by R. Asmerom
Design, outsourcing and marketing are key for any entrepreneur looking to get into the seemingly limitless fashion market. Mike “Black” Yussuf, the man behind the men’s fashion label Blac Label Premium figured that out long before he delved into the designer scene. Although he’s always had a strong interest in fashion, working as a financial analyst for Saks Fifth Avenue and Liz Clairborne gave him financial insight into product development and performance.
“All the different divisions had to provide detailed reports as to why their numbers were what they were and I would have to proofread them,” he said. “Those reports would show if tops were doing better, how DKNY Jeans were doing, why our denim sales were slowing down, etc, etc.”
Black left the corporate finance world in 2002 when he got the opportunity to work with Total Sport Inc., a Philadelphia-based retail chain founded by his friend Mike Harris. During his time as general manager, the company grew from 4 locations to 15 stores and 100 employees. The stint proved to be further training for his endeavor in the retail business.
“Total Sport Inc. had stores from New Jersey all the way down to Atlanta, and I got to see the different markets and how different things were operating in those markets,” he said. “I’ve worked in a number of the stores myself and actually got to interact with customers.”
His work with Total Sport Inc. led to consulting gigs with several companies including Headgear Inc, which was then manufacturing Negro league baseball jerseys and jackets and black college apparel, and which now owns retail chain Up Against The Wall.
In 2005, the idea of starting a fashion label was bubbling in his mind and Black knew he had to shift gears and cement his relationship with Headgear. His life-long interest in fashion design came to fruition when he presented the concept of Blac Label Premium and launched the brand under Headgear in 2006.
Bright colors, bold patterns and larger sizing defined the line’s signature from the start. “I was aware of Juicy Couture Men’s and other couture brands and I saw how they were using different elements and techniques,” he said. “I know that my Total Sports customers had never seen that and some may have laughed at Juicy Couture Men’s, but there was some cool stuff happening there besides the pastel colors.”
He included elements like reverse seams and utilized a cut and sew process to define the tees which were also sized larger than average to accommodate the 285-300 lb pound man. “They missed a host of other trends,” he said of the big and tall male consumers who were being under-served when it came to designer apparel. “They couldn’t buy clothes and jackets and whatever have you with licensed goods.”
The price for the inaugural batch of men’s shirts was about $25, which was critical to the brand’s short and long-term success according to Black. The formula proved effective as the brand has gone from $6 million annually in sales to over $50 million just in menswear. They expanded in 2007 to include women’s wear, footwear, kids apparel and accessories.
A part of its solid trajectory can be attributed to the line’s direct distribution channel Up Against The Wall. Headgear Inc. acquired the retail chain ,which has 23 locations across the country, in 2008. “Up Against the Wall is going to be critical to trying to increase our sales,” said Black. “We make more than margin with Up Against the Wall than with any of our other customers.”
As for keeping the momentum going, Black says that strategy aligns with market demands. “For Blac Label as a brand, there has been a lot of retooling with the change and the change in trends,” he said. “We’re just going to continue trying to give customer’s elements that they haven’t seen from other urban lines, and try to be first when it comes to picking up on trends.”
