Untucked shirts have become a growing trend among the fashion world but one entrepreneur took the style to a different level. Chris Riccobono is the founder of UNTUCKit and has recently opened his first ever New Jersey store this past Wednesday at the Mall of Short Hills. The new store will be his 18th store for the brand that was created in 2011.
Riccobono went to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey where wearing your shirt untucked got you a detention. Riccobono now has the chance to wear his shirt untucked everywhere he goes. He’s turned the subtle fashion style into his fast-growing brand.
UNTUCKit got going as an e-commerce brand, selling shirts that were specifically designed to be untucked. Now 7 years later the brand has branched out sweater, shoes, and shorts. The fashion brand has even included a women’s line also sporting the untucked style shirts. Riccobono plans to even add a kid’s line come November 2. All the shirts range from $68 and $98.
After Riccobono went through all his schooling, Don Bosco in 1997, Providence College in 2001, and then Columbia University in 2007, he felt the need to start a business that sold quality shirts that are the perfect length to be left untucked. He says, “getting the right length is the key to a good-looking untucked shirt”.
Riccobono and co-founder Aaron Sanandres are riding the wave of the casual trend in menswear. Tim Bess, a men’s fashion trend analyst for the Doneger Group believes the brand came at a perfect time. “we’re definitely in a comfort-driven cycle in fashion right now, and there’s nothing more comfortable than having your shirt untucked.” Bess says.
Riccobono believes that most of their sales will continue to come from online shoppers, however, he believes physical stores can push the brand to the next level.
“we’ll always stay e-comm focused – that will always be 80-plus percent of our business”, he continues, “But in order to grow to where we want to be, which is a billion-dollar brand, you need to be in brick-and-mortar”. “there are a lot of men who won’t buy without touching or feeling the product.” Riccobono says.
Brick-and-mortar stores for UNTUCKit will reach out to a wider audience for the brand and can provide a place for the company to test the response of consumers to some of their new products. According to Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry analyst for the NPD group, he believes that UNTUCKit is doing well because they are “building the product the way the consumer wants it”.
UNTUCKit stores range from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. So far, the brand has stores in places like Soho and even at some of the biggest malls like King of Prussia and Mall of America. Three more stores are scheduled to be introduced next month in Manhattan. The company plans to have around 25 stores by the end of the year and even plan to go international like Canada or England.
Untucked shirts have become a growing trend in the past couple years that even other companies are trying to sell their own design. Amazon.com, for example, has a “No Tuck” category in their men’s catalog. Riccobono says the competition doesn’t worry him, because of the aggressive marketing he’s had since creating the brand. He’s done ads across all platforms to take the lead in the growing market. Riccobono states, “we’ve become the authority in how to wear the shirt untucked”.
