Wayne Edwards moves up Sansom Street and adds ready-to-wear

When workers stopped commuting into Center City during the pandemic, Wayne Glassman knew it was time to switch up his menswear business. So, he closed his location at 1710 Sansom St., moved half a block up to 1724, and opened a 1,500-square-foot workshop.

Wayne Edwards Workshop is showroom-meets-retail space where Glassman hopes his core customer — men in the market for custom suiting — will find comfortable business attire to complement their wardrobe. Think softer blazers and looser shirting in a variety of colors. Glassman wants his more mature customers to think beyond shades of blue.

The Wayne Edwards Workshop opens this week.

Glassman knows his customer needs less clothing in today’s hybrid work world, yet he still craves the look and feel of designer threads but from names that aren’t as ubiquitous.

“There is a lot of designer fatigue,” said Glassman, pointing to his collection of Fedeli cashmere sweaters. “This is the same quality as a [Brunello] Cucinelli, but it’s not $1,400.”

Glassman’s father, Edward Glassman, opened the family’s first custom menswear store, Men’s Loft, in 1970. He opened a shoe store, Strega , in 1978. Both on Sansom Street. Wayne joined the business in 1980 and the elder Glassman changed its name to Wayne Edwards.

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In its heyday, Wayne Edwards was among the few menswear stores that sold such Italian designer labels as Prada and Gucci, making it a go-to spot for such National Basketball Association players as former Sixers players Maurice Cheeks and Jerry Stackhouse. Tennis great Pete Sampras was also a customer, as was trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and crooner Kenny Loggins.

“We were thought leaders in the men’s fashion space,” Glassman said.

Edward Glassman retired in 2005 and moved to Delray Beach, Fla., where he died in August after a six-month battle with lung cancer. He was 91.

The Wayne Edwards Workshop, Glassman says, continues his father’s legacy.

Shoes — mostly sneakers and tie-ups with rubber soles — fill the front of the store. At the center are the store’s ready-to-wear offerings, including soft blazers from Finamore and outerwear by Moorer. Customers are invited to leaf through design books from fabric houses Loro Piana, Scabal, and Dormeuil to create their custom suits, which are tailored in a back room.

“We are blending custom clothing with artisan products,” Glassman said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

Wayne Edwards Workshop is at 1724 Sansom St. Appointments are preferred. Walk-ins are welcomed.