to ensure that each season starts off with the best possible assortment. We carefully choose suppliers, and not every piece will make it as a Roots product if it’s not up to our standards.”

As Sourcing Coordinator for menswear, Karen Bryan-Kirkham is instrumental in helping select the appropriate suppliers for each product. Team spirit is an indispensable component in the Menswear Department. “Since there are so many different members of the team involved at different stages, right from development to production and distribution, one of the biggest challenges is to ensure that everyone works together to ensure that the right product reach the stores at the right time,” says Shehza Behrainwala, Manager, Merchandising Planning. “Each and everyone of us in our department does our own little bit and in the end we hope that our efforts translate into a successful assortment at the store level.” - R.S.