According to industry reports, menswear should exceed $402 billion in 2014. Obviously it's big business--and growing. And now actor Blair Underwood has entered the fray. K&G Stores recently announced Underwood has teamed up with them for the Blair Underwood Designs. K&G, which operates as a subsidiary of The Men's Wearhouse, Inc., approached Underwood about creating an affordable and style conscious line for men. A three-piece, tailored suit made of 100 percent wool, for example, is under $300. The line has a sleek, European- style cut.
Some might not first connect Underwood with fashion, but his onscreen persona does have a stylish flair, says LordAlgie DeWitt IV, owner and founder of MAMi Media, LLC, which publishes MAMi Magazine of International Fashion & Music Art. “Blair Underwood is a brand,” he points out. “You think of distinction when you think of Blair…it's appropriate that he attach his brand to a look and feel that consumers can attach themselves to.”
But can Underwoord compete with other celebrity lines on the market such as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs´ Sean John Menswear [3] and Jay-Z´s Rocawear, who have both branched off their men's clothing lines to include suits and more tailored looks? DeWitt thinks so. “He is a newer Billy Dee. He represents a good amount of Black professional men,” notes DeWitt, who will launch MAMi TV will this spring through Dish Network to 180 US Markets, 14.1 million households. “I don't really see competition in his lane. Jay-Z and Diddy are too street; Blair has the right sensibilities to appeal to the professional man.”
