Chicago Men's Wear Collective

The Chicago Men's Wear Collective is a menswear trade show held at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and produced by Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI). Its promise to buyers is simple — bringing the excitement back to the menswear industry — and the show goes out of its way to make the buying experience relaxing, effective and fun.

The market features over 500 lines, running from traditional to contemporary and from tailored to casual, so a retailer can work a full season's selection in one trip. Easy floor navigation is part of the design: everything a buyer needs for the next season sits on one show floor, rather than scattered across a city. The show continues today at the Mart as the Chicago Collective, a menswear market held twice a year.

A Menswear Market Built Around the Buyer

A trade show earns a retailer's time only if the buying gets done, and the Chicago Men's Wear Collective is organized around that job. Over 500 lines are presented together, spanning the full range of the menswear business — traditional and contemporary styling, tailored clothing and casual sportswear — so a buyer can compare labels, fabrics and price points side by side instead of traveling from showroom to showroom.

Because the whole market sits on one show floor with easy navigation, a store can plan its route, work its appointments in order, and still leave time to discover lines it did not come for. That mix of efficiency and discovery is what a market week is for. Buyers comparing menswear markets can also find this show listed in the Apparel Search Trade Show Profile List, alongside the other fashion trade shows profiled in this directory.

Produced by Merchandise Mart Properties Inc.

Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show, leasing and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year — a scale that makes it one of the most experienced market operators in the country, and the Chicago Men's Wear Collective one market among a very large calendar.

MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, 350 W. Mart Center and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, North Carolina; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C.

Vornado Realty Trust, the owner of MMPI, is based in New York City and is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.

Mart Fashion Productions

Mart Fashion Productions, a division of Merchandise Mart Services LLC, is the Mart's full-service fashion production company. Its creative team takes you inside the world of fashion and unveils all the hottest trends and styles even before they make the headlines — from runway shows and trend reports to television segments and film styling, Mart Fashion Productions has the expertise to create an unforgettable event for a company.

Across 15 years, its strong reputation has set the company apart by offering production, fashion public relations, visual displays and product launch support services. With its location in the Apparel Center and its full-service creative components, it is an unusually complete resource for brands showing at the Mart: a company can launch a line at the market and stage the show that presents it under the same roof.

Mart Fashion Productions specializes in fashion show production, trend forecasting, visual displays and creative services, new product launches, discovery of emerging brands, talent and trends, fashion consulting, and brand imaging.

More Apparel Markets at the Mart

The menswear collective is one part of a complete lineup of to-the-retail-trade apparel markets at the Merchandise Mart. The National Bridal Market - Chicago is also managed by MMPI, and the Mart's apparel calendar covers women's and children's markets as well as men's — each offering an incredible selection of leading designers and manufacturers in a convenient, all-in-one-place location.

For a retailer, that concentration is the point of a merchandise mart: bridal, women's, children's and men's lines can all be bought in a single building, on trips that combine market weeks with the Mart's permanent showrooms.

How Trade Shows and Merchandise Marts Work

Trade shows are generally traveling versions of showroom-like presentations in which businesses do not need a year-round showroom presence. Companies display their products and services in a temporary facility — such as Pier 94 or McCormick Place — for brief "markets" or trade shows, writing orders for seasons that will reach stores months later.

Some merchandise marts, the Merchandise Mart among them, have their own trade show facilities and host their own shows. These exhibitions in temporary space are used to supplement and enhance the business conducted in permanent space: the market brings hundreds of lines together for a few intensive days, and the showrooms carry the relationships through the rest of the year.