Exploring Life & Business with Christopher Lester of Clifton+Leopold

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Lester.

Hi Christopher, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Clifton+Leopold was born from a love of classic men’s clothing accessories and the desire to make them more reflective of the world today. A world that’s more diverse, fluid, and empowered. A world where only you can define you, and job one is to build a community you love.

We hope this passion for community is evident in everything we do, because it’s the lens through which we make all of our decisions.

That’s why, in a time when it’s easier and less expensive to manufacture products offshore, we choose to produce 100% of our apparel and candles in the United States.

Why? It’s simple. It matters.

A few decades ago, we were flooded with stories of textile manufacturers going out of business. Today, talented American artisans are working hard to change that story. At Clifton+Leopold, we are honored to play a small part in the rewrite.

Producing our products in the community where we live gives us some obvious advantages when it comes to quality, but it’s much bigger than that. Manufacturing in our community means more jobs, more jobs means more opportunities, and more opportunities are vital to building a better life.

Equally important to us, this concept of community extends to everyone wearing Clifton+Leopold. We decided early on that the ‘dapper human’ was our target audience. And while it sounded funny at first, the more we repeated it–and the more we shared our story–the more exciting it became. Turns out, it isn’t only exciting to us, but when we are talking to the right people, it excites them as well.

So while we don’t always choose the obvious path or the easiest one, that’s ok. In fact, it’s part of our strategy. A strategy rooted in our commitment to dapper humans everywhere and those who love them.

For us that commitment means sourcing exquisite fabrics and handcrafting them into products that men and women are excited to wear. It means continually providing our customers with options they can incorporate into their lifestyle, not the other way around. It means marketing that is as diverse and inclusive as the world we live in. Complete with storytelling that reflects the beauty of a wide array of people coming together in a common theme: the desire to live their best life.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth road . . . not sure it ever really is.

We actually launched during COVID, which required a leap of faith. Opening a business is always a daunting task fraught with scary twists and doubt-filled turns but launching a company anchored in people getting dressed up and going out during a pandemic meant we had to dig deep and trust the universe.

The journey to launch Clifton+Leopold started in late 2018. At that point we were officially an LLC and were off and running. Our mission wasn’t just to produce products but to rethink, resize, and reconceptualize ties, bow ties, scarves, and pocket squares for a broader audience.

Now fast forward to the start of 2020. We had spent the last year and a half building a team, creating all of our branding and marketing, and designing our inaugural collection. Months of working on packaging, shipping requirements, prototypes and website code were finally converging into a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Then everything changed with COVID.

Now, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge but March and April were tough. Everything in the world seemed to be shifting and it was clear that staying in business was going to be challenging for even the most established businesses let alone a brand-new company.

That’s when living an a city like Nashville is so helpful. Nashville is full of start-ups and the entrepreneurial spirit abounds. Nashvillians are really supportive and I was fortunate enough to have a network full of smart and very smart friends and colleagues.

No matter where I turned folks were quick to “show up”, support, and offer their help. It was clear that the only option was to be bold and run as hard as we could towards May 1st . . . our official launch date. Worst case scenario, we don’t make it and my dream comes to an end. It’s odd to say but with all of the fear and sadness COVID was causing, “not making it” no longer felt as scary. Being frozen and not even trying was way scarier . . . and besides who doesn’t love a good origin story?

So here we are over a year later and goodness what a year it has been!

With each month, every new product piece and social post our community grew. Friends started sharing Clifton+Leopold with friends and they would share our story with their friends. Folks we didn’t even know started talking about our products, the packaging, and the fact that the full spectrum of pronouns, gender identities and sexual orientations showed up on our website and in our product stories. We were honored to be donned at weddings, humbled to be worn to more funerals than we ever wished, and blessed that people shared each of those experiences with us. From the beginning Clifton+Leopold has been bigger than simply selling a tie . . . it’s about our commitment to building a community.

We’ve been impressed with Clifton+Leopold, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are an online retailer specializing in classic men’s accessories with a modern take.

We manufacture all of our products by hand here in the US and within miles on Nashville. We are thrilled when we hear back from customers how amazing their products feel and how well they are made. Sometimes we blush :~)

We produce small batch runs of a product and don’t repeat the run.

We produce products in silk, cotton and blends from Italy, Spain, Brazil and Japan.

Our ties come in two sizes to better serve a wider market – we believe in the dapper human and want to ensure if they love something, it works for them.

Our candles are hand pour with American soy wax.

I’m really proud of the experience we’re creating for our clients. We hear it all the time – the experience from the website to opening your package is seamless and special. Our packaging and the little surprises seem to really resonate with folks which has really opened up a gift market for us.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
This wouldn’t have been a memory I thought about as a child but looking back it simply feels perfect.

As I mentioned before, I have always had a love for classic men’s accessories. If you need proof, we can always ask my mom to share the 8th grade photo where I decided to wear a bolo tie and fedora.

It’s worth noting that I grew up in Cincinnati, OH and while a wonderful city, Cincinnati has never been accused of being a bastion of forward-looking fashion.

Looking back all the times I created a look or got dressed up was me discovering . . . me . . . and the person I would grow into.

How can I not love that!

Pricing:

• Our Products run between $10-$100+

Contact Info:

• Email: Team@CliftonandLeopold.com
• Website: www.cliftonandleopold.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cliftonandleopold
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cliftonandleopold
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/clifton_leopold
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY9gUGPtXhLFGFOlDjSz3ig