• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, October 9, 2023

Men's apparel company Mizzen+Main is continuing to lean into physical retail, considering each new location a “billboard” for the fast-growing D2C brand. It’s also using new insights about what men want -- both from clothes and marketing messages -- to expand its presence among fashion influencers.

The Dallas, Texas-based company recently opened a store in Scottsdale, Arizona, and storefronts in Houston and San Antonio. With 10 stores open by the end of 2023, the company has more planned throughout next year, says Bethany Muths, Mizzen+Main’s chief marketing officer.

With each new store opening, Mizzen+Main partners with local influencers to bring more foot traffic to the stores, hosting events and using programmatic advertising and direct mail, Muths tells D2C Insider via email.

The new-store designs promote discovery and have a “communal nature,” emphasizing connection and interaction.

The company wants men to experience the clothes as fun, comfortable, and easy-going, a brand personality emphasized in national marketing.

The company launched in 2012 and made a splash with “The Best Damn Dress Shirt.” It has since expanded into pants, outerwear, and golf.

Earlier this year, the company ran a “Bring back male friendships” campaign and contest, focusing on male bonding, road trips and the need to connect. Muths says the campaign resonated with its target audience, driving double-digit revenue gains as customers brought their friends into the brand tent.

“The campaign imagery and photography showed a lot of our brand personality -- the fun and enjoyment we have whether at work or traveling,” she says. “Our brand activations and events were a huge success, driving high levels of in-person and online engagement.”

Muths says the effort boosted total impressions by 20% year-over-year and significantly increased net followers.

As the company moves to balance more brick-and-mortar revenue with ecommerce, the focus is increasingly on localized marketing for each location, which she describes as “billboards” for the brand.

“We want people to feel welcome and at home in their local Mizzen+Main store,” she says. To support that goal, “we are continuing with efforts to find local partners who will help us get more ingrained in the specific community and culture.”