Our history:
Lujon:
A men’s
fashion classic
Ever since the gray flannel suit was the height
of men’s fashion in the 1950s, style-conscious
males have found top-of- the-line quality, personalized
service and expert tailoring at Lujon Men’s
Clothes. The boutique-sized shop on Worcester’s
Pleasant Street, just off Main, offers a selection
comparable to designer stores in Boston.
We have not
been on Pleasant Street quite this long, but
almost.
Among its prestigious
labels, Lujon’s
carries Zanella slacks, Ermenegildo Zegna by
Coppley suits and sports jackets, Jack Victor
suits and sports coats, St. Croix knitwear, Remy
leather outerwear, Jack Lipson dress shirts and
sport shirts, Kolte ties, Mezlan shoes, and casual
clothing by Tori Richard, Axis and Tulliano.
"We maintain a formula that’s been
a success for 55 years," says Andre Thibeault,
co-owner with Fawaz Hanna. We have high standards
and offer high quality. You don’t come
to Lujon’s looking for bargains." The
two recently purchased the store from John Israelian,
whose father founded Lujon’s in 1951. Israelian
continues to be involved in the store as a consultant.
Both Thibeault and Hanna
have strong ties to Lujon’s. Thibeault
was sales manager for 27 years, and Hanna has
been the master tailor since 1992.
"We cater to men who like clothes, who
want the latest fashion and best quality," says
Thibeault. "Our customers are busy guys
who want someone to take care of details."
Sometimes this means
working with emergencies. Recently, a longtime
customer had a death in the family. When he
asked if Lujon’s could
outfit family members in time for the funeral,
the staff worked into the early morning hours
to tailor suits for them.
"We don’t just sell a suit, we get
to know people," notes Thibeault. "We
understand our customers’ likes, dislikes,
how will they wear the clothes they buy."
The store’s reputation for extraordinary
service has created not only repeat business,
but also generations of satisfied customers.
Many a stylishly dressed Worcesterite was taken
to Lujon’s by his father or uncle to buy
his first suit.
Israelian notes a generation
gap in men who are interested in fashion. "Those over 50
dress well, but the generation X-ers can’t
seem to adjust to wearing business suits," he
says. "Younger men just out of college,
however, are beginning to get more interested
in fashion."
Lujon’s has survived fashion trends and
increased competition from suburban malls. Thibeault
notes with no small amount of pride that the
business has prospered even while bigger establishments,
such as Worcester’s Galleria mall, closed
their doors.
Another economic challenge
was the emergence of casual dress at work -
a trend ushered in with the dot-com era. "That caused us to
change our emphasis from suits and dress wear
to include a lot of sportswear," Thibeault
explains. Such fads as "casual-Fridays " were
especially hard on traditional customers. "A
lot of businessmen hate the casual dress trend
at the office," says Thibeault. "It
takes too much time to figure out what shirt
goes with what slacks. Putting on a suit is much
faster."
He notes with some relief
that the casual approach to office wear seems
to have run its course. "Men
are dressing up again," he says, "replacing
Dockers with dress pants, and golf shirts with
fine knits and well cut sport coats. Men are
becoming concerned with looking more professional.
Our suit business is up 50% from a year ago."
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