Alex Mill, the cult-favorite men’s and women’s fashion brand, founded by Alex Drexler in 2012, has opened a pop-up in East Hampton, which will be open through September. The son of retail legend Mickey Drexler, Alex and his partner, creative director Somsack Sikhounmuong (J. Crew) initially found success with men’s shirting before the brand expanded to include complete men’s and women’s offerings. “We all multi-task and we’re all in the office together,” says Mickey Drexler, the brand’s chairman. “I don’t need the old loudspeaker I had at J. Crew to talk to people. There’s less people to call on and here, I am touching everything. It gives everyone a bigger sense of responsibility,” he says of working on the brand’s small team. So how is it working on a brand with your son when you’re an icon in the fashion and retail industry? “There’s an adjustment period working with family,” he explains. “We work at it hard. You’re a father but you’re also a business partner. You need to establish a successful, viable business for the team to hone their skills, values and worth. It’s takes extra special work.”
The Hamptons is the brand’s first location outside New York City (SoHo and the Upper East Side). “We looked at several places around America and East Hampton won by far,” says Alex Drexler. “It’s a great demographic who loves fashion.” The store features white-washed walls and raw muslin tenting, natural floor coverings and raw wood fixtures that will make the space feel like an extension of the beach. Men’s and women’s clothing and accessories are on offer as are one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.
Alex Mill’s East Hampton store
We spoke with Alex Drexler about the brand, the new store and what’s to come.
Twelve years later, what has been the secret to your success?
Since the beginning we’ve always stayed focus and consistent in what we believe in. For example, one of our mottos is “Wake up. Get dressed. Don’t overthink it.” We want to make it effortless for our customer and we’ve tried to stay true to this motto since the beginning. However, it’s important not to stay static so we’re constantly working to evolve as we grow.
How has the brand evolved?
Alex Mill started in 2012 as a men’s shirt brand. We had a small store on Elizabeth Street and did some wholesale. Since then, we’ve evolved a tremendous amount. We now have a full men’s and women’s collection and accessories. We also recently launched denim.
Is brick and mortar retail important to the brand?
Brick-and-mortar is a critical place for us to interact with our customers. The customer can look at and touch the product firsthand and speak with our team in the store. What’s great is we can receive immediate feedback on the collection and new offerings. We always love to hear what the customer thinks and wants so it’s great in that sense. We started the company with one small store on Elizabeth Street. Today, we have two stores in Manhattan (SoHo and the Upper East Side) and one in East Hampton. We’re excited to continue to open stores and grow.
Alex Mill’s East Hampton store
You hosted a pop-up at SoulCycle‘s Barn earlier this summer. What’s special about this new location?
The Soul Cycle pop-up was a huge success and it validated to us the demand we had in the Hamptons for our product. We found a great location in East Hampton, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity when we learned the space was available.
How do the three of you divide the responsibilities of running this company?
Alex Mill is small company, and we all work in one office together. We all get to multitask and wear many different hats, which is great.
What categories can we expect next?
We launched denim in the Spring with a focused assortment and it was a big success. We are continuing to build out our denim business, as well as our accessories. We’re excited for what’s to come.