Cam Newton's 'MADE' Clothing Line Debuts at Belk

Last fall, Belk announced its newly formed partnership with Cam Newton to produce a clothing line by the star Carolina Panthers quarterback. Now, MADE Cam Newton has officially arrived in stores. Belk, the exclusive seller of the line, describes it as:

"Modern fashion for the modern, Southern gentleman. Polished for the man who can put it all together. Designed for the man of action. Charismatic as the man who wears it. It's time to get MADE."

MADE offers an assortment of men's pants, shorts, shirts, T-shirts, suits, sportcoats, and ties. Cam is said to have worked closely with Belk's designers in crafting the line. You can tell he's a fan of close-fitting clothing. You don't have to have Cam's physique (we're mere mortals), but you pretty much have to be in shape or be somewhat slim to pull off wearing most of his pieces. (But then again, there are plans to launch MADE Big & Tall soon.) Personally, I like the suits.

 

Credit: pinterest.com/mybelk

The regular retail prices for the items are: complete suits, $500; suit separates, $80-$240; ties, $50; tees, $28-32; polo shirts, $40-45; long-sleeve woven shirts, $60-65; shorts, $50; pants, $60; and jackets, $120.

Charlotte-based Belk is the nation’s largest family-owned and operated department store chain with 301 stores located in 16 Southern states. MADE is being sold in 133 of those stores and at Belk.com.

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Meet Russell Simmons at Belk SouthPark this Saturday

Music and fashion mogul Russell Simmons is making a special appearance at Belk at SouthPark Mall (4400 Sharon Road) this Saturday, 2-4 p.m. to celebrate the launch of his Argyleculture collection at the Charlotte-based department store chain. Spend at least $100 on Argyleculture merchandise and you'll get in the VIP line and receive a photo with Russell. You can also register for a chance to win a $500 Argyleculture wardrobe.

Russell Simmons at a recent launch party for Argyleculture. Credit: facebook.com/ArgyleLife.

As the legendary co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Russell (@UncleRush) has now been involved in fashion for just about as long as he ran the storied record label. I started wearing Phat Farm in high school, and I'm sure you used to rock it too. Argyleculture, which was founded in 2007, represents his continued foray into more mature, sophisticated styles. He relaunched the brand this year with a new partner, fashion designer Joseph Abboud.

Argyleculture fall 2012 collection.

This is Russell's second stop in Charlotte in the last few weeks--he made a recent visit on behalf of President Obama's campaign.

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Cam Newton to Launch 'MADE' Clothing Line at Belk

Outside of Carolina Panthers home games, quarterback Cam Newton doesn't make too many public appearances in Charlotte. But he was all the talk this evening--and not about football--as he appeared at the Belk headquarters to announce the launch of his men's clothing line for spring 2013. Titled "MADE," the line will be sold exclusively at Belk, and today's launch event was complete with models, dancers, and an onstage chat with Cam.

Cam Newton has it MADE--modeling pieces from his spring collection. Credit: Belk, Inc.

It makes sense for Belk, the Charlotte-based chain that's the nation’s largest privately owned mainline department store company with 302 stores located in 16 Southern states, to want to partner with one of the NFL's biggest stars who's right here in their hometown. In a press release, Kathryn Bufano, president and merchandising officer for Belk, said, “Cam Newton personifies our company’s dedication to family, community and the Southern lifestyle, and therefore is a perfect complement to Belk’s modern Southern fashions.” As I've said repeatedly on this blog, Cam has quickly become one of the most marketable, highly endorsed athletes in all of sports.

But many people will question and criticize the timing of Cam's decision to launch a clothing line--plenty made such remarks on Twitter as word spread this evening--considering his lackluster play this season, which has the Panthers off to a 1-4 start. I'm sure this announcement was months in the works, and Cam wouldn't have anticipated his team playing so poorly come October--and him being scheduled to attend a fashion press conference, of all things, the day after a devastating home loss.

Cam joining Belk executives on stage at Monday's press conference. Credit: @ESPortillo.

But Cam would've been wiser to have waited a year before tackling an endeavor that gives critics the ammunition to say he's too concerned with being flashy and being a superstar--his Superman touchdown pose that was heralded during his rookie year, has come under scrutiny this season. If for nothing else, Cam should've gotten through his second season, proven that he wasn't going to have a sophomore slump, finish the season with a winning, or at least .500, record, and then do all of this clothing line business next fall.

But then again, why not strike while the iron is hot? I truly believe he's going to be a great player in this league for the next decade-plus, but if he does indeed suffer a full-on sophomore slump this season, there's no guarantee his name and likeness will be in such high demand a year from now.

Cool logo for MADE. Credit: Belk, Inc.

MADE, his clothing line, is described as "fashion-forward, versatile, professional apparel options for men." It's launching in spring 2013, and in fall 2013 it will expand to include accessories and shoes. Cam has proven himself to be a stylish dresser so I would expect high standards from a clothing line bearing his name.

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A Tale of Two Stories: Fight at Butler vs. East Meck Game Friday; Announcement of Project LIFT to Aid West Charlotte Monday

If you ever wanted to understand the complexities that make up the public school system today, just look at the two largest headlines coming out of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools right now. And perhaps the way in which we share these stories says more about us than the events.

On Friday night, a fight broke out at the Butler High School versus East Mecklenburg High School basketball game. Allegedly, two parents and their daughter attacked a school resource officer, who is paid to keep the peace at events such as this. A camera crew from WCNC NewsChannel 36 (Charlotte's NBC affiliate) was at the game recording footage for the night's sports coverage, and ended up getting the entire brawl on tape. The video, which is embedded below, has gone viral, popping up on websites and newscasts across the country for the last three days.

Fast forward to Monday morning, and a group of Charlotte business and philanthropic leaders, known as the CMS Investment Study Group, unveiled a five-year, $55 million plan to help improve performance at West Charlotte High School and the seven elementary and middle schools that feed into it. West Charlotte High has a 51 percent graduation rate. Repeat: Almost half of West Charlotte's students aren't graduating. Titled Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment For Transformation), this new effort will "focus on enhanced teacher and school leadership quality, more time spent on task (including extended day, out of school time, and pre-kindergarten programs), access to technology, and policy changes that will allow school leadership more freedom." A news video of the announcement is embedded below as well. Click here to read the press release announcing Project L.I.F.T.

It's a tale of two stories. One gave Charlotte a black eye. The other gave Charlotte one more reason to be admired by other cities. I wonder if Monday's story will spread like wild fire across the Internet like Friday's did. Probably not. Instead of people not wanting to look away from the train wreck, I hope the community will soon take seriously this collision course we're on with a future filled with large, uneducated segments of the population. Like the behavior in the fight video, it starts at home.

Hats off to the Charlotte corporations and foundations that have already made hefty pledges to Project L.I.F.T., totaling $40.5 million so far:

• Belk Foundation: $1 million
• Foundation For The Carolinas: $2 million
• Wells Fargo Foundation: $2.5 million
• Duke Energy Foundation: $5 million
• Bank of America Charitable Foundation: $10 million
• C.D. Spangler Foundation: $10 million
• The Leon Levine Foundation: $10 million

Click here if you would like to contribute to the cause.

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Recap: Charlotte Chamber 2010 Annual Meeting at NASCAR Hall of Fame

The Charlotte Chamber held its 2010 Annual Meeting last night at NASCAR Hall of Fame. I attended the event for the first time in 2008 (when Michael Jordan was honored), so I knew to look forward to a great evening. You wouldn't necessarily think that a business event such as this would be entertaining, but there's a reason 1,800 people showed up (at $75 a ticket). The Charlotte Chamber and the teams of creative people they hire to put on the event, once again gave a top-notch performance.

With the theme "Brand New Day," including an opening performance by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (I can still hear the catchy tune in my head), the annual meeting was a celebratory event after a worrisome last couple of years for people in all levels of business. The Chamber touted the number of companies it helped relocate to, expand, or open new offices in Charlotte during the past year, and the number of new jobs created as a result--4,400--reminding us of the big announcements that came in 2010 from Husqvarna, Electrolux, Siemens, Fifth/Third, and others.

And there was another big announcement, saved especially for the event. Shaw Power Group's CEO took the stage and announced that his company would be adding 225 jobs in Charlotte, 80 percent of those being engineering jobs with an average salary of $95,000. The audience was instructed to ring the little gold bells that were placed in our seats. The ringing of the bells was to mirror a practice that has become a tradition at the Chamber whenever a new business announcement is made.

The evening also featured the passing of the gavel from the 2010 Chamber chair, David Darnell of Bank of America, to 2011 chair Pat Rodgers of Rodgers Builders. Carolinas HealthCare System was given the Belk Innovation in Diversity Award. And Leon and Sandra Levine were honored with the Citizen of the Carolinas Award. As the founder of Family Dollar, Leon Levine has amassed a fortune, and he and his wife have given a lot of it away to charities, the arts, and education.

Perhaps the best thing about the program is that it only lasted an hour. So the crowd quickly got to the food. If you've ever been to the Annual Meeting, you know the food offerings are always spectacular. I was actually a little embarrassed as I walked through the crowd with a plate that looked like I didn't want to have to get up for seconds. Complimentary drinks made the cycle complete.

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Belk's New Slogan and TV Commercial Are Good for Charlotte

You're probably aware that Belk unveiled its new logo earlier this month. The Charlotte-based department store chain decided to update its image with a new logo, colors, and tagline as it kicks off a new branding campaign. It's seeking to enhance its image as it embarks on a $500 million investment over the next three years, focusing on improving e-commerce, remodeling stores, expanding shoe departments, and refocusing marketing to customers.

Belk seems to have done a better job with its new brand identity than GAP, which coincidentally was unveiled the same day as Belk's (only to be scrapped a week later). And even though we consumers don't care a whole lot about corporate branding strategies, we know what we like. And I like Belk's new TV commercial that I've seen running the last couple of weeks.

The 30-second TV ad showcases Belk's new tagline: "Modern. Southern. Style." And not only could that slogan be a good fit for Charlotte, the city is the backdrop for the commercial. If I had to describe Charlotte in a few words, modern and Southern would be two of them.

In the two YouTube videos below, the first is the 30-second TV commercial and the second is a behind-the-scenes look at how it was created. The catchy tune you here is "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris, but performed here by Joe Firstman. Firstman is a Charlotte native who rose to prominence as musical director for the house band on Last Call with Carson Daly.

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