Your father, Martin Greenfield, built one of America's great tailoring houses. What is the most important lesson he passed on to you?
“Intrinsic Value” was his constant goal. How can we make the best possible suit at the best possible value? We accomplish this by doing everything here ourselves. Customers and fabrics enter our factory and the next time they leave is upon delivery of the garment. No middle layers of retailors, designers, sales people, contractors, etc. We make everything in our factory here by hand and control every process along the way.
The Brooklyn factory still makes suits by hand. What happens inside those walls that people would never guess?
When people walk into our shop they feel like they have gone back in time. Our factory has not changed much since when it began making clothing in 1917. For the most part day to day, we are making clothing in a shop with craftsmen and tailors quietly working on their specialties. If you're looking for a fun story, when The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel filmed on our factory floor they built a bedroom for Joel, and we decided to keep up as an office that our shop manager works out of.
You have dressed presidents. What is it like making a suit for someone in that role?
While it's quite an honor to enter the White House for an appointment with POTUS, it's also very high pressure like a Super Bowl might be for a player. It's very exciting but it takes great confidence and preparation to be able to leave that fitting with the needed measurements and ideal fabric choices, being mindful of what is comfortable and functional for the person wearing the suit. POTUS is typically expected in a suit ~18 hours a day/7 days a week so we need to ensure we're making something that looks good while wearing comfortably and durably.
Your suits have appeared on Broadway and on screen. Which project stands out, and why?
Boardwalk Empire stands out because it represented an exciting challenge to accurately represent the style of the 1920s & 1930s, making clothing specific to that era and translating it across different characters (such as gangsters, police officers, hotel employees), asked to do many different things. It was an exciting time for us as the following coincided all at once - a really committed and dedicated costume department and production team, a cast that loved every part of the production process (except when they came to me and found out we had multiples of the same garments for them which typically meant death), and the rise of HD TV where every detail of fit and quality of the wardrobe was apparent. I personally measured and fit clothing for 165 different actors and we made over 700 garments for the show.
How long does it take to make one Greenfield suit, and how many hands touch it?
Our typical turnaround for a custom suit is 6-8 weeks. All 65 of our employees touch the garment in some way, shape or form between the pattern creation, cutting, making, and altering of a suit.
What separates a truly great suit from a good one?
It starts with choosing the right fabric, drafting the best pattern and design, and using the best possible ingredients for the specific individual needs. For us, we need confidence in our measurements with an understanding of their significance for the unique garment to construct it as you intend. Once you've got it that far we still rely on our team of experienced tailors to accurately fit and tailor the garment with the highest quality, consistency and ability to ensure the suit is completed and delivered with the quality and craftsmanship we pride ourselves on.
What is one thing every man should know before buying his first tailored suit?
Where is the suit being made and how is it being made? There are a lot of "bespoke" tailors - I'd be wary of the titles and understand where and how their garments are being made (most are outsourced overseas, and fused together by machine). When a person puts on a truly hand tailored, full canvas suit that molds to their body they will want to continue to dress in our custom clothing.
I've been told our name and reputation can be intimidating to some, but we are the last hand tailored union shop in NY, and we find a way to price better than most of our competitors and at a fraction of the cost of what you will find in any high end retail store for something made unique to you.
Millennials and Gen Z dress more casually than any generation before. How do you see tailoring fitting into their lives?
We want to be there for the big occasions in their lives such as their wedding. This is typically our first encounter with a client - a custom suit or tuxedo for their wedding. Maybe a few months later and maybe a few years later there will be another need for them to dress up and typically they'll remember the quality of our hand tailored, full canvas garments, and come back for a few suits or jackets for professional needs or events.
Our readers love whisky and cigars. What would you wear to a great whisky tasting or a night at a cigar lounge?
A dark brown velvet smoking jacket with a self cloth wide peak lapel is the only correct answer (I mean what color are cigars and whiskey?).
What does it mean to keep a family business going, and how do the two of you divide the work?
My brother and I work in tandem - a bit of a divide and conquer. Tod manages the shop and understands not just everything that is required to create a garment to our quality, but every single intricacy of every machine (and we do not use modern machinery), to make sure everything runs without a hitch. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Evergreen, a local nonprofit championing the industrial and manufacturing here in Brooklyn.
I work with each individual client, measuring and fitting to ensure quality on every custom garment we make.
My son David joined the business over 5 years ago - he is working on our digital footprint and does our selling with our customers, maintaining the personal relationships with our clientele.
Keeping a factory in New York City is rare today. Why does it matter to you to stay in Brooklyn?
This is where our clothing has been produced for over 100 years. Brooklyn became a home to Martin when he emigrated after the Holocaust and remains the home of his factory and legacy. Without our factory and skilled craftspeople, our suits would not maintain the quality we deliver. It gives us great pride to be the last remaining NY union shop and we hope to continue to do so for many years.
What's next for Martin Greenfield Clothiers?
David has joined as the third generation of Greenfields. We'll continue doing what we best - making the finest quality hand tailored jackets, pants, and coats in the last remaining union operated clothing factory in NY. We're always open to adapting to new styles and trying new things, while retaining our heritage and process for making tailored clothing the way it's meant to be made.
