There is a point in every buying season when the appointments begin to blur, the steps add up, and you realize just how much ground has been covered. For us, Chicago Collective marks that final chapter, the place where we wrap up our Spring/Summer 2027 menswear buying season and begin looking forward to what will arrive at Garmany next year.
Held in Chicago, Chicago Collective brings together some of the best names, representatives, buyers, and independent retailers in the menswear industry. Over four days, the showroom floor becomes a meeting place for discovering new collections, reconnecting with longtime partners, and getting a closer look at where menswear is heading.
Of course, the clothes are only part of the experience.
More Than a Buying Trip
One of our favorite things about Chicago Collective is the opportunity to spend time with the people who make this industry special.
Throughout the show, we meet with our amazing vendors, review collections, discuss fabrics, fits, colors, and deliveries, and make those final decisions that will shape Garmany’s Spring/Summer 2027 menswear assortment.
But between appointments, there is another kind of education happening.
We get to catch up with fellow retailers from around the country, compare notes on business, exchange ideas, and share a few of the tips and tricks of the trade that only come from years spent on the selling floor. Independent luxury retail is built on relationships, and gatherings like Chicago Collective are a reminder that some of the best ideas come from simply sitting down with people who understand the business.
There are old friends everywhere you turn and usually a few new ones by the end of the week.
Four Days on the Showroom Floor
Buying for a new season requires a certain balance. We are always looking for what feels fresh, but the goal is never to chase a trend simply because it is new.
Instead, we look for pieces that make sense for our clients: exceptional craftsmanship, beautiful fabrics, thoughtful construction, and clothing that feels relevant without losing its longevity.
Spring/Summer 2027 is no different.
Every appointment adds another piece to the puzzle. What colors are emerging? How is tailoring evolving? What will the modern luxury wardrobe look like next spring? And, most importantly, which pieces deserve a place at Garmany?
By the end of four days walking the showroom floor, there are plenty of notes, orders, conversations, and miles behind us.
And Then, There’s Chicago
A buying trip should never be all work.
Chicago happens to make that rule particularly easy to follow.
After a full day at the show, evenings are spent around the table with vendors, colleagues, and friends. These dinners are often some of the most memorable moments of the trip. The appointments may happen during the day, but over a great meal, the conversations continue.
And when you are in Chicago, you have to respect the classics.
That means finding time for a proper Chicago deep-dish pizza, preferably after convincing yourself that walking the showroom all day has earned it. Another favorite stop is Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, where a long day of buying is considerably easier to recover from over seafood, steak, and good conversation.
It is a demanding four days, but somehow Chicago always makes it worthwhile.
Tired, Inspired and Ready for Spring/Summer 2027
When the final appointment ends and the showroom floor begins to clear, there is a particular feeling that comes with finishing another buying season.
You are tired, certainly.
But you also leave reenergized and reinvented.
After months of travel, showrooms, appointments, conversations, and decisions, Chicago Collective gives us one final opportunity to step back and see the season as a whole. We return home with new ideas, stronger relationships, and a clear vision for what Spring/Summer 2027 at Garmany will look like.
That is ultimately what these buying trips are about.
Yes, we travel to find extraordinary clothing. But we also go to learn, to exchange ideas, to support the people behind the brands, and to continue refining the point of view our clients have trusted for generations.
Spring/Summer 2027 buying is officially wrapped.
Now comes the hard part: waiting for it all to arrive.
