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There’s a market for luxury menswear, and an area manufacturer believes interest in such products isn’t limited to big cities.
The vision of upscale menswear came to La Crosse on Thursday, when St. Croix La Crosse invited the public to the opening of a new store at 210 S. 4th St. The outlet features hand-crafted clothing, and its manufacturer believes La Crosse is ready to embrace upscale apparel.
“I’ve watched the city evolve and become so much more interesting the past four years,” said Lori Morton-Lockley, St. Croix director of sales and marketing and La Crosse native. “There’s a desire to look good in our community.”
St. Croix’s other independently owned and operated boutiques are located in Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver and the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Michigan.
Kathy Sula displays a sweater made of merino wool imported from New Zealand and manufactured in Minnesota.
While western Wisconsin demographics may differ from the other four, Morton-Lockley said a retail location in downtown La Crosse makes sense. The selection of sweaters, knitwear and outwear is made by Knitcraft Corp. in Winona, where Bernhard Brenner founded the company six decades ago. Manufacturers in Winona produce apparel using some of the world’s most select materials, including baby cashmere and Merino wool from New Zealand.
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Brenner built a company that now employs 200 people who work in a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
“He was the company’s first salesman — he would travel to Chicago by train,” said Kathy Sula, a consultant for St. Croix. “Being an engineer, he knew the equipment intimately — he could make things work. He felt he could go out and make a better product, and he did.”
In addition to the Winona-made apparel, the La Crosse outlet will sell a collection of sports shirts, trousers, blazers and socks made for St. Croix by manufacturers in Italy. The store also will offer American-made belts, exclusive fragrances and denim.
St. Croix held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new La Crosse store.
The boutique features an open floor plan that allows customers to easily browse.
“I want customers feel like they can get around,” Morton-Lockley said. “We’re not fast fashion. We’re slow fashion.”
Brenner still serves as Knitcraft CEO. He remains involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and was present at the open house. He said Knitcraft produces some of the world’s finest clothing.
“You cannot, at any price, from any source in the world, buy a better sweater. You can only pay more,” Brenner said.
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