Beyond just suits, Benjamin Barker sells the concept of communities
'The underlying thing is, men bond together with interest groups. Like soccer, all the guys get together, so that's where you see communities like that (come) together,' said Nelson Yap, the founder and chief executive officer of Benjamin Barker.
Such interests – music, sports and cars – are the inspiration behind the collections in the Benjamin Barker Recreational Club (BBRC) series, launched at the end of 2023. These offer sports-inspired menswear, with more breathable and lightweight pieces.
This is a further development from the brand's Covid-era diversification, when pandemic curbs meant a rise in working from home – and thus for casual wear rather than suits.
In 2020, Benjamin Barker launched a casual range of 'elevated essentials' that were still fitted, but were 'understated and subtle' with no logos or loud prints. The focus was on comfort, a good fit and sustainable production.
At first, the casual range contributed about 20 per cent of the group's revenue in Singapore, with the rest coming from formal wear. Now, the casual line contributes around half of the group's revenue.
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Post-pandemic, the company began offering seasonal, capsule collections of curated pieces, with the first two centred on records and vinyls – named BB Record Club – and running, with the BB Running Club collection.
The plan is to release a new capsule collection every two seasons – that is, every half a year. Subsequent collections will include BB Racing Club and BB Racket Club.
The clothing lines in these collections are inspired by their respective themes. For instance, BB Running Club will feature socks and bandannas, while BB Racing Club will have racing jackets.
Yap said that the BBRC collections are driven by 'nowness' – what the team views as cool and contemporary.
'I think the key is: 'What are men looking for?'' he said. 'We always go back to that as our No 1 principle.'
Telling stories
Complementing BBRC is a series of features on designers, tailors and manufacturers in the fashion industry, around the central theme of 'what drives men'.
These individuals hail from around the world, from past brand partners to acquaintances Yap has met in Benjamin Barker's 'trunk shows', where it invites designers from other countries to offer custom services to its customers.
So far, the series has showcased the stories of Nathan Hellard, who owns the French linen brand Maison Hellard, and Yuki Igarashi, owner of Japanese formal menswear brand Lecteur.
'What I love is to explore what drives men,' said Yap. 'What drives them to do what they do, behind what people see.'
Their journeys in the fashion industry are chronicled in blog posts and short video documentaries – shot by Yap himself, with a small team – in which they don Benjamin Barker clothing.
The documentaries are released in line with BBRC collections.
Apart from showcasing the passion of each subject, the documentaries also give Yap the opportunity to revisit his own lifelong passion for film-making – something on which he pressed pause while building up his brand.
Back in university, he was a film student in Australia.
'I like to evoke emotions using visuals,' he said. The reason why he wants to tell these stories today is to inspire men, and tell them to pursue their passion.
With future plans for features filmed in Italy and South Korea, Yap hopes that these stories reach a global market.
'We want to build our brand overseas,' he said. 'We have built the foundation in Singapore. We feel like it is stable and strong enough.'
The brand has 15 stores islandwide, which Yap considers a 'sweet spot'. The number of outlets has not reached saturation, so sales are not compromised.
From 2022 to 2023, the group's total revenue doubled as it opened seven more stores throughout Singapore during the pandemic, giving Benjamin Barker more opportunities to foray into foreign markets.
Going overseas
Now, the group's main focus is on expanding overseas. It has 12 outlets spread across Australia, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, with two more outlets opening in Malaysia this year.
Apart from in Malaysia, all its overseas outlets are franchises. Usually, Benjamin Barker receives requests from overseas franchise managers to set up shop there – though not all requests are accepted.
'Our company is very lean, so we really have to focus on where we make the biggest impact,' said Yap.
Though the brand offers a mix of formal suits and casual wear in Singapore and Malaysia, the other overseas franchises focus more on formal wear, due to demand in those markets.
At the end of 2025, Benjamin Barker is heading to East Asia, expanding its catalogue to include autumn and winter collections for the northern climate.
This is a first for the brand, which has been focusing on breathable pieces for the warmer South-east Asian climate.
By 2026, Benjamin Barker is set to have more stores overseas than in Singapore. Yap hopes that the overseas expansion spurs the group's revenue to grow by 5 to 10 per cent by the end of 2026.
Expanding Singapore's catalogue
Meanwhile, the brand is working on expanding its catalogue for local stores.
At the end of 2024, Benjamin Barker acquired Sacco, a jacket brand that focuses mainly on lightweight travel jackets for the summer season, made from a special Italian fabric.
Yap sees Sacco as being aligned with Benjamin Barker in terms of menswear, with well-fitted classic pieces that are rooted in comfort.
Separately, Benjamin Barker is collaborating with a South Korean illustrator to produce Ivy Boys – a casual graphic T-shirt collection that is illustration-based, and inspired by the Ivy League style. Collections from both collaborations are set to be released this year.
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