Dreaming of a better
life, Bernard Gantmacher – a Ukrainian immigrant – set sail for
America to find it. Not only did he seize and fulfill his dream, he
also forever changed the course of American fashion.
Featured in this
short film is our very own Christopher Bastin, the Creative Director
at GANT, for whom this story and heritage is priceless. "It
gives you a platform and security as a brand,” he says.
The untold stories,
the nuanced details, the styled precision – these are what make
GANT designs come to life and why we continue to be inspired by some
of our most beloved and original pieces.
Then and now –
it’s how we stay relevant in today’s modern wardrobe.
Encouraged by his sons, Bernard Gantmacher establishes GANT Inc – and starts to make shirts under the company’s own label. At the time the town of New Haven was one of America’s capitals of clothing manufacture. One reason for this was that it had a large community of Italian immigrants, many of whom were talented garment workers.
Times were good for
the Gantmachers. The business grew – and so did the family. Two of
Bernard and Rebecca’s children, Marty and Elliot, would go on to
spur GANT to great success. The boys, born in 1921 and 1926, grew up
in New Haven and helped at the shirt factory by sweeping floors and
fusing collars. They were also aware of what was happening on the
campus of nearby Yale University, which would change the course of
American fashion.
The outbreak of
World War II interrupted their careers and both sons enlisted in the
army. Upon returning home in the 1940s they studied at the University
of Connecticut. Marty specialized in business administration while
Elliot majored in marketing. Then, armed with their new skills, they
went back into the family business.
The brothers saw
that America was entering a period of rapid and profound change. The
war had blown away many old traditions. New kinds of art, music and
fashion were spreading across the nation. Marty and Elliot saw an
opportunity – and seized it. They convinced their father the time
was right to leave Par-Ex and the contracting business behind.
Instead of making clothing for other labels, they would sell
perfectly tailored shirts under their own label.
In April 1949, GANT
Inc. was born.
From the outset,
GANT was known for the quality of its shirts. In the early days, when
the company was in the business of supplying shirts to other
retailers, a discreet GANT trademark was added: a little diamond with
a “G” in it stamped on the tail of the shirt. This mark was the
customer’s assurance of quality just as much as the retailer’s
label inside the collar. By the mid-1950s, the Diamond G had become
part of the American menswear history – a distinctive sign of
superior quality that helped make the signature shirts coveted best
sellers, with demand far outstripping supply.
“I’m not
entirely sure why they chose to put a diamond around the G, or if it
even was intentionally symbolizing a diamond. But whatever the
reasons, it led to people no longer caring about what the neck label
said and only looking for the G," explains Christopher Bastin,
the Creative Director at GANT.
The 1950s was a time
of unprecedented growth in America and GANT shirts helped define the
casual-yet-smart look that dominated in the post-war years. GANT’s
detailed craftsmanship and effortless American style appealed to a
generation of men who had spent years wearing military issue clothing
and who had now returned home to take their place in the booming
middle class.
They appreciated the
perfect roll of a GANT collar, and the quality of fabric one could
expect with a GANT shirt. And soon they would appreciate another
quality that GANT pioneered: color. For decades the plain white shirt
had dominated in menswear but that was all about to change forever.
An explosion of color was coming – and that explosion sparked in
the town of New Haven, Connecticut.
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