A chat with Joseph Abboud

It’s been a little over 3 months since New York Fashion Week Men’s. Guess what? Next week the party is heading back to the Big Apple. Since its inception one of the week’s mainstay has been Joseph Abboud. Over the past 8 seasons of New York Fashion Week Men’s, Joseph Abboud has continued to wow men with his American made fashions. In February, Abboud’s collection for Fall/Winter 2019 once again proved the designer knows how to craft finely tailored clothing.

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With Fashion Week Men’s returning next week, noticeably missing on the calendar was Joseph Abboud. However a couple of weeks after the February show I had a chance to speak with Mr. Abboud about his fall/winter collection. Although this June designers will be showcasing spring/summer fashion, it’s the fall/winter collections that will be hitting the stores in the next few month. As a result, I wanted to share Mr. Abboud’s thoughts on his previous collection and the state of men’s tailored fashions.

“There’s no rest for the weary,” said Abboud. “After a show it’s right back to the office thinking about the next collection.” Immediately after the show, he admitted he hadn’t had a chance to see the runway show. “I was backstage.” He did have an edited version. But he I usually likes to take a few days after the show and after the reviews come out before he watches it.

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Despite being heavily invested in staging behind the scenes and not seeing the runway show, the designer was quite pleased with this year’s outcome. The Fall/Winter 2019 collection paid homage to the early immigrants who traveled through Ellis Island to forge a better life for themselves and their families. Models disembarked a ship before walking the runway at Pier 16, part of the South Street Seaport Museum. The location was not too far from the famous entry point that greeted millions of immigrants to the New World shores.

This year’s collection featured a combination of washed fabrics, raw edges and interesting combinations of textures and pattern that according to Abboud, “Reflects homespun wares from around the world.” Abboud is known for his use of exquisite fabrics to create his well-tailored looks and this year was no exception. He showcased washed tweeds, vintage velvets and flannels that turned hardworking work clothes into sumptuous suiting and elevated casual wear. “It’s a testament to my factory and the 800 employees in New Bedford for all their hard work. I really put them through the ringer to create the artisanal, heritage and vintage fabrics used,” according to the designer.

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Full cut trousers, flowing capes and Abboud’s signature layering helped to make this season’s collection a winner. To compliment, the collection, Abboud continued its ongoing collaboration with American heritage shoemaker, Allen Edmonds. Abboud’s favorite look of the collection? It was the first look down the runway, a tailored jacket adorned with a variety of different buttons with a long shearling coat.

Photo by Dan and Corina Lecca provided by PurplePr for Joseph Abboud

Joseph Abboud considers his label as an inclusionary brand. Just as a diverse group of people entered through Ellis Island, his clothes have an appeal to a wide variety of men. You won’t find large labels plastered all over his clothing however those who appreciate an Abboud garment can pick up a piece and recognize that it’s his handiwork. It’s the DNA in the design that has allowed the designer to be a mainstay since 1987. It’s that same DNA that allows past pieces to be worn with his newer designs. “Guys think of clothing as investment pieces so we don’t want to say previous collections are obsolete. I think of the guy as the hero and the clothes secondary.”

With such a collection heavily influence by tailored looks and suiting, I also asked Abboud his thoughts on the move to more casual wear and the future of tailored clothing. Abboud is very optimistic about the future. In fact, custom suiting is one of his fasted growing segments. “Men are buying suits now not because they have to but because they want to. In the past, it was a uniform Monday through Friday 9 to 5. Now guys are buying suits, especially the younger ones, and finding new and different ways to wear them.” He also points to the tailored soft jacket as being a new and important piece in the tailored market.

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Finally, I wanted to know Abboud’s thoughts on New York Fashion Week: Men’s. Over the last 8 seasons, Men’s fashion week has seen somewhat of a decline and some designers and brands have decided not show. Meanwhile Abboud continues to support and stage some extraordinary shows in very unique spaces from a church to Hotel Wolcot where survivors of the Titanic were taken to the ship for this year’s show. Although he used to show in Milan, as an American designer he felt the need to show in “I think whenever there’s a Men’s in front of Fashion Week, there still a need to show. In fact, I’m already thinking about the next Autumn/Winter show!” Wherever it is, it will be spectacular.

To read a review and see the collection, check out my earlier post. In addition to his namesake line, Joseph Abboud is also creative director for Men’s Warehouse.

Cover photo by Dan and Corina Lecca provided by PurplePr for Joseph Abboud