Gone Too Soon: A Shopping Eulogy

For a couple of years now I've been wearing (and praising) the clothes from Martin + Osa, a brand of American Eagle Outfitters. Think of M+O as AE's more worldly and sophisticated older sibling: the styles are a little more grown-up, intended for an older customer. The fits are a little sleeker, the fabrics and details a bit nicer, and the logos, if present at all, are small and subtle.

When I first encountered M+O's clothes, they were splitting the stylistic difference between Banana Republic and J. Crew, skewing perhaps a bit more toward the latter. But as subsequent seasons were released, M+O started to find its own path. They were a couple of years ahead of the Gap with regard to doing high-quality denim in a variety of fits. Their casual shirts don't have J. Crew's "secret wash," but they are plenty soft enough, and if, like me, you believe in ironing your shirt before you leave the house (at least on work days), the M+O shirts tend to look a bit more polished, and they come in more interesting colors and patterns. They also did very nice cashmere sweaters that were often on sale for excellent prices.

Unfortunately Martin + Osa has been losing money pretty much all along, and this week American Eagle announced that they are pulling the plug on the brand. The spring merchandise is already in stores, so it seems like the timing of the announcement, and the wind-down that will happen some time this summer, had to be done before production of fall items would have begun.

There are fewer than 30 M+O stores nationwide, and I'm sure they kept the store count low to keep costs down, but such a strategy may have inadvertently contributed to the label's demise, because not enough people knew about the brand. When I read other people's posts about the clothes, the comments always ran along the lines of "I'd never heard of them, but now that I have I'm very impressed with their stuff." Perhaps a little more effort on the part of marketing might have increased people's awareness of the brand. I don't know, maybe some ads in fashion magazines? It takes a lot to establish a new brand in the marketplace, and M+O never got the chance to gain traction with shoppers.

I'm very disappointed. Martin + Osa had quickly become one of my go-to sources for good-quality clothing at fair prices, and it's one less choice I'll have for where to shop come fall. And I wonder if American Eagle will offer the store employees jobs in their other stores? I placed an order today for a couple of spring items I'd been thinking about; no point in waiting any longer. I'm sure there will be some sort of liquidation sale, but at that point the size and color choices will probably be limited, and it will be depressing. I'd rather remember them as they were when things were better.