We arrived at the Marc Cain pop-up at 42 Grand Street, stepping out of the freezing cold to be welcomed into a well-lit fashionable space with a display of mannequins right up front. They were clad in cozy knitwear and a gorgeous Silver slip dress we kept stealing glances at.
The pop-up, we later discovered in a conversation with the company’s Managing Director, Stephen Belfer, was a highly curated installation designed to bring brand awareness of this successful German women’s fashion label to the US. There were 3 stories in play at this cozy presentation: luxe lounge, evening, and ski chalet.
We toured the crowded boutique to touch and feel the cashmere track pants and cable knit sweaters that were sumptuous to the hand and proved to be even softer than we thought they would be. It’s no wonder, this brand has been working on perfecting its knits since Helmut Schlotterer founded it in 1973. One of our favorites was a Cream off the shoulder sweater with heavy fringe detailing that resembled a scarf. Another was a slouchy Heather Gray rib knit sweater with a fold over collar and pretty lurex detailing skillfully woven into the knit that gave off just enough sparkle.
Evening ranged from a ladylike Black and White long sleeve dress one could wear repeatedly, to a show stopping Silver sequin slip dress – yes, that same one that caught our attention when we walked in. The winning Nineties silhouette was modified to a longer length which made it a strong choice for evening wear.
The ski chalet category covered the gamut from a super warm jacket made for hours on the slopes to stylish après ski wear guaranteed to make the woman wearing it feel like the most elegantly stylish person at the lodge.
After examining the clothes, we had the unique opportunity to speak with Stephen Belfer, Marc Cain’s Managing Director for North America. The first thing Stephen clarified for us is that Marc Cain was an actual person, but the actual owner, Helmut Schlotterer, is the man responsible for founding and leading the brand to the success it has achieved thus far.
Says Stephen, “Marc was a Canadian guy whose name the founder, Helmut Schlotterer, thought would be easier to pronounce. A key takeaway is that our focus is on knitwear, and this is one of the few companies that still has a workforce producing knitwear in German factories.” Next steps are the boutique they now have in Neiman Marcus at the tony Westchester Mall, located 30 minutes from Manhattan. MarcCain is a regular at Berlin Fashion Week. At present, there are plans for Marc Cain to show at NYFW. We look forward to a Marc Cain show in New York soon, hopefully next season.
-Vivian Kelly ( @thefashionhistorian )
Designer Website: www.marc-cain.com
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