Adventure and Luxe Fashion in The Village
Robert Comstock announces the launch of his first and only upscale men’s fashion store, now open in The Village. Featured inventory includes merchandise from the Fall 2015 Robert
Comstock Signature and Comstock & Co. Collections, designed exclusively by the national and
international fashion award-winning Idaho native. Comstock’s luxurious Signature Collection comprises
uniquely finished fabric, leather, and shearling sportswear and outerwear, sourced in Italy and Spain and
from first to last stitch, made in Italy—much of it by hand. Highlights include gorgeous 100% cashmere
knits and sweaters, elegant baby alpaca blazers, supple and butter-soft Italian goat suede and glove
lamb blousons, and featherweight merino and entrefino shearlings from the oldest tannery in the world.
Comstock and Co. is Comstock’s mid-level leather and woven cloth outerwear collection, retailed in
Nordstrom and other fine men’s specialty stores.
For Robert Comstock, who lives in New York City and maintains a showroom in the heart of Manhattan,
the new Village store is a kind of full-circle homecoming. A celebrated adventure-traveler, whose
exploits include expeditions in Papua, New Guinea; Madagascar; Outer Mongolia’s peaks and Gobi
Desert; and Greenland and whose fashion sourcing journeys have taken him to well- and little-known
corners of the globe, Idaho is home, haven, and respite. Born in Pocatello, this 5th-generation Idahoan
annually spends as much time as possible at his Henry’s Fork cabin with friends, associates, family, and
his sons Jackson and Will, fly-fishing, canoeing, and soaking up the natural wonders of the Yellowstone
Basin. Some of his earliest and fondest memories are rooted here in experiences that inform his lifelong
love of nature and commitment to conservation (Comstock is a 25-year board member of the
international, scientifically acclaimed Peregrine Fund and World Center for Birds of Prey and an
outspoken advocate for endangered raptor species and native cultures) and help fire the adrenaline-
inspired wanderlust ultimately captured and artfully detailed in his best design work.
New York, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, or Los Angeles might seem more logical
places for his first retail enterprise—and his apparel retails prominently in each of these dynamic
population centers—but the Treasure Valley is the preferred launch site for this world traveler and
sportsman, who as a boy caught some of his first fish in Kids’ Creek near the family’s Boise home and
constructed his first warehouse in his parents’ garage, cajoling his mother temporarily into answering
her phone by announcing and inquiring, “Hello. Robert Comstock. May I help you?” Nearly 40 years
later, he has established his mark in haute couture, confirmed his talent, and manifested his passion for
and enterprising endurance in the turbulent, tantalizing, and unpredictable fashion industry; and the
creative ability that inspired and distinguished his initial collections still merits and receives critical
acclaim. In its 25th anniversary edition, MR Magazine named Robert Comstock as one of fashion’s “25
most interesting characters.” Throughout the long and challenging way, Robert Comstock’s seemingly
disparate affinity for worldwide exploration and love of Idaho remain intact.
For longtime Boise residents, the opening of Robert Comstock’s new retail store in The Village and the
resumed presence of the brand in the Treasure Valley may recall the legendary Comstock Christmas
Leather Sales of the ‘80s and ‘90s, when legions of hardy shoppers camped overnight at the entrance to
the Western Idaho Fairgrounds Exposition Building to get first dibs at the Sale’s remarkable values. At its
zenith, the Comstock Sale generated over one million dollars in revenue in the first four hours, and for
days, weeks, and months afterwards, on the backs of people throughout the Valley, the unmistakable
The Robert Comstock store in the Village presents upscale men’s fashion on a new and totally different
stage—a high-end men’s luxe fashion destination emporium; and to manage the venture, Robert
Comstock selected a young Boise native named Michelle Fitzgerald Robinson, who cut her teeth on
fashion and among friends was recognized as possessing “her own style, experimenting with unique and
different designs.” Ms. Robinson began her career in retail at 16, as soon as she was “old enough to
drive myself to the mall,” working first with the County Seat and then moving onto The Gap and Banana
Republic, where she spent 13 years climbing “up the ladder” and learning everything she could from
“truly amazing people.” From The Gap, Inc., Michelle went to work with J Crew, helping to open its Boise
store. Family and fashion are “my priorities,” she says, “and I’m passionate about both.” Her career also
includes considerable experience in men’s “personal styling,” a skill perfectly suited to the new Village
store and a special benefit to its customers. Of the opportunity to work with “fashion icon” Robert
Comstock and to help launch The Village store, Michelle says, “It’s a thrilling new venture I’m excited to
The Robert Comstock Men’s Store in The Village will introduce and treat Treasure Valley residents to a
grand new retail experience and profound local shopping adventure—apparel that combines the skill
and artistry of Old World European mill, tannery, and factory craftsmanship and state-of-the art
technological processes with nearly three decades of distinctive, distinguished, and award-winning
men’s fashion design. The exciting and glamorous new enterprise also will pair worldwide influence,
inspiration, and achievement with homegrown chutzpah and knowhow. It’s not Rome, Paris, London, or
Milan, but it’s a fashion first, right here at home.