Hugh & Crye (H & C), the Georgetown-based menswear shop, will expand in 2014. Company founder and CEO Pranav Vora is hiring four additional employees and is looking to expand into a second location sometime this year.
"Our current space is 1,500 square feet, and we've outgrown it," Vora explains. "We're looking for 5,000 to 6,000 square feet. The sorts of places we see are either complete shells or former law offices." Either option, he says, would need a lot of capital and work upfront—something the growing retailer would like to avoid if possible.
When he launched the business in 2009 with cofounder Philip Soriano, Vora made off-the-rack menswear sizing a thing of the past for its customers. Instead of figuring out if he is small, medium or large, or wrangling with a measuring tape to get a neck or sleeve measurement, a visitor to H & C enters his height into an
fit finder and then selects one of four torso builds that most resembles his own: skinny, slim, athletic or broad. He is then given his H & C size and can shop for dress shirts and blazers.
Vora says more product lines are scheduled to launch in 2014 but he won't give details about them yet. "Each product should be unique and have its own story," he says. The products will, however, be menswear. "I get asked all the time about creating womenswear. I wouldn't have a clue where to start."
With new product lines and new digs in the works, H & C could definitely use some more hands on deck. "We've made a few hires, and we're
actively hiring now," Vora says. "We hope to get to 10 employees by the end of February. We're looking for digital marketers, content marketers, a social media manager and customer experience associate."
As for his own role with the company, Vora's vision is clear. "I've been incredibly hands on," he explains. "I'd like to pull away and steer the business a little bit more [in 2014]."