The crowd was loud and the vibe was good as people crammed into the new Municipal store in West Hollywood, showcasing the performance-wear brand co-founded by Mark Wahlberg and colleagues nearly four years ago.
Everyone was eager to talk to Wahlberg, the consummate entrepreneur and eternally muscular actor who still gets up at 3:45 a.m. to work out and lives near a golf course outside Las Vegas where he plays regularly.
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Sitting nearby was Harry Arnett, one of Municipal’s co-founders and CEO of the brand, who can use his many years of experience in apparel and golf equipment to move the brand forward.
This is the label’s first permanent store after Municipal, a seven-month pop-up store that opened at Hudson Yards in New York City last November.
The new location at 8609 Melrose Avenue is filled with men’s activewear that can also double as casual wear for a day at the office or informal social occasions. Decorated with white walls and black fixtures, the 1,000-square-foot location features a small olive tree in the center, with a golf bag sitting next to it – a preview of the golf equipment the company will offer later this year.
Performance clothing is just one component of the label, which was founded nearly four years ago to design sportswear for many occasions. Another aspect, launched in April and of paramount importance, is golf clothing. Golf is what brought Wahlberg and Arnett together. The two first met 15 years ago on a golf course in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad, California, where Arnett was working for a golf equipment and apparel company.
A few years later, the two began talking about starting their own brand. “I had worked with Nike and Adidas in the past, but I always wanted to start my own brand,” said Wahlberg, wearing a white short-sleeve Municipal Ringer T-shirt and dark shorts. “I talked to several people about it and then I got in touch with Harry.”
After a brainstorming session in 2019, the brand was born. But development soon came to a halt when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020 and the company’s financing fell through. Fortunately, further financing was found and in July 2020, Municipal was back on the ground with its sports and functional clothing. “We wanted to not only make the best products in the world, but also make it possible for people to afford them,” said Arnett, who worked for Topgolf Callaway Brands for several years.
That meant high-quality fabrics at affordable prices ranging from $30 to $180. Clothing styles include T-shirts, tank tops, polos and sweatshirts, as well as underwear, pants, shorts and outerwear. Two years ago, when Wahlberg bought part of StreetTrend LLC, a global branding company focused on footwear, he suggested Municipal introduce athletic shoes. “I said, ‘Guess what? We’re in the shoe business,'” Wahlberg recalled telling his colleagues.
Last year, Municipal launched Origin, a sneaker that costs $180 and features its own comfort technology. This year, it released the Origin Slider for $89. Later this year, Origin will introduce a sneaker line extension and an all-terrain running shoe.
And there are more developments in the pipeline. Grooming products will be launched this fall, including a line of shaving cream, aftershave, moisturizer, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and hand lotion. A women’s clothing line has been launched, and golf bags will be launched soon. Eyewear will be introduced in early 2025.
In retail, expansion plans are big. Arnett believes brick-and-mortar retail is the way to grow the brand. “It’s very important for us to have a place where people can see the brand in its entirety,” he said. “It’s about the experience of touching the brand, feeling it and living in the context of the brand.”
A big move in retail will be a 6,000-square-foot concept store in Carlsbad that will open in August and feature a cafe, hair salon and community lounge for locals. About 10 more stores are expected to open in key markets over the next two to three years. Larger concept stores like the one in Carlsbad are expected to open in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Boston and New York.
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