Luxury Retailer Paul Stuart Reopens Boutiques in Three Cities / History of Paul Stuart / VIDEO:Ralph Auriemma presents Phineas Cole Sahara Collection

Luxury Retailer Paul Stuart Reopens Boutiques in Three Cities

NEW YORK, June 22, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Known for its outstanding tailored clothing and sportswear collections for men and women, Paul Stuart is thrilled to announce the reopening of their retail stores in New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

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Closed since March due to COVID - 19, the stores and everything inside of them have been completely sanitized in preparation for the store's reopening. Paul Stuart, committed to the highest standards of cleanliness and disinfection, will have protective materials available to all customers who visit our pristine stores. While the doors are open, sales personnel will continue to assist shoppers who are not able to visit in person with phone orders, storefront pickup, free shipping, and hand delivery to a customer's address.

Paulette Garafalo, CEO of Paul Stuart says, "We couldn't be happier to make this long-awaited announcement. After closing our stores in March, we are thrilled to finally be welcoming our many customers back with new summer styles for men and women that we are confident will inspire. Paul Stuart has emerged from this crisis with a renewed mission to provide the ultimate in luxury clothing and service to consumers both in person and on our eCommerce website."

For summer, Paul Stuart has everything a well-dressed gentleman needs for his travels from the boardroom to the beach. The customLAB offers extraordinary Made to Measure tailored clothing, shirts & ties in a new presentation boutique on the main floor of the New York store. For women, Paul Stuart is excited to announce the launch of the Paul Stuart Advance collection exclusively in the New York store. New styles include Italian silk skirts and blouses, lightweight wool sweaters, and a new Moto style leather jacket. Men's footwear this season completes the look with elegant suede espadrilles, classic bucks, and traditional loafers.

Paul Stuart is one of the last remaining clothing retailers of its kind and has an important position in the history of American fashion. Over the last 80 years of its existence, the company has survived many difficulties in our nation's history including wars and financial disruptions. As the company looks ahead to the future, they are more confident than ever that with their talented team of designers and their loyal customers, the brand will endure and thrive. Garafalo says, "We look forward once again, to welcoming everyone back to Paul Stuart."

About Paul Stuart:

Headquartered in New York City, Paul Stuart, Inc. was founded by Ralph Ostrove and named for his son Paul Stuart Ostrove. The store has remained in its original location since opening in 1938. The company designs exclusive collections of men's and women's tailored clothing, sportswear, footwear, and accessories.

Additional Paul Stuart locations can be found in Chicago on East Oak Street and in Washington, D.C.'s CityCenter. The company operates additional stores in more than 50 locations throughout Japan. Paul Stuart is privately held by Mitsui & Co., LTD company of Japan.

SOURCE Paul Stuart

Paul Stuart is a men's and women's clothing brand founded in 1938 in New York City by haberdasher Ralph Ostrove, who named the company after his son, Paul Stuart Ostrove. The company has four standalone boutiques in the US, and two in Japan. Since 2012 it has been owned by Mitsui. The Paul Stuart logo is Dink Stover sitting on the Yale fence. Paul Stuart has been described as a blend of “Savile Row, Connecticut living and the concrete canyons of New York.” Its creative director is Ralph Auriemma.

History

The company was helmed by the legendary merchant and CEO Clifford Grodd from 1958 until his death in 2010. The retailer remained a privately-held family business until December 2012, when it was sold to its long-time Japanese partners, Mitsui.

In fall 2007, Paul Stuart launched its Phineas Cole range, which is clothing with a slimmer silhouette. Paulette Garafalo, formerly of Brooks Brothers and Hickey Freeman, became CEO of Paul Stuart on June 14, 2016, marking the first time someone unrelated to the Ostrove family led the company. In 2019 the company began offering a lower-priced made-to-measure service branded as customLAB, and a luxury MTM jeans service branded as denimBAR. In 2019 the company celebrated the redesign of its omnichannel e-commerce website with home delivery via vintage Packard automobile.

September 3, 1981 NEW YORK TIMES

https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/03/obituaries/ralph-ostrove-is-dead-clo-thing-store-founder.html

Ralph Ostrove, founder and chairman of the board of Paul Stuart Inc., the men's clothing store at Madison Avenue and 45th Street, died Tuesday at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, L.I., after a brief illness. He was 83 years old and lived in Flushing, Queens.

As the son of a leading retailer of men's clothing in New York, he made the Paul Stuart store one of the city's most popular outlets for men's clothing in what is regarded as the subdued classic or understated traditional style.

Mr. Ostrove was the son of Harry Ostrove, who founded the Broadstreet's chain of stores, which were discontinued several years ago. Ralph Ostrove, who eventually became president of Broadstreet's, left the company in 1937. In 1938 he founded Paul Stuart Inc., named for his son, Paul Stuart Ostrove, who is now vice president of the company.

In addition to his son, who lives in Roslyn, L.I., Mr. Ostrove is survived by his wife, Jean; a daughter, Barbara Grodd of Rye, N.Y.; a sister, Ruth Meltsner of Flushing, and five grandchildren.

Cliff Grodd, Paul Stuart Legend, Dies of Cancer

Clifford Grodd, the driving force and ceo of Paul Stuart, died after a long battle with cancer.

By Jean E. Palmieri and David Lipke and Brenner Thomas on May 26, 2010

 https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/cliff-grodd-paul-stuart-legend-dies-3086340/

Clifford Grodd, the driving force and chief executive officer of Paul Stuart who ran the upscale specialty store for nearly 60 years, died Tuesday at his New York City home after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.

Due to his illness, Grodd, a men’s wear icon and top-notch merchant, had been unable to come to the store for the past 18 months, but nevertheless called in several times a day to check on the business.

This story first appeared in the May 26, 2010 issue of WWD.

In his honor, the store will be closed Thursday, the day memorial services are scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home at Madison Avenue and 81st Street in Manhattan.

“We will close for the day in respect for his memory and great contribution to the industry,” said Sandy Neiman, Paul Stuart’s director of marketing.

Born in New Haven, Conn., and educated at the University of Connecticut, Grodd served as an Air Force gunner during World War II and was shot down over Hungary, captured and put into solitary confinement by the Germans. At the end of the war, he was awarded a Purple Heart.

Paul Stuart, a 60,000-square-foot fixture on Madison Avenue and 45th Street, was founded by Ralph Ostrove and his cousin Norman in 1938. Ralph Ostrove named the store after his son, Paul Stuart Ostrove. Grodd, who had completed an executive training program at the G. Fox department store in Hartford, Conn., joined Paul Stuart circa 1951 after marrying Ostrove’s daughter, Barbara.

Ostrove was in declining health and wanted to retire, so he asked Grodd to buy out his share of the company, which he did. The Paul Stuart logo features a fictional character sitting on a fence at Yale, according to Grodd’s account.

Grodd once described his aesthetic to DNR, WWD’s former sibling publication, this way: “We’ve constantly striven to be as upscale as possible within the milieu of our particular type of clothing, which is quite cosmopolitan in image. It’s still soft and not exaggerated, easy to wear, hopefully subtle, understated and flattering.”

Paul Stuart became known for its adherence to a soft shoulder look in tailoring. The company claimed to be the first American retailer to bring side vents to the States, as well as the three-button suit.

All of the merchandise at Paul Stuart bears the retailer’s brand. The company designs its own product and also alters other product it buys in the market to tailor it to the Paul Stuart aesthetic. Earlier in its life, the store carried outside brands, such as Gant, Corbin and Southwick, but Grodd believed Paul Stuart could distinguish itself from competitors by offering its own branded merchandise.

“I wasn’t interested in competing with designers or brands who put their names in other places. I felt that if we didn’t know our customer better than someone sitting 1,000 miles away, then we didn’t belong in the same business,” he said.

A Chicago store, which opened in 1995, now occupies a town house on East Oak Street. The company also operates licensed units in Japan and South Korea.

“I’ve known Cliff my entire career. He was instrumental to building one of the most respected brands. He was a great leader in our industry, an incredible person and a true friend,” said Ralph Lauren.

Over the years, Grodd helped dress celebrities including Cary Grant (“I had to personally take care of him at the Plaza,” said Grodd), Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman (“when he lived in Fresh Meadows”), Mel Brooks, David McCullough, David Halberstam and Philip Roth. “They look good because they’re comfortable and distinguished. And it’s natural, not staid,” noted Grodd.

He was known to exercise regularly early in the morning at the Yale Club and be among the first to arrive at work at the store, striding into his second-floor office. His exacting standards led employees to joke at times that “Grodd is in the details.”

In 2007, Grodd introduced a younger label to his stores, called Phineas Cole. Meant to appeal to a more trend-conscious consumer in his 30s, it was the company’s first subbrand and was based on the fictitious “errant nephew” of Paul Stuart, according to Grodd.

“We’re all saddened by his death,” Neiman said. “The man was a master retailer. He was a great inspiration and a leader in men’s wear and the business.”

Neiman stressed that since Grodd’s illness, Michael Ostrove, senior vice president, had been running the business on a daily basis. He will now be elevated to president and will continue to run the store.

The industry mourned Grodd’s passing, recalling him as a tough, determined retailer — one who understood his customer but stuck to his convictions. Famously, Grodd retained the store’s private label focus and refused to let designer names eclipse the prestige of Paul Stuart even after men’s wear became a brand-oriented business.

“His legacy is that you can operate a business and stick to your principles,” Wilkes Bashford said. “He stuck to his guns no matter what was happening in the business.”

“He was very independent,” said Jack Mitchell. “He constantly wanted to improve his own label.”

Others view Grodd’s legacy in his aesthetic. “If he saw a fabric or silhouette he liked, he went with it strong. There was never any halfway,” said designer Joseph Abboud, who met Grodd when he was a young man working for Louis Boston. “He always told me, ‘Joey, you’ll be a good designer because you worked retail.’ He knew that, for a designer, the retail floor is where the battle is won and lost.”

Bill Roberti, former ceo of Brooks Brothers and now with Alvarez & Marsal, said, “Cliff was a consummate gentleman. He had wonderful vision and great style. He was a true icon in the men’s business and will surely be sorely missed by his employees and customers.”

Landing Paul Stuart continued to be a prestigious account for the vendor community. “For that Wall Street elegant guy, that store was among the best,” said Arnold Silverstone, president of Samuelsohn, which makes private label tailored clothing for the retailer. “Selling to them was and is a big deal for a vendor.”