Cleveland got a standing ovation and cheers for an encore when Kilgore Trout hosted the Apparel Forum, an exclusive group of the nation’s top retailers.
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pring greetings and welcome to the new issue of Kilgore Trout magazine. Most of us have shown off some of Cleveland’s museums to out-of-town guests, and the Rock Hall is one of my perennial favorites. Last fall, we treated our fellow members of Apparel Forum to a tour during their whirlwind visit. We also wined and dined at the Marble Room (the space blew everyone away), and Il Venetian with masterful host Tommy Sinito. At Parallax, the food, along with Julian Bruell’s outstanding hospitality, rocked our guests’ world! These retailers hail from some of the nation’s great stores—Wilkes Bashford, Mitchells, Stanley Korshak, Larrimor’s—and collectively, the 14 member companies set the bar for luxury apparel retailing in America. We’re honored to be a longtime member. Twice each year, we meet to share best practices, review trends, coordinate group purchases in both the U.S. and Europe and discuss economic impacts on our industry. We provide one another an ad hoc advisory board, and together we publish this magazine—each customizing the fashion pages to suit our local clientele. It’s a big undertaking. This is Kilgore Trout’s 45th semi-annual issue, the 34th collaborating with Christopher Hixson, our local editor and designer. Collaboration is a major part of our business success, whether nationally with our Apparel Forum team, internationally with our extensive team of clothing vendors or locally with our team of style advisors, outside sales envoy Giovanni Carrelli and others behind the scenes. Together, we help our clients build exceptional wardrobes while enjoying camaraderie, mutual trust and respect every step of the way. We’re always eager to make a relationship that lasts. In the end, you’re our most important collaborator. Enjoy the magazine, and we hope to see you often this spring. We appreciate your business.
Wally Naymon, Shopkeeper P.S. Ensure you’ll look your best when the Rock Hall Induction Ceremony returns to Cleveland this spring by planning a visit with your style advisor today.
On the cover: Ermenegildo Zegna for him, L’Agence for her
Apparel Forum members pose in front of the Rock Hall during our Cleveland meeting.
Our Apparel Forum meeting wasn’t all tours and toasts. The group enjoyed a private afternoon coaching session on team building and growth with Cavs head coach John Beilein. Admittedly, Coach Beilein has had a challenging first year in Cleveland. The team is in a rebuilding phase, and Cleveland.com aptly called this a season of self-inflicted wounds. Coach Beilein, an icon in college ball, turned losing teams into winning ones and was voted “most ethical coach” by his peers. As Forbes wrote about Beilein, challenges make the leader. Our team gives Coach a vote of confidence.
PHOTO: MLIVE
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LONG LIVE ROCK.
