Fashion startups like Birchbox and GiltGroupe are well established in the tech industry, but most of them cater to women customers - until recently. L.A. is home to many fashion startups focused on male style junkies. Here’s a rundown of four to watch.
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What it is: A monthly subscription service that sends club members a package of selections from the Five Four apparel line, valued at $120 and up. Think of it as having an online stylist on hand to pick favorite trends each month. Club members go through a visual Q&A to gather information on measurements, color and fit preferences and get their first box within seven to 10 days. Returns aren’t allowed, but exchanges based on size are accepted.
History: Formerly a retail operation, the decade-old brand shuttered its brick-and-mortar stores and re-launched as an online-only service this year. The subscription service currently has 40,000 subscribers. The typical Five Four Club member is “a 25- to 40-year-old guy that wants to look good, but might not exactly know how to get the specific look he wants,” said CEO and Creative Director Andres Izquieta. “ He might not necessarily have the time to shop or know what to buy, but he has the desire to look good. He's your typical everyman who wants to have cool style without trying too hard.”
Style: Urban-casual: t-shirts, fitted jeans and stylish hoodies
Cost: $60/month for a subscription.
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What it is: Online tuxedo rentals for the budget-conscious market. Users submit their measurement, select their favorite styles, and a tux is delivered to their doorstep five days before the event.
History: Launched out of beta in March 2014, SimpleTux was founded by Alan Milton Wang, Eric Chang and Chris Sheng.The longtime friends were inspired by “really, really bad” tuxedo rental experiences for their own weddings, said Chris Sheng. After a year and a half of research they agreed that tuxedo rental space was “ripe for disruption. If [competitor] BlackTux is the Nordstrom of this space, we are Macy’s.” By targeting specialty markets like high school students during prom season, Simple Tux plans to carve out a niche. SimpleTux guides users through the selection process appealing to individuals who “aren’t quite fashion confident,” said Sheng
Style: Tuxes with names like “hipster black,” “the Timberlake,” and “the beachcomber”
Cost: Starts at about $125.
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What it is: An iPhone “shopping assistant” app that helps men discover the hottest fashion and accessories. User rank selections through “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” voting and the app then tailors product selections to the user’s preferences. A trending tab presents the user with the hottest new fashion suggestions.gtf
History: Founded by University of Southern California business school students Jonathan Sutherland and Ted Hadjisavas, Spruce is backed by USC's Viterbi Startup Garage, an accelerator from the university’s School of Engineering.
Style: Stars-and-stripes-shorts, boat shoes, hookah pipes.
Cost: App is free
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What it is: An online retailer that specializes in affordable suits and tuxes for the recession-era high-achiever.
History: After observing the difficultly their friends had finding affordable, stylish clothes, cousins Vishaal and Mo Melwani started Combat Gent to appeal to young, professionals with designer tastes and a recent grad’s budget. The Melwani cousins are third generation tailors, both growing up observing their parents run high-end boutiques in both LA and Las Vegas. “My parents wanted me to have nothing to do with fashion, so first thing I did was go into fashion,” said Vishaal. After graduating from the Fashion Technology Accelerator program, the company attracted some A-list investors, including Zappos’ Tony Hsieh.
Style: Brooks-Brothers style high-end threads
Cost: Suits starting at $160.
