Perfect. It's good to be with you. Thanks for allowing us to come into OMJ and interview you and get a tour of your passion. Thank you, Colin. Yeah. Let's talk about the beginning. Why clothes? Like, where did that passion come from? So, if you had told me in high school I'd be doing clothing, I would have not believed you for a minute. But my business partner, Felipe, we were college roommates, and he was a very influential person, I think, for me, growing up right outside Charlotte.
In Gastonia. In Gastonia, correct. The home of James Worthy and S.E.P. Fluick. That's right. Exactly. And he grew up in Western North Carolina, but traveled frequently. He's originally from Hong Kong. So this is a guy who's traveled around the world. He's seen a lot more culture than I had. And so he took me under his wing and clothing was huge for him. So I remember even in college, it would, I'd be borrowing stuff from him. So I'm the type of guy, I can go down rabbit holes really easily.
And as soon as I was introduced to this world of putting something on and looking good, it's drove me to explore that further. And then when we were talking in college. Sure. So this is at App State. At App State, correct. What year? So we both graduated in 2007. Okay. So you go from Gastonia to Boone, North Carolina. Right. Wearing what? What was your wardrobe? Probably Gap, American Eagle. Gotcha. That is for jeans. Yeah. Khakis, probably. Polo-type shirts. Polo-tsuits. Polo-tsuits. Yeah.
So now you come back to Gastonia wearing... And what was the reaction like? Your family or friends. Who's this guy? I think it was a more subtle evolution, I would say. But when I graduated, I was a finance major. So I went into banking. So I needed a professional dress attire. Gotcha. And one of the reasons we started OMJ was that we were having a tough time finding professional attire that fit great.
You got to remember 2007, 8, 9, 10, the Southern explosion, Southern something or another companies of your Southern ties and your vineyard vines. This was ever prevalent, which love those brands, but a lot of pastels and pinks and it just didn't fit for us. Also, the fit wasn't ideal either. So we were really looking for something different. Professional for young professionals entering the workforce that had a great fit. And we didn't start with custom suiting.
We started with button downs and polos and more upscale casual pieces. Ralph Lauren started with ties. That's right. out of the back of his trunk. You're right. So that really drove me, Felipe, drove me to getting into fashion. And for me, I think I was always entrepreneurially driven. I was cutting yards with my dad and we were going out. And for me, I wanted my own business. So I would have been fine, whatever that may have been.
But thankfully, Felipe kept holding me in on that being clothing. Talk about why OMJ? What is OMJ? What's the acronym stand for? OMJ stands for Ole Mason Jar. And Ole Mason Jar is a very long story, but, To keep it simple. We want to use this. To keep it simple. Down and dirty detail. It's a lot more wholesome than that, actually. Yes. So when we were looking for the name for the company, it was very much our ethos, timeless, vented. We really wanted things that were versatile.
And when we were thinking of a name, I just happened to be at my grandmother's house. and she was canning. She still canned in mason jars until she passed. But for those that aren't from the South, that don't understand canning. Right. You pick your green beans or whatever out of your garden and you put them in a mason jar and you can keep them for, I don't know, forever. Forever, yeah. I just happened to be at her house and I saw the mason jar and it was an aha
moment. It was, it's timeless, it's versatile, it's simple. This will last forever. Right. This embodied everything. So the name was born from there. That transition from old Mason jar to O N J to as we've, we, our theme here is we pivot quite often as we need to, as we got into more than just fun down shirting and ties and things like that, we evolved into fully custom suits. I think folks were having a little harder time marrying a Mason jar and custom suiting and so also.
As we are always wanting to simplify, OMJ came from that. Yeah. So let's talk about your mission to make it simple but significant. Talk about that. So I think it's an ode to doing things with a purpose. And quite often in clothing. You find that pull to be a little more extravagant than you need to be, how you're dressing. In everything, a lot of clothiers are just renowned. They're great at dressing. And over time, it gets a little crazier and crazier.
So I think for me and Felipe, our ode has always been to keep things simple, but in the simplicity of what you're doing, to really make a difference with that. Sad. Simple but significant. When someone walks through this door, what's it like for you? I'm getting goosebumps thinking about this. Let's talk about that first customer who came through the door. Do you remember that experience or what was that like for you? Well, at that point, I think it would have been at my house, probably.
The world headquarters. My boyfriend. But it probably would have been family, for sure. This door. In 2020. A person walks through the door and makes a purchase. It's adult. If we make eye contact, right, they might realize we don't know what we're doing and turn around and walk away. By the time we came here, this was a pretty well-oiled machine. We were uptown for three years before here. So people that made the journey there, we were on the second floor up the flight of stairs.
We were still figuring things out at that point. But I try and my team will often, I usually remember quite a lot about every customer. And I usually say it is a blessing and a curse at the same time. You've had some experience with the NBA draft and NBA draft. You could go back. Years and see the good and bad fashions from the different years. You go back to this funny commercial, he's Carmelo Anthony. That was 2003. I recruited him in 2001 draft, I believe.
And that's when they had the zoot shoots that went down to their knees, baggy pants. So you were involved in some of the drafts. Talk about what drafts you involved with. Sure. What players you helped dress. Sure. We, a lot of times we'll get involved with that with their stylist and that's the way I love to do it. They they're the handler, right? They handle the clients and we do our parts easy. We just make them look good. But I think the NBA is I is the ultimate test of
how good you are because the guys are so tall. They're so right. They're wings fan. Yeah. The proportions when we send it to the factory, it raises the alarm, right? This is not right. And then we tell them that it is. Some of the most fun and memorable drafts I think that I worked on were, I believe it was 2017, Michael Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma. Kyle Kuzma wears some funky stuff. He does. And a lot of these players, they have stylists and the stylists know them really well.
We don't make everything for these gentlemen, but the draft is a great place. You don't often get to see your work in the wild, I would say. And so that's a neat thing is you actually see it on TV. And when they open their jacket, we've done some funky liners and things like that, where it's obviously a custom suit that time was taken and a lot has gone into making that and making it fun for them on their big day. Yeah. Yeah. I know what it's like. I'm six, seven and you can't buy off the rack.
And so you always were trying, forcing something to fit and it looked that way. So when you could finally get that custom suit, that was a special moment. Yeah. So you and Felipe choose Charlotte, North Carolina. You're a native. He was born here in the state as well. He was born in Hong Kong and then moved that route. So this was his home. And you made Charlotte your home. Tell us about what makes Charlotte special for you running your business, you.
I think it has that Southern sensibility, I think, that a lot of big cities do not have. It is a big city, but it does feel small. I think anybody that's lived here for any amount of time, they probably understand that. And it's a community that really embraces its small businesses. There's a lot of loyalty there. I've been to a lot of cities, and it's a feeling that you're getting. Charlotte gave us a much quicker start than we would have if we had gone to New York or any other cities.
And then also think of it as like big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond. And so we just had a lot of natural connections here. And then the city has really embraced us, and we're so thankful for that. Talk about trends. I was joking with fashion. You get the narrow ties, wide ties, then it become narrow. Pants go long with cuffs to shorter with no cuffs. You have pleats, no pleats. Skirts go long, go short. Talk about how do you stay in front of those trends. Right.
And yet not, I think it'd be frustrating to come and get a custom suit and six months later, it's not. Sure. Trends go the other way. Right. So I think it's us guys as we are, we're much simpler than our counterparts, I would say. So it's easy. You work set? I do not. Stay away from that one. I don't even. You work in lockstep. Sorry. Yes. Yes. In our dress attire. Whatever.
It is a lot easier to dress a guy in a timeless fit style great show madman if you've ever watched it i talk about this i've talked about this a lot the lead carry lead character antagonist or protagonist which depending on the season don draper that show goes from the 50s to the 70s And all around him, people he's working with, co-workers, friends, their style is, you can tell what the times are.
They're growing their hair out. They're wearing the wider lapels and the baggier and the, but his style stays the exact same that whole show. Because he's wearing timeless classics. They're not slim fit. They're not baggy. They just fit. And I think that's what custom suiting can do. And for men, I think they have a very fortunate, they can wear something if it's made well and made for them and not made to be particularly in trend. Yeah.
It will last forever. one thing you've done for me is i've had some suits that i've had for 20 years that were made by alexander juliet and you really admire them as a work of art like you said if i had this blazer i'd frame it yeah i know i'm a bit crazy in that regard and look what you know. Passionate about now what makes you really great at omj but the thing that i appreciated It's kind of you saying, oh, this won't work and get rid of it because it's a three button.
You say, hey, we can tailor it a little bit and roll those back button to make it a two button, a three button rollover. I think you call it a three button rollover. So now I'm not just wasting money. And that piece becomes timeless with some TLC from O&J. I just did that. Do you like that? I do. Can we use that? Yes, yes, I love that. And Alexander Julian, for those that don't know, a renowned designer in Chapel Hill. When you look at quality, those suits were amazing quality.
And the details. Yeah, those were really great suits and they were made. He had a little dash of pizzazz in those, but it was still a pretty timeless silhouette so that you could.
Do a few tweaks and that'll last forever yeah so and it's like investments right so you didn't say host i can i can tell him this shoot a waste give it a good will and i'll buy you buy a new sharing you you were looking out for my best interest and i appreciate that as you run your business and i think that creates a loyalty of people wanting to come back we were talking about timeless what is your favorite decade if you could go back in time where would you like to be dropped in terms of men's
fashion i think the 60s is my ultimate the guys got dressed up to go to work yeah and fly on plane to fly on planes yeah and went on the plane you wore a jacket there was a reverence to with what you were doing making sure you were buttoned up looking your best before you did it. And I think we've lost that in today's society, unfortunately. And again, it's much easier to throw on sweatpants to travel on a plane or wherever you're going. I totally get that.
But there's just something about doing things with a purpose and intention and putting your best foot forward, which I'm a big believer in. And if you look good, you feel good, you do good. I think I got that from this guy right here. So I think that era when everybody was on board, this is how you do it. I think now it makes it that much easier.
I joked that I thought about starting a men's store called Matthews and the tagline was going to be standout style, but it's easier now for someone to stand out by doing just a little bit with their wardrobe. So when you step on that plan, or you go to that cocktail party, or you go to church, or you go to work, by having that blazer or that pocket square or that new shirt that just, let's cut this OMJ suit, right? These buttons are functional.
Right. So when I look at a guy, I'm looking at. You're looking at. He's looking at. He's like, okay, that's got, you got. The monogram. Yeah. Oh, look at that. Like that, then you're like, well, that guy's got it. Yeah. You want to do business with that guy because he is into the detail. Right. And that is attractive. On the other side of it, when I put on your clothes... It gives you a level of energy and confidence when you are getting ready for your day. Right.
That you're walking into a meeting and you feel good. It doesn't always work on the golf course. You play good. It doesn't always work. Hopefully it happens in business, but it's the starting point and it gets you excited for your day when you're putting on some O&J gear.
A hundred percent. And the amount of guys that we've, guys and gals that we've outfitted and seeing the confidence that gave them, I have a quick antidote and those happen more than once, but a particular guy, he was an average dresser, admit it. He would self admit that probably average everything in his words. And he was a buddy of mine. So he didn't really care about clothing, but he said, hey, I do need some stuff. And within six months, he went from being pretty average at everything.
He became the guy. Is his name Joe? Joe. Oh, sorry. Yeah. He went from being just one of the employees to the guy at his office that everybody went to for fashion advice. And he became a new person at work. And he still talks to me to this day about how that really changed the trajectory of his career and the confidence it gave him. It just was unparalleled. I, in coaching players, when I played, D. Smith made us wear a jacket and dress slacks when we traveled.
When I coached, I talked to players about their hair, what they wear, the sagging came in, and I said to them. What do you notice when you get a new pair of Nikes? The box is nice. What do you, when Tiffany's, what's so special about Tiffany's? It's the boss. It's the outer wrapping. It's the branding. And we're all a brand. And people are going to judge you whether you like it or not. It's just human nature. When they see someone walk in the door, they respond differently than someone
that's not dressed well. So how do you want to be perceived? And I remember it was Michael Vick. I was coaching at the time. Michael Vick got arrested. Right. He was a famous football player. Got arrested in 2004, I think it was. And Michael dressed very casually, jeans, football jerseys, braids in his hair, long hair, hats. And then he walked into the courtroom, haircut, suit. Yeah. And I said to the players, I said, what did you notice about him walking in the courtroom?
I said, one, he said that he didn't have all his friends with him. Get arrested. He'll do that. You know who your friends are. He had his haircut and he wore a seat. And I said, why do you think he did that? And they said, we want to make a good impression. Right. I said, don't you want to make a good impression? Right. What you wear matters. 100%.
What influences your decisions when it comes to fashion? Where do you look to maybe bring something into the store or encourage a client to wear a certain garment, style suit, blazer, shoes? I think often we can find inspiration in a lot of different ways. For us, we're often looking at other brands and what they're doing. Brands that we really respect, the Polo, Ralph Lauren, Billy Reeves, another one. He's out of Alabama. Alabama. Interesting. Yes, out of Alabama. New York, not London.
Nope, nope, nope. Milan, not LA. And seeing what they do often gives us inspiration. And then I oftentimes, I look in completely different industries because I think you can get inspiration. Anybody, I love people that do really well at their industry. And I get inspiration from that a lot of times. People that are really good at their jobs and care about their jobs, that can often be inspiring in its own way.
It has nothing to do with fashion. It inspires me to put the extra time in, do the extra work. It could be everything from architecture to the mountains and Boone Blowing Rock. I'm often getting to the case in point. What I'm wearing is, was designed in with the fall colors. I love fall in the mountains. So a lot of my fall stuff is going to have orange and browns and tans. And so those are just, you look at nature and the colorways.
And so there's a lot of ways we'll get inspiration and there's never just one, but I think the totality of whole, how everything comes together is ultimately where we're looking. You just never know where the inspiration is going to strike. What wardrobe essential do you think everyone should on? I'm a huge proponent on a nice, well-tailored Navy suit, pair of brown loafers or lace-ups. Shoes matter. And toes? Shoes matter a lot. Shoes matter a lot. They matter. A nice pair of shoes.
Matching belt? She colored belt? Matching belt or no belt. I'm fine with no belt personally, but matching belt. A crisp white shirt. Yeah. Yeah. Really? Yes. Even with the Carolina blue buttons. And I think a nice sport coat that can go with anything. So denim to khakis to the pants from the Navy suit. You have all your bases covered. You can walk into any room and be one of the best dressed guys there. And you can, what we've been talking about, just feeling good in that simplistic wardrobe.
And those just very few pieces you can do a lot with. You mentioned women a couple of times. Yes. What percentage of your clients are women and what can you do for, you know, women within OMJ? Women is a small percentage of what we do, but I think our clients that are women love the creativity and the options that we can do. So fabric is huge.
We can get pretty much any type of fabric. So we've done stuff that looks like Chanel, that looks any type of high fashion that you can think of, and then they can customize it to them, whether it's a blazer dress or a power suit for work, or they really love how they can make it their own, the individuality, and design it. And they have a part in designing it. Yeah, no, I could see that because some of the biggest concerns sometimes is I bought this dress and somebody else is
wearing it and I don't want to wear it at, say, party. So they don't have collections. Yes. We literally will bring in fabric enough to make one thing from. Yeah. And when you pick it, it's gone. It's yours. You're the only one in the world that may have that. That's pretty cool. If you had to style anyone globally, besides me. Yes. Who would? I will say that this could go, James Bond would be the answer. So whoever's playing James Bond, I think that's up in the air right now after Mr.
Daniel Craig. But I think that kind of goes to, that's the dream guy to style. Sort of the epitome of fashion and the guy that men, I want to be like James Bond. That always been. Connery is probably my favorite. Right. Agreed. And I would say that's the one. Yeah. What's next for you and Omjay? Where do you see yourself being in five, 10 years? I would say the COVID, definitely PTSD from COVID has kept us.
We're in our current location. We've been here coming up on five years and re-upping for five more. In this location, we're here in South End in Charlotte, North Carolina. And the dream has always been to have multiple locations. In Charlotte, Borg. In Charlotte and outside of Charlotte, and not necessarily like New York, LA, what you typically would think of, but maybe some smaller cities that are up and coming. Nashville, Nashville, Greenville, South Carolina.
Those would be great markets for us and allow us to do what we do really well. And again, community-focused markets that there's not a men's suit shop on every corner, but that would be the longer-term dream. And if a second location in Charlotte would be the most immediate that we would love to have, perhaps in the South Park area or Valentine or somewhere like that. What question didn't I ask that I should have asked? Oh, man. You were afraid I would go in.
The piece of it, top advice for someone starting their own business would probably be one. Because I get a little, I think with everybody, what is it? Every person, the younger generation is, they didn't have it as tough as we had. Walked both ways. Right. Exactly. But I do, this is a big tent pole that I stand on because over the years, I've been doing this for 11 years. So people often ask, I want to start a clothing business.
And that's, you know, what have you done? Nothing. I've come to you. That's sort of. And so I always get a little tentative when people ask because my answer is you got to do it and you got to do it for a long time and you got to fail. Right. And then you can think about being really good at it. What is your biggest failure? Early on, I thought that if the field of dreams, if you build it, they will come. You built it, they didn't come. They didn't come.
You're young, naive and Felipe and I, oh, we built this great brand and all of our friends are going to come and want stuff. And it did not, it did not happen that way. And for a long time, I think the part of the failure in myself was not understanding why that is. And I think in my older age, I've learned everybody has their own stuff in life that's important to them. And if you want people to come, you've got to give them a reason to come.
And what reason did you give them? I think we had to do it. We had to do it long enough for them, I think, to see. a lot of times your friends and family, your biggest critics, do it long enough for them to see that this isn't going away. And it is real. And people don't want to feel like they're the reason you're in business either. They want to feel like I'm missing out. A little FOMO. A little FOMO. And so I don't need your business. Yeah. We had to do it till we didn't need their business.
And I'm not a bitter person or hold grudges at all, thank goodness. But the best feeling is when you have those people that never came in and now they come in and are your biggest fan. It's a self-pride confidence. A lot of people don't want to be first. I remember that in business, I started a little venture and we brought it to the NFL. We thought it was a great idea. The Eiffel said, this is a great idea, but we don't want to be first.
We'll be a close second because they don't want, they don't want to be the company that works out the kinks. Sure. 100%. A hundred percent. Once you get good, we'll jump right in, sir. And I never forgot that. And so test, test your business on somebody else. A hundred percent. And then I'll be there. I, a hundred percent. And now looking back, it makes all the sense in the world. I think.
But when you're that kid starting the business and you need that, those people, you are, you're actually thinking that way. Leadership. I talk about a quote from Bill Walsh. He says, all good leaders need to have some actor in them. So you could be sweating bullets, but you got to show up as not desperate. Like you don't have to have your business. I like your business, but I don't have to have it. And so that's an attractive, right? Because people lean into that.
But if you're too desperate, say, what can I get you? Oh, you, we could, and people get smothered and they walk away. Same in dating. Same time. Yeah. It's just dating. Yeah. Wow. Brad, thank you very much for allowing us to come into OMJ and interview you. I'm excited about my partnership with you and look forward to many good days ahead. Yes. Thank you so much for coming. Music.