DALLAS — Texas is open for business! Whether a company is native to the Lone Star State or just got here as fast as it could, we want to know: What makes these businesses tick? Why are so many of them calling Texas home? And how do they plan to continue to expand in the years to come? This is Trending in Texas.
New York, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, London... and Dallas?
Texans have long been known for their style, and the Dallas-based performance menswear lifestyle brand Mizzen+Main is further establishing its city as a fashion hub.
It all started when the company's founder and chairman Kevin Lavelle saw an opportunity to carve out a new niche in the industry.
"We pioneered the performance fabric dress shirt about a decade ago, and now offer a range of products that meet every guy’s need," Lavelle says. "We do pants, shorts, polos, pullovers, outerwear and, of course, our signature performance fabric dress shirt -- all with performance attributes that make life a lot better for every guy."
It didn’t bother Lavelle that his company was initially laughed out of trade shows and industry experts told him that his idea wouldn’t work. All he had to do was look at his bottom line to know that he was on to something. The detractors couldn't tell him otherwise: His brand was selling shirts at an impressive clip.
"I would really consider Mizzen+Main an industry disruptor going back to the origin of our brand in that performance fabrics outside of athleticwear really didn’t exist -- and frankly was something we were told could never exist in what we were trying to do," says company president Ryan Kent. "The fact that we’ve established a category that is now available in so many different brands... we were the ones that established this in menswear."
It helped that the company's early success helped attract athletes to the brand.
"Our first major endorsement deal was with JJ Watt," Lavelle notes. "JJ has equity in the company. He's an owner, and he was an unbelievable first ambassador. He was not only a great spokesperson for the business, but I think a lot of people saw [that] if a guy like JJ wants to be a part of the business [and] not just likes our product, there is a lot of potential for what we are building."
Throw in a viral video with Phil Mickelson dancing in the company's wares, plus several additional endorsements, and you have a recipe for national growth.
Another benefit in that plan? Mizzen+Main is headquartered in Dallas, and the company sees that as one of major factors in its ongoing expansion.
"Dallas is just such an exceptional city," Lavelle said. "The ability for us to be to [go to] New York or LA in the blink of an eye... There are trade shows all over the country [and] we are able to get everywhere we need to be in such a short hop. That is a tremendous benefit for a business that does business all over the country."
Whether a company started in DFW or relocated here at some point along their journey, if you know of a business headquartered in the North Texas region that you believe is Trending in Texas, we'd love to hear from you! Please e-mail us at trending@wfaa.com for coverage consideration.