In 2015, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt signed an endorsement deal with Mizzen+Main, the Dallas-based menswear company founded in 2012 by SMU grad Kevin Lavelle. Soon, Mark Cuban began sporting the moisture-wicking button down on Shark Tank and Phil Mickelson was spotted with a Mizzen+Main performance fabric dress shirt in Augusta. Given the wrinkle-free attributes of activewear, the American-made brand has a natural affinity with the sports world.
And while those big-name cosigns may have given the brand an enviable boost, simply trying on the shirts — touching and feeling how different the fabric feels — is usually all it takes to create a Mizzen+Main convert.
“Once you try it on, you’re sold,” explains Ryan Kent, president of Mizzen+Main.
That might seem like a hurdle for a digital-first company, but wholesale has almost always been a component of Mizzen+Main. In 2018, however, the brand took a bit more control over the physical, opening the first flagship store in Dallas’ West Village. And this month, the store is officially reintroducing itself, reimagined as a more experiential concept shop.
An extension of Mizzen+Main’s thoughtful website redesign last year, the reworked store, designed in collaboration with Boston-based architecture firm Bergmeyer, is the first physical representation of the brand’s new look. There is no standard point of sale— shoppers can check out anywhere with an employee. Instead, a more lounge-like experience with plenty of seating and complimentary beverages creates a welcome atmosphere for discovery.
“We wanted to create an environment that was less transactional,” Kent says. “We were really intentional about everything — the fixtures, the lighting.”
Naturally, the fitting rooms, where shoppers can truly discover the brand, have been enhanced as well. The new format will be rolled out to Mizzen+Main’s five other brick-and-mortar stores (in Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, Tampa, and Oklahoma City) over the next year and a half.
