New in Retail: High-end clothing shop opens in OTR

Victor Athletics, a clothing line that specializes in affordable, high-quality clothes made exclusively in U.S. factories, is opening at 1405 Republic St. in Over-the-Rhine on Nov. 21.

The clothing line was founded by husband-wife duo Chris and Abby Sutton, who also founded Noble Denim, a high-quality jean line.

The couple decided to start Victor Athletics for a couple of reasons. They wanted to provide more work to U.S. factories, but knew they couldn’t do that with Noble, since it is a limited-edition brand. Additionally, they wanted to produce a clothing line that was more affordable to average Americans.

“We want Victor to grow big,” said Abby Sutton, who grew up in Loveland. “We made Victor at a price point that’s accessible to people who couldn’t have it before.”

The Victor Athletics clothing line is made of all organic materials, an important clothing characteristic for the couple. Sutton said most people have embraced organic food, but that same buying pattern hasn’t translated to their shopping habits.

“The impact of organic clothes is bigger than that of food,” Abby Sutton said.

And yet most people don’t shop for organic-made clothes, Sutton said. She says that’s because most organic-made clothing is polarizing – made in only one clothing style that doesn’t appeal to everyone.

The couple decided to name the clothing Victor Athletics because they want the consumer and clothing factories to be powerful again – to be the victor.

“Back in the 1980s, 80 percent of our clothes were made in the U.S.,” Sutton said. “Now, we’re down to 2 percent. We want to reinvest in that manufacturing force. We want people to recognize how they buy their clothes. When you buy something at Old Navy for really cheap, there’s a price to that.”

The Suttons started Noble Denim in 2012, which is sold exclusively online and at Article, an Over-the-Rhine retailer. The couple always hoped to open a brick-and-mortar store, but they were waiting for the right time.

They decided to open the store in Over-the-Rhine for a number of reasons. The couple lives in the community and feels invested there. Also, the neighborhood is a place where a lot of creative expression is happening, Sutton said.

“There are different people who are taking risks creatively and opening businesses,” Sutton said.

Neither of the Suttons come from a business, retail or fashion design background; they were both theology majors in college. Sutton said that has given them the freedom to create a company they were passionate about, even if they did make mistakes now and again.

And, some of those mistakes have turned into blessings. When they first started forming the company, they gathered a big team – bigger than was necessary or would normally be advised, Sutton said.

“We were so motivated to be where we wanted to go that we gathered a big team for the size of what we were doing,” Sutton said. “We wanted to learn from people.”

And that’s exactly what ended up happening. The couple formed good mentorships.

Right now, the couple is putting the final touches in the Republic Street shop. They are looking forward to finishing up, interacting with customers and growing the company.

“We have a big fan base in Cincinnati,” Sutton said. “We haven’t been able to interact with them more directly, and now we can.”

Is your retail business opening or closing? Email me at eeaton@enquirer.com or tweet me at @emilieeaton.