Holdup Suspender Company fashion industry news articles and press releases.

Southfield company has added custom-made blue jeans to wear with popular X, Y-back men's suspender designs.

As soon as Ralph Goddard saw Holdup suspenders at a neighborhood hardware store about 10 years ago, he was certain he wanted a pair...."I bought some, and I knew as soon as I saw that nail in them, that they were going to be great. These suspenders don't come loose. I went back the next day and bought all the rest," the Brighton resident says.

Devotion like that doesn't surprise owner Sal Herman, whose Holdup Suspender Co. Inc. is based in Southfield. "Some of my customers like the product better than I do," Herman jokes. "If it's a suspender wearer and they see our suspenders, they go ga-ga."

A longtime suspender wearer himself, Herman was constantly battling suspenders that would slip when the auto pattern maker put tools in his pockets. Holdup co-owner and wife, Judee, says that in 1988, "He actually came home one day, complaining for the umpteenth time, and said, "I'm going to solve this problem." By that time, he had left the auto company and had opened up Industrial Paramedical Service, mobile hearing testing clinics to help companies comply with OSHA regulations.

Herman set out to "build a better mousetrap," and in 1990 he was granted the first patent that had been given to a suspender clip in more than 100 years. His "No-Slip Clip" has a thin needle that goes through the pants to securely fasten the clip without damaging the fabric.

Because he already had another business, Herman's initial plan was to sell his invention to somebody else. The Hermans went to an inventors show, and their handmade prototypes were ignored by almost everybody. Only one man, a suspenders fan, stopped by to say they'd buy the product if it ever came on the market.

It wasn't much encouragement, but it convinced the Hermans the trick would be getting the product to the end user -- the man who needed suspenders to hold up his pants, either because of his build or his lifestyle. Contractors and sportsmen, who tend to keep heavy gadgets in their pockets, are frequent Holdup clients.

They brought the product to market in 1996, and sales started off slowly -- very slowly. They had 25 orders the first year. Business has now mushroomed into $2 million in annual gross sales, with sales increasing about 20 percent a year. "It's a niche product. It's hard to convince buyers" for the big chain stores of the need, Herman says. The company has had success with smaller menswear, sporting and hardware stores, and Holdups can now be found in 2,300 places nationwide.

They also reach their customers with catalogs, mailing out 50,000 twice a year at Christmas and Father's Day. It also offers Sloops, bootcut or Straight leg jeans, designed just for suspender-wearers, and the new Hang-Up™, a suspender closet organizer.

Jodi Noding is a Metro Detroit freelance writer and photos by Wayne E. Smith / The Detroit News.. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703090341

NEWS: In October 2006 another US patent was granted to Holdup Suspender Company Inc for their line of men's suspenders. Our repeat customers asked for this unique feature... and Sal Herman listened. Holdup Suspenders founder will un-wrap on this new suspender patent here when manufacturing releases the final product to our marketing department. Til then ... the men's fashion accessory industry can only guess what this new innovation in suspenders deserved rewarding IT another patent.

Local spotlight merchant: Suspender market is holding up well as this Southfield company expects sales to hit $1.5 million in '04

SOUTHFIELD — Huey Lewis sang “It’s hip to be square.” Sal Herman’s has taken a square product, suspenders, and found a niche market of people who don’t have the hips to wear belts and made it into a real fashion statement.

“I was a suspender wearer and suspenders have a tendency to slip because of metal fatigue, especially when you bend over” he said. “I came up with a better mousetrap.” Herman started tinkering with suspender clips in the 1990s. He created a new design, patented his clip, which is guaranteed not to slip, slide or pop off, and opened the Holdup Suspender Co. He initially started selling suspenders to consumers through mail order. Then Herman started offering a wide variety of suspenders to retailers, and more than 2,000 now carry the product.

“Hardware stores carry the work suspenders, sporting goods stores carry the camouflage ones and tuxedo stores carry the dress ones,” Herman said. “These are not large department-type stores. These are, for the most part, owner-operator stores. The Kmarts and Wal-Marts won’t touch this. They tend to lean toward the lower-priced product.”

Herman’s suspenders, available on the Internet, too, typically sell for between $20 and $40, much more than the discount-store varieties that sell for $10 or less. But even at those prices, Herman expects sales to reach $1.5 million this year. “I started carrying them since I saw the line,” said Stewart Shifman, owner of Stewart’s Menswear in Waterford Township. “They answered a problem in the market.” Customers appreciate the guarantee, knowing that if the snaps break, they will be repaired, he said.

“I sell at least a dozen a month to all age groups,” he said. “People who have lost weight buy them. That’s a new market for suspenders. Also, guys who buy a sport coat or a suit want a little flair to go with them love the snap on new fashion look. We carry other brands, but we always push Holdups. They just work as advertised.”

Herman has high expectations for a new line of jeans, called Sloops, designed to fit the typical suspender-wearer, someone with no hips and no rear end. “Companies that make pants never address these guys. When I buy pants, I end up with a big tent in the back,” he said. “These pants have no belt loops, relaxed front and a tighter seat. If you do have hips, these won’t fit you.” and you should order 1" inch wider in the waist size to get a perfect fit. At $50 a pair, the new pants will complement the suspender line, but Herman doesn’t expect teenagers and young adults with their penchant for baggy pants that hang low to buy Sloops or suspenders. “That’s their style,” he said.

Herman started tinkering with suspender clips in the 1990s. He created a new design and patented his clip, which is guaranteed not to slip, slide or pop off your pants.

Checkout our new patented HangUp™ hardwood and brass suspender hangers and organize your suspender collection today. Our patented product lines are making the men's fashion industry news!

SOUTHFIELD - Sal Herman has been an entrepreneur since 1975 but had a problem with his wardrobe.

His suspenders always slipped as the conventional pressure clasps just wouldn't stay put .

Sal loves wearing his sloops jeans and Double-Ups suspenders to work everyday

Sal Herman created the HoldUp Suspender Co. eight years ago. -The Daily Oakland Press / GARY MALERBA

Name: HoldUp Suspender Co.
Business: Suspenders and menswear

Owner: Sal Herman

Address: 21421 Hilltop Suite 16, Southfield

Phone: (800) 700-4515

Web site: www.suspenders.com

Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

So, more than 10 years ago, he invented and Patented the No-Slip Suspender Clip and in 1996 opened the HoldUp Suspender Co.

He never intended to get into menswear but "just happened to wear suspenders that didn't work," he said. "I wasn't really in that industry (the clothing industry)," he said. "So I was new into all of it."

In the early 1990s, he built several prototypes for the No-Slip Clip, which features a center pin that pierces the fabric and locks the waistband without damaging the pants. It carries a lifetime guarantee.

It took him six years to develop the idea into a commercial product, after working to find USA manufacturers and top quality materials for his line of men's suspenders.

Herman continued developing ideas for suspender wearers like himself. His next invention was the Double-Up, which provides for more stylish suspender-wear. He said it's a very hot product now, bringing in about 25 percent of the company's sales.

"Suspenders don't have a good look when it comes to aesthetics," he said.

According to Sal Herman the new Double-Up line looks like a button-on brace, but uses his dual no-slip suspender clips. He said it provides a much dressier and classier look than normal suspenders without the hassles of sewing on pant/suspender buttons.

His third invention, Sloops, are jeans specially made for the typical suspender wearer. Herman said he and many other suspender wearers do not have hips that hold up their pants. Because of their lack of hips, they don't fill out standard jeans and tightly cinched belts are of no real help.

"Nobody ever made pants that are directed to this physique." He said Sloops are not for everyone, but they are selling very well. Sloops do not have belt loops and have a higher waistband, a relaxed front and a tighter seat. He recommends all customers order Sloops Jeans 1" more then their normal jean waste size to really enjoy the comfort of wearing these jeans with suspenders. In distributing these inventions, HoldUp Suspender Co. does not have its own storefront, but has products in more than 2,100 stores across the country and in their online shop since 1997.

The company is housed in an office in Southfield, which is also the home of Herman's other business of Mobile hearing test labs for industrial manufacturing plants . The company's suspenders are stored in a warehouse in the back of the office complex. "It's grown tremendously ... and growing," he said. HoldUp Suspender Co. started as a mail-order company, marketing to only individual customers. Herman said that two years later, in 1998, he started working to get his products in stores. Now, products are also sold online at www.suspenders.com. The company doesn't sell through big chains, said Herman. HoldUp's prices are on the expensive side because it offers premium quality materials in all their suspender products. Herman said he would like his company to continue growing. Around Christmas, he intends to start selling silk Double-Up suspenders, as well as black Sloops jeans, along with our 180 styles and colors of suspenders.

Holdup Suspenders in the News! click to enlarge articles

‘We made a better mousetrap. . .now we’re in about 2,000 stores.’
Sal Herman co-founder, Hold-Up Suspenders

Herman, along with his wife, Judee, started the Southfield-based Hold-Up Suspender Company with a simple concept: They added a tiny needle to the inside of the traditional suspender clip, which pierces the fabric to keep the suspenders in place. “We made a better mousetrap,” said Herman. “We’ve been making them ever since and now we’re in about 2,000 stores.”
Business has been growing very slowly, because of the small market niche that Herman has to work with. “I just happen to be a person who wears suspenders every day. I need them to keep my pants up. But it’s not a fashion statement today. It was maybe 20 years ago. It’s possible it will be again. Hollywood has a lot to do with it. They became very popular after the movie Wall Street.” Herman attended his first trade show in Pennsylvania in 1990. It took him six more years to patent his product and find a manufacturer in the U.S. to produce them. “Everything is made overseas but it was really important to us to have our product made in the U.S. It took us a long time to find someone who would make it to our exacting specifications,” said Judee Herman. “Our goal is to make every man a suspender- wearer.” Countless hours of phone calls, networking and
research went into the business in the beginning. So many, in fact, that Herman said only a self-employed businessman could make it work. The Internet sure adds to our reach.

“If I worked a regular 9-to- 5 job, I would never have been able to do it. It took a few years, but now it’s profitable.” To avoid the heavy marketing costs, they have taken a “grass-roots” approach to reach their small market, said Herman. Their marketing efforts include selling Hold-Ups through catalogs and the Internet and advertising in magazines geared toward seniors, like American Legion and the Elks Club. Their newest product is a dress suspender called Double-Ups, and is marketed to a younger, professional crowd. The Hermans want their suspenders to not only be utilitarian but also fashionable. “Smart fashion with the snap of a clip,” is the new product’s slogan, said Judee, who serves as advertising director and marketing advisor.

The West Bloomfield couple has always worked together, and Judee said she calls her husband, “My Suspender King.” Sal’s advice for an entrepreneur who thinks they have a good invention? “Don’t give up. If they have a feeling for it, and if there’s enough time, they’ll make it.”

Ergonomic Benefits of Suspenders: Posture’s Unsung Hero Posture is the body’s natural balancing act. Without good posture, various health problems can occur. Self-image also can suffer, since good posture makes a person stand taller and look more confident. Some people do not realize that suspenders, which were the primary method of holding up pants until the early 1900s, have the added benefit of improving posture. We use our muscles reflexively to
balance ourselves when we sit, stand, sleep or work. Our bodies would fall forward without muscles pulling us back. When your body is balanced, it is self-supporting and requires very little help from your back muscles.

Taking strain off of your back can help to avoid many injuries. This can become especially important in certain types of jobs or activities. With correct posture, your internal organs have room to function normally, and blood circulates freely to create the best total fitness. Wearing suspenders contributes to better posture by applying pressure on the shoulders, stimulating the brain and the body to straighten and balance itself front to back, in much the same way that balancing a book on your head stimulates the body to straighten and balance itself in all directions.

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Suspenders carry lifetime guarantee
Company launches new jumbo clip line of heavy-duty suspenders

"Problems keeping your pants up? Try Sloops, a loopless five-pocket jean designed to fit the physique of the typical suspender wearer: no rear end or hips. The $49.95 jeans have no belt loops, a high waistband, relaxed front and tighter seat, and are worn with suspenders. To buy online or at a store, go to www.suspenders.com or call (800) 700-4515. "

Holdup Suspender Company presents the Double-Ups™ Designer Series in all the above patterns featuring the traditional "button-on" look wiht the convience of our improved patented no-slip suspender clip.

Take a closeup look at our Double-UPs Collage pattern suspenders

Click here to see the Collage Pattern in our new Double-Ups suspenders

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Holdup Suspenders in the News! click to enlarge articles