Legendary Comstock & Friends Sale Returns to Boise
After about two seconds in a room with Robert Comstock, you get a sense that you are in the presence of self-made man who has it together. Not only is Mr. Comstock a stellar clothing designer and a razor sharp business man, he's one of the most compelling individuals I've had the opportunity to meet. As you can tell by our interview, he's personable, friendly and a pleasure to listen to. He's one of those rare individuals who makes you feel like you've known him his whole life despite the fact that you just met. Watch our interview with Richard Comstock as he talks about the legendary Comstock & Friends Sale returning to Boise.
Via press release: The Robert Comstock & Friends Sale is returning to the Gem State this month after a 13-year hiatus.
The renowned clothing designer, conservationist, and adventurer is staging his epic event in Boise at Expo Idaho (5610 N. Glenwood St.), home to the Western Idaho Fair. The sale opens Thursday Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. and Friday and Saturday Sept. 12-13 at 9 a.m., closing each night at 9 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are requested and will benefit The Peregrine Fund and the Boise VA Medical Center.
A fifth-generation Idahoan, Comstock is excited to bring the event back home. "We began our Boise sales in the late 1980s because it was a lot more rewarding to give huge bargains on our year-end stocks to our local friends and business associates than to big-box discounters," he says. "We're thrilled to be bringing big savings on our high-end fashions back to the Treasure Valley, and we hope to return the annual event to its iconic status."
Robert Comstock styling will include men's Spanish entrefino and merino shearling coats, plus jackets made from wild Austrian chamois, Italian lamb nappa, suede, and nubuck that are lined in cashmere and lambswool from the Loro Piana. Outerwear will be rounded out with Italian cashmere blazers and sweaters, as well as yarn-dyed linen, silk, lambswool, and cotton shirts.
Comstock & Co., his mid-level collection, will offer nylon and technical jackets pieced with leather accents, shearling collars, and wool- and down-filled linings. Tops include space-dyed long-sleeve knit polos, lambswool sweaters, yarn and space-dyed-cotton jersey knit shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, and double-brushed flannel outer shirts. Bottoms encompass 100-percent cotton twill trousers and five-button and zip-front jeans.
Luxury travel and weekender bags made from canvas and vegetable-tanned leather round out the assortment.
Altogether the sale features more than 66,000 pieces. Patrons will enjoy steep discounts, such as cashmere sweaters that retail for $1,250 on sale for $169.99, Spanish shearling coats regularly priced at $4,500 reduced to $699.99, and yarn-dyed T-shirts that ordinarily sell for $45-55 marked down to $12.99.
Comstock also has secured participation by licensees for the high-end Catherine Malandrino women's fashion line, the Joan Vass women's sportswear collection, and U.S. Army fashions endorsed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
"The Joan Vass fall 2014 styles on hand at the fairgrounds will be selling at the same time in Neiman Marcus stores throughout the country," Comstock says. "And many of Catherine Malandrino's cocktail dresses, suits, pants, and jackets are coming from the archive vaults and will include runway styles and one-of-a-kind creations made for New York fashion shows and celebrities like Beyonce."
Held throughout the 1990s and the late 1980s, the Robert Comstock Sale was a legendary annual event exclusive to Boise. People from all over the country would stampede to the Treasure Valley for unbelievable bargains on Comstock's luxury clothing.
"People would spend the night before our sale in sleeping bags outside the Boise fairgrounds just to be the first through the doors -- and this was in late November," Comstock recalls. "We'd play the 'William Tell Overture' at full blast over the PA system, position a ribbon about 50 yards into the building just like at a track meet, and give the first person to break it their choice of any leather jacket in the entire space. We also raised a lot of money for noteworthy causes over the years, including more than $30,000 for The Peregrine Fund at our last sale in 2001."
With changes in the world's economy, Comstock says the larger volumes his company previously produced for Japan and Europe dropped off. "At that point we began to source just enough raw materials to fill each season's orders, and thus, the sale became unnecessary," he says. "However, our business has expanded over the past few years, and the inevitable surplus inventories that accompany growth merit the return of the sale."
The Robert Comstock Collection includes the finest in men's cloth and leather outerwear, trousers and jeans, sweaters, and woven sport shirts and is currently sold at such upscale fashion retailers as Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Stanley Korshak, and GARYS of Newport Beach.
As a longtime devotee to the world of nature and native cultures, Comstock avidly supports the conservation of endangered species and the preservation of their natural habitats. His fashions never use hides from animals killed for their skin or fur. Comstock exclusively sources hides from livestock raised and harvested for their meat, along with wild deer, elk, and Austrian chamois taken by hunters for their meat. The most high-tech and sustainable tanneries in the world carefully cull and tan these hides mixing modern and centuries-old techniques.
Comstock has financed cottage industries for Native American crafts people and served for 25 years on the board of directors of The Peregrine Fund, an internationally acclaimed scientific organization committed to protecting threatened raptor species around the world. Although he moved his showroom and the headquarters of Robert Comstock Design to New York City in 2001, he still maintains a strong business presence in Boise.
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