Menswear retailers have been recovering over the last six years since the Covid pandemic, led by Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank owner Tailored Brands, which plans to open 20 stores by the end of 2026 and another 30 in 2027.
Tailored Brands had closed more than 400 stores when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2026, but the retail operator has changed course with expansion. Smaller chains such as Peter Manning New York plan to grow as well, despite filing for bankruptcy.
Men’s fashion apparel retail chain Peter Manning New York filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize its business as it faces a lawsuit filed by a supplier, alleging unpaid invoices.
The debtor operates its Peter Manning Fit Shops at 933 Broadway in New York’s Flatiron district and at 1413 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Washington, D.C. The men’s apparel chain plans to open a third location in Boston in September 2026, a customer service representative for the retailer told TheStreet.
Peter Manning New York also operates an e-commerce platform on its petermanningnyc.com website.
In addition to the New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston locations, Peter Manning LLC holds a lease on a warehouse at 4014 1st Ave., in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to the debtor’s petition.
Peter Manning files bankruptcy
The New York-based specialty men’s clothing chain filed its Subchapter V petition in the U.S. bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on Aug. 19, listing about $138,000 in assets and about $3.1 million in debts.
Peter Manning New York’s largest creditors include its landlord 933 Broadway LLC, owed over $783,000; vendor Kam Caine Hong Kong Ltd., owed over $276,000; Shopify, owed over $247,000; 19-20 Bush Terminal Owner LP, owed over $230,000; and Lever Style Ltd., the supplier that filed a lawsuit against the debtor, owed about $150,000.
Lever Style files lawsuit
Lever Style filed a complaint against Peter Manning New York and the company’s owner and CEO Jeff Hansen in June 2023, alleging that the retailer and Hansen owed the plaintiff more than $1.14 million in unpaid invoices.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is still pending.
Debtor issues personal guarantee
Lever Style manufactured and delivered Peter Manning apparel from May 2018 through September 2022, but the retailer began having difficulties making payments on invoices, according to the complaint. To convince the supplier to continue fulfilling purchase orders, the CEO issued a personal guarantee of delinquent balances and any future balances owed to Lever.
Peter Manning, on or around Feb. 22, 2023, stopped paying invoices related to its purchase orders, prompting Lever Style to demand payment of the outstanding balance from Hansen, according to the complaint.
The Peter Manning CEO allegedly refused to make payment in full on the outstanding balance, which resulted in Lever Style filing a breach of contract lawsuit demanding that Hansen pay the $1.14 million owed.
Offers its own clothes size system
The men’s apparel chain was founded in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2013, focusing on manufacturing high-quality clothes with a proper fit. Having difficulty finding an acceptable fit for typical small, medium, and large sizes, the company launched its own proprietary size system.
The size system consists of four sizes, ranging from Size 1: 5 feet, 1-inch and 105 to 120 pounds, to Size 4: 5 feet, 7-inches to 5 feet, 10 inches and 145 to 160 pounds.
The company also offers “broad cuts” from 2X: 5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 6 inches and 130 to 155 pounds, to 4XL: 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches and 180 to 205 pounds.
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