U.S. Men's Shoemaker Allen Edmonds Launches Clothing Line

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming off of back-to-back record sales years, Allen Edmonds Corporation announced the launch of a "curated" clothing and leather goods line to be carried through its retail stores and on its e-commerce site. 

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"This is all about great American styling combined with American manufacturing authenticity," said Allen Edmonds President and CEO Paul Grangaard. "For 91 years, Allen Edmonds has proven that world class shoes can be handcrafted in America.  Now we're going to help show the world that it also can still be done in amazing clothing and leather goods." 

The introduction of Allen Edmonds lifestyle products has helped create more than 200 jobs across a range of American garment, leather and accessories manufacturers.  "We're investing in manufacturers who share our commitment to American-made quality and U.S. jobs," said Grangaard. These jobs are in addition to the more than 280 skilled manufacturing jobs created at Allen Edmonds over the last two years.  "U.S. garment manufacturing is coming back and we're delighted to be part of the movement."

"The creation of so many new American jobs has been one of the most gratifying parts of the success that we've had at Allen Edmonds over the last few years," said Grangaard. "'Made in America' means a lot to our customer and to us," said Grangaard. "Now, we're taking that strategy into new directions.  We've designed exceptional clothing and accessories, and secured production directly with domestic manufacturers to offer the products at competitive price points.  It's a big move for our company, but we're confident our customers will be there, helping us drive additional growth for both Allen Edmonds and our partners."

"We are proud of our design work with manufacturers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Florida, California, Minnesota and Wisconsin who will be partnering with us on these products," says Grangaard.

According to Tim Cronin, SVP of New Product Development at Allen Edmonds, "Most of our products will carry the 'Handcrafted in USA' label.  Sport coats, shirts, leather bags, briefcases and wallets, socks, scarves and ties, are all good examples.  Occasionally, iconic products will be made overseas for authenticity.  For example, beautiful spring sheared alpaca sweaters will be made in Peru as that is considered to be the best source of alpaca yarns known for its unique benefit of warmth without bulk.  Other examples include tartan caps and scarves woven and sewn in Scotland. Our goal is to source exciting products from partners who share our same commitment to excellence and are able to craft the kind of high quality products that our customers have come to expect."

About Allen Edmonds Corporation
Founded in 1922, Allen Edmonds Corporation is a privately-held, U.S.-based retailer of premium men's footwear, apparel, leather goods and accessories with a focus on American manufacturing. Allen Edmonds' famous Goodyear welted shoes are handcrafted in Port Washington, WI using a 212-step production process. Consistent with the company's heritage, Allen Edmonds remains committed to providing excellent products at exceptional value for style and quality conscience men worldwide. By partnering with like-minded US manufacturers, the company's offering includes men's clothing and accessory needs from head to toe. Allen Edmonds products are available at premier stores worldwide, including 45 company-owned Allen Edmonds stores across the United States, and online at AllenEdmonds.com.

SOURCE Allen Edmonds Corporation