Nick Graham
Nick Graham, the founder of ubiquitous Joe Boxer underwear, has launched a new
The new line, sold exclusively through its e-commerce site NickGraham.com, includes everything from tees and ties to scarves and dress shirts in bold prints. There are money clips and belt buckles and cuff links, all 3-D printed here in the U.S., and some still rocking the Joe Boxer tagline, 'Because he can.'
Graham described what he's trying to do as "post prep,"and has argued that it's time men to dress with considerably more style. Consider this a part of that larger revolution in men's wear.
Now, even if you're comfortable in your khakis you should know about all this because since Graham founded Joe Boxer from his San Francisco apartment in 1985, the brand has made $7 billion world wide. He's an ideas guy.
"It's kind of like how Joe Boxer pushed men without knowing it," Graham told Business Insider. "When I started 80% of men's underwear was bought by women. Now that's down to 20%."
It was Graham's idea to close Fashion Week in 1999 by flying 300 people to Iceland for a total blow out fashion show on an air plane hangar. It was also his idea to take over Times Square with Richard Branson in 1995. For that adventure, Graham was dressed as the Queen England, Branson was wearing a kilt, and with 14 bagpipers going strong a crane lifted them 200 feet in the air while they gave away free stuff.
Graham sold Joe Boxer to Windsong Allegiance Group in 2001. Since then he's stayed on as a consultant, done some smaller projects, bought into a perfume plantation in Borneo... you know, the usual boring retirement.
He's getting back in the game now because the game has changed. In a world of problem-solving startups and bypassing the man, Graham sees nothing but vast potential in e-commerce.
"7th Avenue hasn't shown up," he said, adding later, "People say to me: 'You're going into the E-Commerce space? It's so saturated'... but to me, all I see is wide open space."
When you sell your brand through a Macy's or Nordstrom the store decides everything - what is sold, where and when. And as one would expect, "all they care about is profit margins," Graham explained.
That's why he decided to join the ranks of the Warby Parkers and the Bonobos of the world. Those brands are killing it, and they're getting attention for their innovation from the huge retailers who've realized it's better to join them than try to beat them. Last year, Nordstrom lead a $16.4 million round of funding for Bonobos.
Just as with Joe Boxer, Nick Graham the brand will come with a distinct spirit attached to it. A QR code on each item will take shoppers to a lifestyle page where they can win a $10,000 vacation to London, New York and another destination yet known. Anyone named Nick Graham will get 50% off everything on the site, and Graham's trying to figure out how to give away a trip to NYC to run NickGraham.com for two weeks.
He's also decided to hire people named Nick Graham to work on the project alongside him... 'because he can.'