Bahama Papas

If life is a beach, you can bet that Tommy Bahama is there. Toes in the sand. Swaying palm tree-printed shirt blowing in the breeze, undressing his sunbaked torso, revealing roller coaster biceps.

That’s our hunky Bahama man, our Kahuna of khaki, our isle style swami in silk.

Maybe you’ve seen his comfy clothes: deck shorts, double-pleated plantation pants, polo and camp shirts in subdued solids, others with tropical flower power starbursts and vintage-inspired island prints--all in muted motifs, all in soft, draping, relaxed fabrics that feel like favorite clothes worn over and over.

For sure, the chic paradise sportswear is as fashionable as anything by Giorgio Armani.

But unlike Armani, Tommy Bahama--the man--is a fictional fantasy island beach boy. He doesn’t exist--except in your head, which is fine by his creators. But his duds are very real--classy clothes that are bringing sophistication to traditional in-your-face Hawaiian shirts.

The guava guy is the mythical creation of Tony Margolis, Lucio Dalla Gasperina and Bob Emfield, friends who, like Bahama, always dreamed of getting away from the high stress, fast-paced business world, if just for an afternoon to stylishly lounge under a coconut tree sipping mango martinis.

Aloha, Mr. B.

The three--all with previous fashion industry experience--came up with the hugely successful Bahama concept not on some island paradise but in the Midwest--Minneapolis to be exact, home to Emfield, who whipped up the Tommy Bahama name.

In Everyman, there is a bit of Bahama, say his creators, friends who founded the private company in 1992. The menswear line, designed by a team in Seattle and manufactured in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, is sold at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and in resort, hotel and pro shops.

“It’s all about the Tommy Bahama lifestyle,� says Margolis, 56, the company’s president and spokesman. Gasperina, 42, is design director, and Emfield, 57, handles marketing. The three can relate to the casual Bahama way of dressing, which is why they started the company in the first place.

An Idea Born on a Florida Beach

The whole Tommy Bahama thing started with Margolis and Emfield vacationing with their families on the beach in Florida in the late 1970s when they both worked for Britannia as sales reps.

“We’d be looking at each other during the last couple of days before going back to work and say, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to take some of this back with us to the job?’ �

With Gasperina, formerly of the apparel company Union Bay, they did, and created a company with annual sales of about $100 million, according to Margolis.

“When we started the company, obviously we began as a men’s apparel firm because that was our background,� says Margolis, a principal in Generra, another menswear line, before he and his partners escaped into Bahamaland seven years ago.

Since then the company has branched out. Recently, it introduced a women’s sportswear line taking its cues from the oversized, draping elements found in the men’s line. This spring and summer, an array of accessories from ties to belts to footwear are being offered as well as a variety of home furnishings such as hula girl lamps, coconut-scented candles and bamboo picture frames.

A new retail-only shop opened this spring in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Add to that four Tommy Bahama “compounds� or full-scale shops equipped with full-scale Tropical Cafe restaurants that reflect the company’s casual island lifestyle. (They serve two Tommy Bahama beers and island dishes.)

The first one opened in Naples, Fla., in 1996 and proved to be the company’s biggest breakthrough. More than 250,000 diners visited the compound--and also shopped. That same year, Kevin Costner golfed on the silver screen in “Tin Cup� swinging clubs in Tommy Bahama silk ensembles.

“We got a lot of press with that,� Margolis says, adding that since then many other celebs--and customers--have caught the Bahama fever, especially with the line of washable silk pants that only get better with each washing.

The two newest compounds were opened late last year in California--Palm Desert and Newport Beach. More are being planned for Florida, Arizona and-- natch--Hawaii.

“But the idea really was to just invent this Tommy Bahama character and flesh out his lifestyle,� Margolis says. “What does he eat? Who does he date? What kind of a car does he drive?�

And, of course, what does he wear?

To get that answer, Margolis and his pals shared their Tommy Bahama idea and philosophy with friends and co-workers and came up with a marketing version of His Bahama-ness in model Andy Lucchesi--�not too young, not too old, virile, adventurous, sexy,� Margolis says.

“In our minds, Tommy made these trips to all these wonderful islands and would return home with great stuff made by island women,� says Margolis, who wears Bahama shirts, pants, shoes--the works--every day. “And all of Tommy’s friends wanted to wear the clothes too.�

The Bahama concept, he says “is a joint vision� shared by his partners.

“When you strive for something and you succeed, there’s nothing more bonding,� Margolis says. “I consider these guys my dearest friends.

“We all have our area of expertise. We certainly allow each other into our world whenever they choose to enter it, but we’re not in each other’s face every day,� he says, adding that’s the beauty of each guy working in different cities: Margolis in New York, Gasperina in Seattle and Emfield in Minneapolis.

“We talk on the phone six, seven, eight times a day, but you know we can hang up and go about our business,� which keeps their friendship and business healthy, Margolis says.

Clothes That Speak

to Younger Boomers

The Bahama customers cover a broad demographic spectrum, but Margolis says the younger baby boomers, 35- to 45-year-old-guys, “have challenged some of the fashion trends and mores of the older group, the 45- to 65-year-olds.�

The younger boomers, he says, “are the ones who have said, ‘You know what? You don’t have to follow the rules. You can go to the club in a pair of shorts and a nice soft-collared shirt. You don’t have to wear an ascot. You don’t have to be formal to be in good taste.’

“It’s that challenge that has caught on with the older [baby boomer] group, and so there’s a much more relaxed philosophy about life now and about how a guy should dress.�

Margolis says Ralph Lauren’s Polo line is a perfect example of a company that “has stayed true to its vision of what the good life is.�

And while Polo has a strong following because of the lifestyle it sells, Margolis is the first to point out that there’s another guy out there with his feet in the sand “who loves to just relax a little bit more.�

And he’s going to talk to that guy in every way he can, whether it’s with a tropical shirt or a tropical tasty Mama Bahama Chicken Sandwich (char-grilled jerk chicken breast with honey-roasted onions and Monterey jack cheese) offered on the cafe’s menu.

“We believe that what we’re doing is certainly the trend in the apparel industry today: roomy, comfortable clothes that feel like they’ve been washed about 50 times. Not ugly American tourist shirts.�

That’s the Tommy Bahama philosophy behind the look behind the mantra: “Life is one long weekend.�

“All of us have a fantasy escape and a fantasy world, a place where it would be much nicer to be than in the office when the pressures of the day have been too much to handle. And Tommy Bahama is the guy that lives that life every day.�

Michael Quintanilla can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].