Fred Singer has spent most of his 53 years making a fashion statement in Edmonton and Calgary.

But Singer’s low-key persona belies the company’s reputation as a bold trendsetter.

The dapper, soft-spoken man behind Henry Singer Men’s Wear blushingly confesses that his boyhood dream was to play golf on the pro tour.

Jack Dagley, for Business Edge
Fred Singer believes business attire in Alberta has become a little too casual.

It is only when Singer is pressed about his golf game that the son of Henry Singer, the flamboyant founder of the company, confesses to having fashioned an astonishing seven holes-in-one in his spare time.

In his quiet, straight-shooting manner, Singer, the company president who was weaned on fashion in the 1950s when it seemed every man sported a suit and tie, has also scored some aces in the industry, having introduced the Hugo Boss brand to North America and being personally recognized recently as International Retailer of the Year by the International Association of Clothing Designers and Executives.

1. What are your memories of growing up in your father’s business?

“I grew up around a dinner table where business was talked about every night and, when I was younger, I hung around the store (Henry Singer Men’s Wear), doing odd jobs like collecting hangers and brushing hats. When I was old enough, probably 12 or 13 years of age, they let me sell.”

2. How were you influenced by your father and mentor (Henry Singer)?

“Well, he was a very dynamic fellow and he was always surrounded by the most interesting persons. He was a musician by background, a clothing person by profession and very involved in the community. On any day of the week, there were always very interesting people in the store. He was a mentor and a very a influential fellow.”

3. What’s the best advice your father gave you?

“Be myself.”

4. Do you think you’re cut from the same cloth as your father as a businessman?

“No, I think we’re quite different, in fact. He was very much a front-end person who loved being out in the limelight and loved the profile in the community. I think I always wanted to have influence in what I did. I wanted to be innovative in our business, bringing product in from Europe, changing the way people in our community looked at fashion and making our business more global. So my (style) was more product driven, whereas his was more personality driven.”

5. Was your father a fashion buff himself?

“He loved being well dressed, not that he was a dandy in any way. He didn’t have to be perfectly dressed, but he very much had his own style. It was, I would say, Ivy League. It was soft-shoulder clothing, grey flannel, navy-blue blazer and little houndstooth checks. It was what you might see today being brought back by some British designers. What I personally love is a great dark suit with a great shirt and tie, and I like a suit that I can wear with a great shirt and tie that is a dressy sportwear look.”

6. What made your father so successful in business?

“My father was always out in the community and always willing to do things for people. As a result, people supported him. He was the kind of person they wanted to associate with as well.”

7. So how’s business?

“Our business is very solid. We’ve run a profitable business for as long as I can remember. Our business, I think, is influential in the community in that we’re a fashion leader. We’re looked to for direction, we compete with some very good national and local retailers, and we seem to be able to stay more than competitive. We want to influence people in how they dress. We want to be seen as someone they can come to and consult over their image and their direction and their fashion viewpoint. And we want to be responsible for making Alberta a better-dressed business community.”

8. What can you do to influence men’s fashions in the province?

“We can continue to be progressive, to change and continue to lead. We can also continue to build relationships with our clients that are built on trust. You work closely with them to make sure that they’re getting good value from their clothing, that they’re feeling comfortable in their clothing and that they’re feeling proud of what they wear.”

9. Has casual wear, in your opinion, become too casual in Alberta?

“Yes. I think the pendulum has swung too far to the casual side. People are wearing things to work that are way too casual. Jeans and T-shirts were designed for wrestling with your kids in the backyard or riding a horse, but they weren’t meant for work, unless you work on a ranch or something. I think that even the people today who are dressing casual should dress better casual, and I think people who are dressed well casual are feeling a need to go to a slightly more formal clothing – back to suits, shirts and ties. How you dress depends on who your clients are, where you work, where you go all the time and who you surround yourself with.”

10. Can women teach us a thing or two about fashion?

“I think women are very influential in how men dress. But women dress better than men do. They read fashion, they study fashion and they groom themselves meticulously. Men don’t necessarily do that and should. I’m not saying men should wear makeup, but they should groom themselves well and be more image conscious. I’ve gone to some nice restaurants where people haven’t been very well dressed and I wonder why they went to a nice restaurant.”

11. Can you talk about the history of Henry Singer Men’s Wear and how it all began?

“My father was a musician who moved to Edmonton from New York in his mid-20s, and he needed to earn a living. So he started with a little made-to-measure franchise (with a $300 investment), and he was a founding member of the Edmonton Eskimos (football club). The Eskimos were born in the back of the store. My father and his friends got together and said: ‘Calgary’s got a football team, so we’ve got to have one.’ ”

12. Will the traditional fedora or hat ever make a fashion comeback?

“I think they’re impractical and men just don’t have time for things that are impractical anymore. They want simplicity.”

13. What years have been most prosperous and most challenging for your business?

“We were very good in the late ’70s, we were very strong from the mid-80s to the mid-90s and now we’re very strong again. The most challenging times were the early ’80s. It was a combination of my father passing away in 1980 and the NEP (the National Energy Program that was devastating to the oilpatch) in 1981. I must say I did not enjoy the early ’80s. My dad was a fantastic guy to be around, so when he passed away, a big piece of the fun went out of it for me. From a business standpoint, I was only 29 years old and everyone was probably saying: ‘Can he do it?’ And here we are 23 years later, and I guess the answer is: ‘Yes, he can.’”

14. What does being recognized personally as the International Retailer of the Year mean to you?

“I think it’s recognition out of Europe of a company that sells fine quality merchandise in what I’d call a small-franchise market. We’re no different than the Oilers or the Flames playing against the big markets (in the National Hockey League). Here we are in these little cities of Edmonton and Calgary, and on a global scale, selling the best men’s wear in the world, and doing it consistently and with a great deal of pride and dignity. The other part of the recognition is the quality of the individuals who have worked in this company all these years. We’ve consistently had great people (currently 80 employees).”

15. What’s hot this spring?

“Suits are really strong. There’s a real desire by people to dress up again. Suits and ties are driving our business, which is nice to see. I think people have neglected that part of their wardrobe for a while, and it’s time to catch up. I think there’s a pent-up demand for tailored clothing. They continue to buy nice sportswear, but there is a replenishment factor that is happening here that is important.”

16. What’s the best-dressed city you’ve been to?

“I love Milan, Italy. To me, it’s almost like the birthplace of fashion and quality fashion. They just have such an appreciation for colour and style and quality. It’s a wonderful city. Will we (Alberta) ever get there? I don’t think so. There, it’s thousands of years of breeding. I just don’t know.”

17. What’s the key to staying ahead of the fashion game?

“Staying young. Thinking young. Thinking one step ahead of the customer. Being a leader and nurturing the customer to move forward.”

18. What’s the most important lesson business has taught you?

“It’s about corporate values. You want to be consistent in the way you do your business with your customers, your people and the relationships you develop.”

19. What has it been like having your son Jordy join the company three weeks ago as director of fashion after working as sales manager for Hugo Boss in the United Kingdom?

“It’s great. I remember when I started with my father (in 1968), I sort of pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed, and we changed a little bit, and more and more we evolved to where we are. Now, I’m feeling pushed a little bit, and it’s nice. I get the sense we’re moving forward again. I thought we were moving forward, but perhaps that pace will be accelerated. Jordy has five years of international training (with Hugo Boss). I feel very fortunate that we’ve attracted him back to the company. He is well travelled and well educated, and he has chosen to come back to the Prairies. There are reasons he has done that.

"He likes the company, the people, the product, the cities and being close to the mountains. Absolutely, he is being groomed as my successor. To me, that’s very important. I cherish the years I worked for my father, because he was such a wonderful mentor and friend. I hope that in the next 10 or 15 years I’ll have the same luxury, being motivated by Jordy. I look forward to Jordy having his own way of doing things and seeing the company adapt the way it did in my time.”

20. How long would you want to remain president and CEO of the company?

“Five to 10 years, I would think. I’ll probably still remain as chairman. I’d like to see this business continue to be a fashion leader, I’d like to travel more and I’d like to see my kids blossom and move forward with their lives.”

IN PROFILE: Fred Singer

* Born/raised/age: Edmonton, 53.

* Title: President/CEO, Henry Singer Men's Wear.

* Family: Wife Jenny, sons Jordy (Henry Singer director of fashion) and Matt.

* Career: Singer has spent his entire career with Henry Singer Men's Wear, founded by his father Henry Singer in 1938. He began working full time for the company in 1968 and became president in 1977.

* Mentor: Henry Singer.

* Accolades: Singer recently was named International Retailer of the Year by the International Association of Clothing Designers and Executives.

* Claim to fame: Singer boasts seven holes-in-one in his pastime, golf.

THE COMPANY: Henry Singer Men's Wear

* Profile: Henry Singer is a privately owned men’s wear fashion retailer with three Alberta stores – in Manulife Place in downtown Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall and Bankers Hall in downtown Calgary. The company has 80 employees and is renowned as a fashion leader, having introduced the Hugo Boss brand to North America.

* Website: www.henrysinger.com

* Business Office: 165 Manulife Place, 10180 101st St., Edmonton, AB T5J 3S4.

* Phone/Fax: 780-420-0909, 780-425-5905.