Rails has opened its first men’s concept store in NoLIta.
The Los Angeles-based men’s and women’s lifestyle brand has taken a prime 1,500-square-foot corner spot at 13 Prince Street to showcase its growing men’s collection.
“Opening our first dedicated men’s store is a defining moment for us,” said Jeff Abrams, founder and creative director of Rails. “The demand for our men’s collection has been incredible, and this new space will allow us to further connect with our customers while expanding on the effortless California-inspired lifestyle we’re known for.”
Since launching in 2019, sales of Rails’ menswear have doubled every year and now represent 20 percent of the total business. The plan is to increase that to 40 percent in the future, Abrams said.
“Our women’s business is also continuing to grow, which is fine for us as customers are continuing to discover the brand,” he said. “What we’ve seen is the guy, oftentimes, was introduced by our women’s collection shopper who was very familiar with all the things we were doing, and I think she validated the introduction to him. But now we see that guy is coming back and buying on his own — and buying in multiples, finding his favorite fits. So I think this is really now at an inflection point where I think this business can really start to scale.”
Rails began offering menswear in 2019.
Courtesy of Rails
Rails is best known for its reimagined essentials and its laid-back California aesthetic. The new NoLIta store, which was designed in partnership with Greg Dutton Studio, reflects that heritage with its neutral tones, found objects and wooden design elements. The assortment includes shirts, outerwear, an activewear capsule and exclusive in-store styles.
The store has a laid-back California aesthetic.
Courtesy of Rails
Rails began life in 2006 after Abrams returned from a trip around Europe on the Eurorail and found himself inspired by other countries’ sophisticated styling. Although he had no fashion background, when he returned home to L.A., he made a hat and a hoodie and drove around the U.S. trying to launch his brand. The turning point came when he made a plaid button-down shirt in Tencel-rayon that was soft and felt like cashmere. That shirt became the core of the line, which is now carried in 1,200 stores in 30 countries.
Rails continues to be known for its shirts, but the brand also offers dresses, pants, shorts, outerwear, knitwear, denim and blazers. “We become known, even in women’s, for our shirting in really luxe fabrics that find the balance between elegance and comfort,” Abrams said. “That was really the core DNA of the brand. But we’ve introduced layering pieces, knitwear and outerwear, and our bottoms business has really started to take off.”
In men’s, bestsellers include the Callum, a cotton-linen blended pant with an elastic waist that retails for around $148, as well as the Julian, a stretch twill, for $158. Both are considered hybrids that can be worn with a blazer or a tee. “We’re trying to give the versatility and the comfort, and it seems like guys are liking the bottoms category from us,” he said.
Overall, Rails operates around 25 of its own stores globally and plans to open at least five new units each year going forward. With the exception of the Prince Street store, the others carry primarily womenswear. In addition to stores in the U.S., including a flagship on Broome and Greene streets in SoHo, Rails operates two units in London as well as stores in Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Berlin. “And we’re looking for a store in Rome,” Abrams said.
About half of the company’s sales are direct-to-consumer, deriving from the stores as well as Rails’ e-commerce site. The remainder is wholesale. Abrams said when the brand was founded, it was exclusively wholesale, but the DTC component has been expanding in recent years. Even so, Abrams said he has no plans to abandon wholesale and will continue to work with department and specialty stores.
But expanding his own retail is also in the cards and Abrams hopes to add more men’s stores in key metropolitan areas around the U.S. including northern California, Seattle and other cities where the online shopper is based. “I think it’s important to give him an experience, even if it’s not a huge store, but a curated environment where he can experience more of the of the vision of the brand,” Abrams said.
