As we set out to broaden our collection beyond our namesake, we’ve brought on Jake Mueser, founder of the beloved menswear brand, J. Mueser, to lead us. Often lauded as “the tailor to menswear’s most stylish guys”, we knew that his unique perspective—one that blends fine tailoring with true wearability—would bring the perfect expertise to our line.
Here, we sit down with Jake to talk about his vision, what personal style really means and those key details that transform a good garment into a great one.
Featuring our Shadow Black Linen Tuxedo
Hi Jake, so first things first—what drew you to working with us?
As someone who has worked so long in this very niche, luxury-focused world, I wanted to take what I've learned over the last 15 years and bring it to a much broader audience. That was instantly appealing to me—how to bring a high level of detail and quality to something that has a different price point and a different level of construction from what I typically do. Especially considering the wedding aspect of the business, it's such a big moment for people and we want to make something the very best it can be so that it feels really special. We're not reinventing anything, but just bringing that essence of high tailoring to as many people as possible.
What does "American tailoring" mean to you and how do you translate that into design direction?
Being American is about blending lots of things. Every factory I've been to in America that makes tailoring has half a dozen or more languages being spoken. The history of tailoring in this country is composed of so many different people from around the world, and I think that's part of the charm of many American things—the blending of different cultures.
This is different from what makes Italian tailoring work. For my own brand, J.Mueser, I produce a lot in Italy, so I'm very aware of what that looks like. In Italian workshops they think about things in a very traditional way. American style is about being able to take the best things you like from around the world and blend those elements together.
Even things that feel very defined as American—like Brooks Brothers, which feels perfectly American and represents that classic old East Coast Ivy style—I think their strength comes from this eclectic nature of being able to have all these people from around the world contribute to making one thing.
"...when someone is dressed well and looks good, they normally feel good about that, even guys who really don't care all that much."
What would you say to people who might feel the idea of “personal style” is beyond them or only for "fancier" people?
Whether they realize it or not, I think everyone has personal style. What I've seen across the board is that when someone is dressed well and looks good, they normally feel good about that, even guys who really don't care all that much. That's a good feeling even if you're not someone who spends all their time on blogs thinking about this stuff. I love that guy—I am that guy, but it's also okay to not devote so much time to style as a hobby. You can still take pride in just feeling good about it without overthinking it.
One interesting thing about social media is that you can find influencers that look similar to you. I have a client who's very pale with blonde hair and very fair skin, and he'll reference another influencer—actually a friend of mine who is Swedish with a very similar complexion and hair—and he's like "I like that color, and I know it's gonna work well for me because this guy and I look alike." And anyone can do this with any kind of body type, once you find someone with a similar look whose style you admire, it’s easy to look and think "oh wait, that would work for me."
I think a lot of people associate formalwear or suiting with discomfort, so I’m curious how you think about comfort when it comes to tailoring?
When I think about being comfortable in a suit, there are two aspects: physical comfort and emotional comfort. I'm not the biggest fan of trying to turn suits into sweatpants—sweatpants are their own thing and they're very comfortable, but there's something to be said for dressing up. And truly, I don't think most guys are actually physically uncomfortable in a suit. A lot of it is about people not feeling overdressed or not feeling confident in their clothing. Once you feel confident, you feel much better in that suit than you could possibly feel walking out in sweatpants.
"I really want to demystify the complexity, because ultimately it shouldn't be stressful, it should be fun—it's about finding things that make you feel good and confident."
A lot of men feel like they have to learn extensively about fashion to look good, but what should they really focus on when building out their wardrobe?
I think most people have a sense of what they like and don't like, and a lot of times it comes down to vocabulary. Someone might put on a suit and think "this isn't for me," but they might not know how to articulate why. A metaphor I like to use is that it's like when you want to start enjoying good wine—there's nothing more stressful when you're young and at a nice restaurant and the sommelier comes over to present options and you're thinking "I don't know, just don't rip me off in front of this girl I'm on a date with." Everything can seem really overwhelming, but if over time you can start to slow down and learn even just a little bit, you start to gain the vocabulary that helps you have a more articulate understanding of what actually works for you. I really want to demystify the complexity, because ultimately it shouldn't be stressful, it should be fun—it's about finding things that make you feel good and confident.
Photography by Zeph Colombatto
