That’s the Spirit

Comfort guaranteed: Soho New York offers casual wear with a positive attitude.

SOHO NEW YORK

THAT’S THE SPIRIT!

Launched in March 2020, Soho New York has gotten off to a remarkable start. Label founder Kai Wilhelm is eager to harness the momentum and pull out all the stops.

Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Soho New York

Cool name, positive vibes: Soho New York’s collection, featuring shirts and sweatshirts for men and women, has all the right ingredients. “Our fashion is fresh, colourful, and vibrant, which is why we achieved such mega results last summer season,” says Kai Wilhelm. After three altogether challenging seasons, the label boasts 176 retail customers; the womenswear line turnover alone quadrupled compared to previous year. “That inspires us to push on and take the next steps.” One of the steps is expanding the collection. The Autumn-Winter season sees the introduction of knitwear, one of Wilhelm’s strengths after gaining 25 years of experience in the textile sector. The style is defined as sporty, yet light and soft with appealing details. Wilhelm sees potential in the medium to upper price segment of knitwear. Retail prices for t-shirts and sweats range from 19 to 39 Euros and 59 to 99 Euros respectively. Knitwear changes hand at prices between 79 and 129 Euros. Simultaneously, the brand is enhancing its sales capacities with partners in order to promote the brand internationally. The current 176 customers – such as Hirmer, Kleiderbauer, P&C, and L&T – are mostly located in the German-speaking market. “Yet markets such as Benelux and France are also performing well. We are also focusing on the former CIS states, especially as we have managed to attract major customers such as Interbalt and Holding Center.” Expansion is paramount, both offline and online. “We have been cooperating systematically with micro-influencers since November, intend to promote on social media, and will go online with a web shop in February. We also collaborate with retailers who are well-established online,” Wilhelm explains. “Stationary specialist retailers remain our main focus, which is why they will always retain pricing authority.” The last two years have shown that flexibility is essential. The core team around Wilhelm and mentor Edgar Walterscheid remains small to ensure swift response times. For greater flexibility, parts of the manufacturing process are being relocated from India to Uzbekistan. “The country boasts an excellent infrastructure and is increasingly opening up to the West,” explains Wilhelm. “The deliveries are then no longer dependent on flights and airfreight bookings; they can be brought on-site by truck within 14 days.” Wilhelm is an open-minded person; curiosity is his driving force. This mindset helps him advance projects, and he would not have it any other way. “Fashion needs to reclaim its joy. The fun factor has been lacking lately.” It comes as no surprise that this is reflected in Soho New York’s USP.

Knitwear is in his blood. After Arqueonautas and Kitaro, Soho New York is Kai Wilhelm's next promising project.