Joseph Abboud stepped out of his office dressed in a winter white cabled sweater and wide-wale corduroys. Oak brown shoes and a belt acted as accents. He smiled easily as he donned a lush winter white shearling coat. It was a vision that was enough to make any connoisseur of the well-dressed drool. The textures and fabrics of his dress were so intricate, but its monochromatic nature gave it an air of simplicity.

That is what he does best: Combining texture and color for menswear that is wearable, beautiful, and well-made. And that is why the Joseph Abboud apparel company has seen tremendous success since its launch 10 years ago. After succeeding with menswear, Abboud went on to launch a women's collection, men's footwear and hosiery, men's coats and belts, a fur and shearling line for men and women, fragrances, watches, and an "environments" collection of bed and bath products.

This month, Joseph Abboud also launches a new eyewear collection with Philadelphia-based Ambassador Eyewear. This collection reflects all the elements that have made his clothing and accessories lines so appealing to his core target demographic of men aged 35 to 55. "The clothing is all about texture," says Abboud. "And there are a lot of textures in the eyewear line. We have coordinated it with the groups we have in apparel and feature a lot of very warm matte finishes of bronzes, coppers, olives, and grey."

A MAN'S WORLD

The Joseph Abboud eyewear line, launched at Vision Expo East, will be initially targeted to men. "It is one of the few true men's lines out there," Ken Kitnick, executive vice president of Ambassador, says of Abboud's clothing line. "It is very upscale, very targeted, and the distribution channels are very pure. It is a very prestigious brand and we felt it would really complement our other frame collections." Ambassador also distributes the Kenneth Jay Lane, Nintendo, Oscar de la Renta, and Davinci, Landolfi, Phoenix, John Lennon, Halston, Sarah Coventry, and Kathy Ireland lines.

The Abboud eyewear collection includes 10 ophthalmic styles and 14 sunwear styles priced from $49.95 to $69.95 cost and will be manufactured in Italy and Japan. Point-of purchase materials echo the textural aspects of the clothing line and include a display box with stone and wood accents. A Joseph Abboud women's eyewear collection is planned for the future.

The initial collection features masculine styles that are a little heavier and bigger, says Kitnick. "It's for the customer who wants to make a statement but not be too bold," he says. Kitnick adds that Ambassador worked closely with the Abboud designers on the collection. And this shows through in the collection's textural, "organic" feel. Materials include titanium, stainless steel, and zyl--some accented with wood-look temples.

CREATING CLOTHES

Boston-born Abboud launched his company in 1987 and two years later he joined forces with GFT USA Corp. to form J.A. Apparel Corporation. Today, the company plans to focus on opening free-standing stores.

More than 10 years after the company's inception, Abboud says he is really focused on keeping the brand young. "The life flow of a brand is so important... keeping our awareness of the brand through the generations."

Certainly, Abboud will always continue his tradition of fine quality, beautiful fabrics and colors and unique and interesting textures. That is what keeps customers coming back. "Joseph Abboud has a very strong reputation among a core group of customers," says Kitnick. "It is known as a quality brand."  FB