Heroes of Menswear: Fashion Director Nelson Mui

Nelson Mui, men’s fashion director at Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor, is changing the face of retail, and we couldn’t be happier.

The State of Menswear

“I’ve been in menswear for close to 20 years. This is an especially exciting time. There’s an incredible amount of fashion literacy that has happened over the last number of years. Guys aren’t looking just to replenish wardrobe items, but to style themselves and express themselves through clothing. Whether it’s a young guy who’s really embracing a street aesthetic in a designer way, with a long bomber or a long T-shirt with a zip at the side, or patchwork or logos, or the guy who’s doing a suit with a T-shirt or a suit with a simple white sneaker, there are a lot of ways men have embraced all the options out there.”

Style DIY

“Guys are seeing things online or through Instagram or magazines and they want that look, so they go and purchase it themselves. It’s not like, ‘Oh my girlfriend bought me this sweater, or my wife bought me this pair of shoes because she thought I would look good.’ For a lot of the millennial generation, the rules don’t apply. Or they don’t realize they exist. They try new things just because it looks good.”

Not Lord Selkirk’s HBC

“As the iconic department store in Canada, we have everything, from a very entry-level price point, up to the top tier of designers. We look very closely at bringing each and every trend to the store because guys are going to expect us to have it, and if we don’t, then we’re disappointing the customer and we lose a lot of the fashion credibility. Like with the jogger pant: we saw it two years ago when it first started trickling out and it wasn’t clear whether or not it was just a fad. But it grew into different permutations, like chino or denim joggers, and so we started making table displays out of it.”

Go Exploring

“Department stores really serve as a great resource for guys to experiment. We have to function like an independent boutique where you put your trust in that one owner who scours the world to find a few interesting items. But we also have to cater to a lot of different customers and different lifestyles. If we’re doing our job well it’s about discovery.”

Summer Essentials

“Seasonal suiting is big; not wrinkly, beachy vibes, but nice, crisp linen-blend options that give a modern look. A soft jacket, like an unlined or quarter lined, unstructured blazer or sport coat is completely versatile. I definitely still think for most guys a simple white sneaker, whether it’s the classic Stan Smith or the ’80s Adidas Superstars, is something you can’t really go wrong with.”