Exploring The Transition Of Western Fashion

In this episode of the Work Western Podcast, hosts Kevin Harrison and Jed Blackwell explore the evolution of Western fashion and its integration into the retail market. They discuss the changing consumer preferences, the intersection of workwear and Western lifestyle, and the impact of cultural icons on fashion trends. The conversation highlights the importance of staying ahead of trends and the future of Western fashion in a rapidly evolving market.

 

Takeaways

• The Work Western Podcast aims to provide resources for the Western lifestyle.
• The store has evolved from workwear to a broader Western lifestyle focus.
• Fashion trends in Western wear often cycle back, reflecting past styles.
• Consumer preferences in Western fashion are shifting towards more diverse offerings.
• The Western fashion market is dynamic, with trends that can quickly change.
• The store caters to both work and casual Western fashion needs.
• There is a growing interest in Western fashion among non-traditional consumers.
• Cultural influences, such as celebrities, significantly impact Western fashion trends.
• The hosts emphasize the importance of forecasting trends in retail.
• The future of Western fashion looks promising with ongoing interest and demand.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is the Work Western Podcast. We talk about all those work Western lifestyle things whether you're out digging a ditch, driving a truck, whether you're riding a horse, or just acting like a cowboy. We're here to help you and give you the resources you need to know about all the different things that are out in that lifestyle. Whether it be boot reviews, whether it be country music concerts, whatever that is, we're here. We're here to give you those resources. Jed Blackwell is my co-host. Jed, what do we have on the agenda for today?

(00:01):
We're going to talk about why the store looks so different from a Western perspective because we've got a ton of Western fashion stuff in and we're going to talk about the strategy behind that and how it came about and just some of the things that we've got that are new for the fall and are new to people who haven't been in for a while and some of those decisions that were made.
Yep, I like it. And it is, it is. You know, it's kind of, it's interesting the genesis of our store. We were Harrison's Workwear for forever and we did work stuff. were the kings of work, work boots, work clothes, all those different, different things. And we've seen this transition through the years. We still do that. Man, nobody does work like we do, but we have really started to be, become a, wherever we are. become a regional leader in that Western lifestyle and that Western market as well.
We talk about work Western while and one of the things that gave me the idea For this podcast was was one of those Western and wow components when I saw the receiving list come through for the miss me jeans Those things are so far beyond anything that we've got in the store or have had in the store from what I buy.
Yeah, really they are and you know, it's funny we were in we were in Dallas at the the Western trade show the biggest trade show that that in the whole Western market is is out in Dallas in January and in August and we were we were out there and Trends are coming back. It's funny, you know, miss me jeans were huge years ago Then they kind of went away and now that whole 80s and 90s tight thing is coming back You know, it's like if you just wait long enough anything you have in your closet is gonna come back in style and and so We were out there and my oldest daughter Kate was actually with me and and we we went in and saw Miss Me jeans and I remember seeing them all the time of course of four daughters and a wife You they wear that kind of stuff, but then I didn't hear anything about it for a while
And my daughter told me, she's like, dad, those are coming back. The stuff y'all used to wear is now coming back in. And so we went in and talked to them and set up an account. Next thing you know, we got the Miss Me jeans in. And it's funny that they, it is, it's, what a transition. mean, one side of the story, you've got heavy duty work boots and Carhartt clothes and Dickies and.
Ariat Rebar, all those good work brands. then there's this transition that you get to where you've got the super high fashion stuff on the other side. yeah, Miss Me is one of them that I never thought I'd be carrying Miss Me jeans inside of our store.
And it's it's not just that is across all brands. We have the workforce in our stores skews heavily female and just talking to the girls here in Mauldin Seems like just about everybody's got a pair of the area Katie flare jeans. They all love that that's kind of flared at the bottom and a style that flatters anybody
Wrangler's got the Laney WIlson Yeah has got the Laney Wilson Extreme bell bottoms. Yes, we've got those front and center and people have been picking those up. Yes, I am going by the area, they've got four or five trouser fit. We have a young lady in our Maudin store named Victoria, who is, if you could copy paste what you thought a Harrison's customer would be, that's Victoria from a women's standpoint. She is Western fashion focused and she loves all of the different trouser fits. You'll read something on some of our outlets here in the next couple of weeks about why and what might work for you.
Rock and Roll Denim has a ton of dresses that we've got at the very front of the store. It's just, it's so far from car pants and work boots that you just, you got to come in here and look because you're not gonna, you're not gonna believe what half of this stuff is.
You a lot of people they do and they come in and when we we do our commercials and say work Western Wow You know it is the wow piece a lot of times people coming in have not been in a while and they see they see these things and And that is something it is a very finicky market. Yeah, it is different. You know the Western fashion market is man it it comes and goes and what I mean by that these styles they come in and They're super hot and then when they're not
They're super hot until they're not. And when they're not, it's hard to even give them away. And so it is, we've had to learn how to stay on top of that. Look at these trends, forecast out, and then these things come in. like Lainey Wilson, she's on fire right now. And those Wrangler jeans are there on fire. Another brand, Kimes Ranch, for ladies jeans.
This is funny. This is going to sound a little bit weird, but it's really not. So I'm, we're in Dallas and we had a Wrangler had this, their 75, I it was their 75 year anniversary party at this big, big venue. so we were going to that, that evening and, we were, we had been meeting with the Kimes Ranch rep and she said, I just challenged you to do something. She said, where are you going tonight? We told her this big, big, huge thing. She said, just check out the, she said, check out the women's pants.
And we're like, what do you mean? just check out the pants. Look at their pockets. so we got out there and I told my daughter, she was with me, I said, have you been looking at the ladies' pants? She said, what do you mean? said, eight out of 10 pants had that little longhorn, the Kimes Ranch thing for the ladies.
And that was a more expensive pant, more expensive jeans than some of the others. But they're on fire, they fit everybody. And so it's looking at these trends and seeing, and it's funny with the Western market.
You go to Dallas, you go to Austin, Fort Worth, these places, you see these things and sometimes they, might take them a season or two to make it to us. We, wherever in the Southeast, halfway between Atlanta and Spartanburg, but you, not in Atlanta, Spartanburg, halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, you look at these things and they come, you see them coming. You see these trends coming.
You can tell and from a sheer variety standpoint too, embracing that means, now I'm not going to say only because I haven't been in every store obviously. I don't think there are very many stores that exist where you can come in and get dressed to stand on the side of the road working on the construction crew and be safe and have everything you need or buy boots for your
Yeah, there's really not.
I mean, that's what you can do here. honestly, one of the couple, I don't think we have very many left, but a couple of white dresses we had out there earlier this year, we could have gotten you completely dressed for an informal kind of country wedding.
Yeah, I mean we have a lot of them and some of our stores we have pictures of of You know groomsmen in their blue jeans and cowboy boots that they bought from us and then we have Graduation pictures with people with Harriet Casanovas the ladies big tall Boots on there's there's so many things that are that are like that. Yeah
We had a funeral. Somebody came in and wanted the exact pair of fashion jeans for, I guess it was the Paul Bears at a funeral. And we sent them out the door with exactly what they
Yes.Yeah, I you see a lot of those things. I heck, I'm on our local school board, been on there for 16 years. we used to, of course, suits have kind of gone, they've kind of gone away. But I'll have on my nice denim jeans, Ariats or Cinch or whatever it may be. a nice button down, I'll put a coat on and then I'll have on cowboy boots and that's a lot of people this is this is the way they this is their business casual look and you know to go back to what you said it is we just felt like you know that that person that's working is the same person I mean we don't have

(00:22):
Now there may be one or two, but in our area in the southeast, we don't have a lot of legitimate cowboys. People that are out wrangling cows and doing this.
What you see out on Yellowstone. We don't have those people here. What we've got is what we affectionately, and I'm one of these people, so don't get mad at me, we're the wannabe cowboys. We like to put on the stuff that looks like a cowboy so we can look cool and hopefully pull off the rip or whatever it may be look that we're trying to hit. But these people that come in...
You you mentioned, and it's been a real strategy for us, is we do the work and we feel like we own that market. mean, nobody's got more work boots than we've got. Nobody carries more Carhartt than we've got, and we do all those things. But that same customer, Jed, is coming.
They want that but then they're also going to the concerts on Friday nights. They're going to, heck man, mean they wear the stuff to church. Now you can, a pair of boots and jeans is perfect for going to church. You don't have to dress up as much as you used to. So we just felt like you do both of those things and it's a marriage that makes perfect sense.
And to the point that we don't have a lot of real cowboys, we do have a lot of rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. And in that avenue, you've got to be cuffs and collars and blue jeans and often pearl snaps and that. And we've got all of that as well. Not to single out a brand, but the Ariat team stuff is perfect for that kind of stuff. The Wrangler stuff is perfect for that. Panhandle Slim was born out of a need for that kind of stuff.
And you can find all that here too.
Yeah, I mean, we talked about JR.
You for JR's Pro Rodeo, know a couple of episodes ago and those people do they Legitimately use that stuff in the rodeo and it's funny We did a little short with me standing next to one of the some of the guys that were on the bulls when we were up at one of the one of the rodeos and I said I pointed I said real cowboy and then pointed at me is like I want to be cowboy I'm not getting on that bull but but it has been has made sense and that fashion
You know again if you if you walk into any of our any of our locations you will see that that fashion we're we're more fashion forward in that area than we've than we've ever been and so
Yeah, just, you know, the addition of Tecovas, know, Tony Lama is that's another brand that we're bringing in as well to marry with all the other brands that we have that are in that Western piece. you know, it's been an interesting journey with that. And the Western market is one that's on fire right now. It's on fire in all avenues. You know, it's interesting. It's not just the traditional people that you think of in that cowboy market.
With what Beyonce has done that has just exploded and and it was it's funny the Beyonce concert my area vendor was telling me they're in Las Vegas and she had a concert and they were Talked about how their their store there the area store in Las Vegas was down Like almost to the last week of that month. They were down really far down in sales Beyonce comes to town and they end up doubling their sales from the year before because
You know now she's into that Western top thing no matter how you you know I mean everybody you know All the country music singers that you see up there wearing Western stuff. They're not real cowboys You know they're they're just they're just singers that that are are doing this stuff But it is it's created this this buzz with all demographics of of being able to to really embrace that Western lifestyle
Exactly, and we see that some here too with the big country acts that are around when there's something big in Sepsumville, when there's something big in Great Bowl. We see a little.
want to. Yeah yeah definitely and so so yeah it's just it's it's it's really
It's really a good thing to see and you know we're very interested in seeing how this trend continues and what's next for the Western market. I'll be out there this week looking at trends for next spring that will be coming and you know every move we make we're taking like just one more step further and to truly be that place that not only you know owns the work market but looks and says
Okay, if we need if we're looking for something Western in the Carolinas right now We're going we're going to Harrison's or we're going to visit their website and and take it take advantage of that So yeah a lot of Western stuff going on and and we want to we want to continue to bring it We're going to be some of these brands that we talked about we're to be doing some interviews with them We're going to be doing some product reviews so you can see for your own eyes what we're what we're doing and And what makes all these different things unique?
So with that said, we just encourage you to go follow us on all the platforms. You know what they are, Instagram, TikTok, and we're going to be bringing you some more shorts, some different things that will be very good to help you as you, maybe you're just.
Dabbling your toes into this Western fashion market We can take care of you with that and we can give you the information you need So for Jed Blackwell's Kevin Harrison keep that work Western lifestyle going work Western podcast. We will see you next time.