Susan Sherman and Tania Beasley-Jolly believe they have the goods to introduce new people to the excitement of fashion as they strive to bring global brands to St. Louis in a series of pop-ups around town.
Yesterday, the partners took a stylish first step toward that goal with the launch of MERCH, an experiential retail venture based in St. Louis.
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To mark the occasion, the team converted The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, into an elegant polo lounge for thirty local tastemakers. New York-based Mansur Gavriel, the first label to show in St. Louis under the MERCH umbrella, shipped in more than 350 handbags, a selection of its “best of” ready-to-wear, and an assortment of small goods to St. Louis.
“I think Mansur is a good representation of the direction we’re headed with MERCH,” says Beasley-Jolly. “The brand is certainly well known. It had the “It” bag for under $1,000. It’s affordable luxury and appeals to many demographics.”
Shira Sue Carmi, president of Mansur Gavriel, was in St. Louis for the launch.
“This was really a no-brainer,” says Carmi, who got to know Sherman and Beasley-Jolly when she ran Launch Collective and consulted the designers at the Incubator at the Fashion Fund. “Susan and Tania…I trust them implicitly. I knew this would be impeccable.”
Pop-up events as a new business model are growing in importance for brands, and the St. Louis event is a first for Mansur Gavriel outside of its retail partners. According to Carmi, the traditional channels of wholesale and the direct channels of retail and e-commerce, “in theory get brands everywhere but in practice really don’t.”
“There are a lot of areas where there’s a super sophisticated, very savvy community that still doesn’t get to experience the product firsthand. And it’s very important that the brand has opportunities for that,” she says. “Fashion is such a great point of affinity and a great part of culture. And it’s a wonderful way to bring people together.
MERCH plans to host three more pop-up events in 2019, and the team is at work on a lineup for 2020, furthering their mission of “community building through fashion,” says Beasley-Jolly. In August, Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will make their second appearance in St. Louis. At the start of the holiday season, on November 20th and 21st, Galvan, Jeffrey Levinson, and jewelry designer Mateo will be here.
“We want MERCH to be open, whimsical, fun and friendly,” says Sherman. “The other thing we care about is accessibility and price point.”
With each pop-up, Sherman and Beasley-Jolly will partner with different vendors to showcase local venues, talent, and people of style from all areas of design.
“This is so St. Louis,” says Susan Barrett, a guest at the pop-up. “People like Susan and Tania who bring great design to our city, and a community who supports them. It couldn’t happen anywhere else.”
