Tailored clothing expert Arnold Brant Silverstone has been named North American president and chief creative officer at Steve McQueen by Douglas Hayward, an exciting new clothing brand. The McQueen family recently licensed the McQueen brand to the Ellis brothers of Sterling House, renowned British tailors for the past 60 years. Sterling House has owned the Douglas Hayward brand since 2018, but with Silverstone now on board to create, direct, and manage, things are moving fast!
For those unfamiliar with Douglas Hayward, he was a much-admired custom clothier to celebrities including Michael Caine, Roger Moore, James Coburn, George Hamilton, Clint Eastwood, Ralph Lauren, Cary Grant, Peter Sellers, Richard Burton, Sammy Davis, Ralph Lauren, and numerous other VIPs who would hang out at Dougie’s London workshop, dressed to the nines, until it was time to go out for a lovely lunch. This was London’s quintessential boys’ club for men who appreciated fine custom clothing, clever conversation, and famous friends!
Arnold Silverstone’s illustrious career has included his own eponymous collection, several years as design director at Nordstrom, and several more as president and chief creative officer at Hickey Freeman and Samuelsohn. “Once I met with Laurence Ellis and his brothers, I knew this was the right opportunity at the right time. With U.S. politics in transition, escalating prices out of Italy, and the prospect of tariffs on Chinese goods, creating a cool British-made collection makes perfect sense. Sterling already has the patterns for much of McQueen’s wardrobe, including his famous motorcycle jacket and tan trench coat. I tweaked the original designs a bit for 2025 taste levels, but the DNA remains all McQueen.”
Silverstone notes that since the company won’t be selling discounters or opening its own stores, it can offer retailers higher margins. Suggested retails: $895-$995 for OTR suits, $595-$795 for sport coats, $195 for pants, $175 for dress shirts, $595 for coats. “It’s hard to find top-quality half-canvas garments for under $1,000,” he points out.
The new business is a joint venture between Arnie Silverstone, Jeff Farbstein (former VP at Harry Rosen), Jeff Skurka (also in Canada), and the Sterling Group. For more info on the collection or for an appointment in Chicago: Arnoldbrant@arnoldbrant.com.
by Karen Alberg GrossmanJul 10, 2024
