Chestnut Hill Says Proof Is In the Product

Call it an apparel interpretation of the Pepsi Challenge. A new entrant in the apparel premium market has taken on its competitors with a side by side comparison of its polo shirts to theirs.

Chestnut Hill is aiming for the high-end corporate clothing audience with a unique sales tool: the right half of one its "performance plus" polo shirts stitched up next to the left half of a "standard" polo. The Philadelphia-based company said this "50/50" shirt, which is washed 20 times before distribution to sales reps, demonstrates the fade and shrink resistance, anti-pill and anti-wrinkle properties of its product.

"It's about garment reliability, value and fit," said Scott Lenz, Chestnut Hill VP of marketing. Chestnut Hill, a Broder Brothers brand, launches this month. It competes with Lands' End, Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren in the apparel premium category.