GANT Store

Born in 1949 At GANT everything started with shirts, and since then we have never stopped reinterpreting them. The combination of our founder Bernard Gantmacher's dedication to quality and his sons Marty and Elliot's instinct for style and economy turned out to be a formula for success. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1907 - 1927 The beginning of a long journey The story of GANT begins with a Ukrainian boy who sailed to America in search of a better life, fell in love, was successful and forever changed American fashion style. Berl Gantmacher, a miller's son from Miropol in the Ukraine, was a teenager at the time and had already made it from the Russian Empire to Rotterdam. From there he continued his way west on the SS Potsdam, a Dutch-American liner that took him to New York City. The Ellis Islands archives show his arrival on November 12, 1907. He was 17 years old. Like many other Jewish immigrants before him, he Americanized his name - Berl became Bernard - and he immediately began to further his education. He enrolled in evening classes at Columbia University's College of Pharmacy and found a daytime job in the city's bustling clothing district. The sewing job was tough, but developed his entrepreneurial zeal and taught him to tailor. And she let him meet Rebecca Rose, a young lady who sewed buttonholes and buttons. She would later become his wife. During the First World War, Bernard joined the US Army and went to battle in France. After completing his military service, he returned to New York with an even stronger desire for success. Graduating from college, married Rebecca, and decided the time was right to start his own business. Together with his partner Morris Shapiro he founded the Par-Ex Shirt Company based in Brooklyn. Par-Ex made shirts par excellence for other brands such as Brooks Brothers. The new company was a success, and in 1927 the Par-Ex Shirt Company relocated to posh New Haven, Connecticut. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1927 - 1949 The Gant brand is founded On the advice of his sons, Bernard Gantmacher founds GANT Inc. and begins manufacturing shirts under his own label. The city of New Haven was one of the capitals of American clothing manufacturing at the time. Part of this was because there were large numbers of Italian immigrants there who were trained as seamstresses. Times were good for the Gantmachers. The company grew - and with it the family. Two of Bernard and Rebecca's children, Marty and Elliot, would later make GANT a great success. Born in 1921 and 1926, the boys grew up in New Haven and helped out in the shirt factory by sweeping floors and putting on collars. The outbreak of World War II interrupted her career plans as both sons were drafted into the army. When they returned home in the 1940s, they were studying at the University of Connecticut. Marty specialized in business administration while Elliot specialized in marketing. They then returned to the family business with their new knowledge. The brothers realized that America was entering a time of rapid and far-reaching change. The war had destroyed many old traditions. New styles of art, music, and fashion spread across the nation. Marty and Elliot saw an opportunity - and took it. They convinced their father that the time was right to leave Par-Ex and the contract business behind. Instead of making clothes for other labels, they wanted to sell perfectly tailored shirts under their own label. In April 1949, GANT Inc. was founded. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1949 - 1959 Reaching the right target group Marty and Elliot insist that only the best comes into question for GANT products. They were very familiar with the family business and identified with it so much that they even changed their own name - Gantmacher became Gant. They also recognized the power of advertising. They wanted their products to always be in the right places. That's why they only supplied the best stores in town and also ran ads in The New Yorker. The first edition of the New Yorker appeared in February 1925 with a drawing of a dandy wearing a monocle on the front page. It was a new type of magazine designed to appeal to a new readership. "The New Yorker will be the magazine that isn't published for the old Dubuque lady," wrote founding editor Harold Ross. "It won't care what she thinks about. It's not meant to be disrespectful, but The New Yorker is a magazine deliberately published for a metropolitan audience." It attracted the best and funniest writers, from JD Salinger and Vladimir Nabokov to Dorothy Parker and F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. The newspaper was not only picky about the authors it published, but also the ads it ran. Advertisements that did not match the tone of the magazine were rejected. One of the companies that came into question was GANT. Initially, Marty and Elliot could only afford an eighth page black and white ads every three months. Little by little, they moved on to bigger and more frequent ads showing the Oxford shirt in four different photos and in four different situations. The campaign spread the message that GANT made the kind of shirts that the young, sophisticated people of today wore. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1950ER The Color Explosion Elliot Gant once said: "We shouldn't try to be everything for everyone. We are individualists. If you think for yourself, you can be tastefully different." Over the course of the new decade, the Ivy League look became even more distinctive and elegant. GANT developed more and more shirts in strong colors and unusual fabrics such as madras, candy stripe and tartan. These shirts corresponded to the revolutionary mood of the fifties. This phenomenon came to be known as the Oxford Color Explosion and has been a key feature of the Ivy League look ever since. Ultimately, Marty and Elliot even insisted their salespeople not wear white shirts to work. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site MID-1950s The quality feature From the beginning, GANT was known for the quality of its shirts. Early on, when the company was also supplying shirts to other retailers, a discreet GANT logo was added: a small diamond with a "G" in it. This symbol was a guarantee of quality for the customer, as was the manufacturer's label in the collar. In the mid-1950s, the Diamant-G had become part of American men's fashion history - an unmistakable symbol of the highest quality, which contributed to making the characteristic shirts coveted bestsellers whose demand far exceeded supply. The 1950s were a time of unprecedented growth in America. The GANT shirts helped define the casual, yet elegant look that dominated the post-war years. GANT's detailed craftsmanship and effortless American style appealed to a generation of men who had worn military clothing for years and now returned home to take their place in the booming middle class. They not only appreciated the perfect shape of the GANT collar, but also the quality of the fabric. But due to the advancing developments, they would soon appreciate another special feature for which GANT has done pioneering work: color. The plain white shirt had dominated men's fashion for decades, but that was about to change forever. A paint explosion was on the march - and that explosion started in the city of New Haven, Connecticut. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1954-1959 New Haven and the Look of the Ivy League The term "Ivy League" was first used in the 1930s to refer to a group of northeastern American colleges that were athletic rivals. However, it soon became synonymous with more than just sport. It stood for academic excellence, prestige, tradition - and for a new, casual style that would change American fashion forever. A style that came to be known as the "Ivy League Look". In 1954, LIFE magazine declared that New Haven was the home of the Ivy League look. The reason for this was that not only was there a thriving clothing industry there, but Yale University was also located there. It was the ideal place to establish the Ivy League look. The new look offered the ability to dress appropriately without having to dress up. This included white suede shoes, gray flannel pants, button-down shirts, and casual jackets. It thus offered a sharp contrast to the double-breasted suits with padded shoulders that dominated in the pre-war years. Marty and Elliot instinctively became aware of what was happening in their hometown. They not only recognized the emerging style, but also noticed that it was the same as that of GANT. The two began to experiment with different fabrics and cuts. In addition, they expanded the pale color palette of the 50s with strong tones. The family took pride in their personal role in creating the new look. In 1954, the company's name was changed to GANT of New Haven. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1949 - 1960 GANT Signatures Originally the button-down shirt was worn by English polo players, but by the late 1940s it was an essential part of every well-dressed man's wardrobe. In America it was originally a creation by Brooks Brothers from the 1920s, but GANT was instrumental in its development and shaped it. There are many reasons for that. In addition to the quality, there were several peculiarities in the construction of the shirt that were not only unique, but also extremely difficult to copy in certain cases. This included the shape that the front edges of the buttoned collar form. It took the combination of Bernard's technical skill and Marty and Elliot's fashion sense to perfect it so that it became known as the perfect shape. The perfect roller was not the only characteristic detail that GANT perfected. Customers appreciate the small details, such as the loop on the back of the shirt. This made it possible to hang the shirt in the changing room without it creasing. It even became part of the Ivy League dating culture: a man removed the loop as soon as he was with a woman. In return, she wore his scarf. The box pleat on the back of the shirt, which gave the wearer more freedom of movement, and the back button on the collar, which made it possible for the tie not to slip, were clear identifying features of a GANT shirt. In 1963, the button placket, which Elliot had invented, was recognized by Esquire magazine. It enabled a perfect interplay of tie and shirt. At the same time as GANT was perfecting the men's shirt, the company noticed that it wasn't just men who coveted their clothes. Inspired by the number of women who borrowed shirts from their husbands and friends, they saw their chance. For the first time, GANT introduced women's shirts with the slogan: "For women, GANT makes shirts, not blouses". A new chapter began for the company and with it another name change took place. GANT Shirtmakers reflected the excellence and cultural significance of the brand. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1960ER Yale CO-OP Store For the students, the Yale Co-op was more than just a place where they could stock up on everyday items from textbooks to toothbrushes, because it also offered the opportunity to purchase clothes. In the heyday of the Ivy League look, the shop was a hub of the new style. The store was founded in 1885, making it one of the second oldest university stores in the United States. He provided generations of students with the clothes that became indispensable for the Ivy League: suits, ties, V-neck sweaters, sports jackets, as well as shoes and loafers - and everything you need to look cool on campus. GANT's line of shirts for the Yale Co-op was a sensation. The button-downs were sold out very quickly and became an integral part of the Ivy League look. Soon the button-down shirt was not only found on campus but across the country and was considered an essential piece of clothing for the stylish American man of the 1950s and 1960s. And for everyone who only wanted the best, the GANT button-down shirt was just the thing. Sites-Gant-DACH-Site 1949 AND FURTHER Beginning of American Sportswear As World War II ended and American soldiers returned home, the country saw a period of rapid change. New preferences and influences in sports and fashion spread across the country. Radio, television and magazines introduced people to a new, active lifestyle they could never have dreamed of. With the influence of sporting activities on numerous items of clothing, the demand for a comfortable look has increased. The GANT shirts defined the casual and at the same time elegant look. There was a booming middle class who appreciated the perfect shape of a GANT collar and the quality of fabric that one could expect from a GANT shirt. GANT was purely a shirt manufacturer until the late 1960s, but then the time had come to use its expertise to expand its range. In 1971 the first collection of American sportswear including ties, pants and rugby shirts was produced.

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