What's in my brain right now – weekend edition

+ some updates from Sprezza

Feb 23, 2024

Alright, alright — it's been a minute since I did a good, old-fashioned curational email by Sprezza, so today will be an absolute smattering of everything in my brain.

Here we gooo —

A new venture

I don’t often share the projects I’m working on outside of Sprezza, but last year I launched one that I’m finally happy to tell you about here!

Last spring, I launched Hyper with my friend Oren John, who you may know from his Instagram.

Hyper is a consumer-focused newsletter for brand builders.

We send one email per week with thoughts on:

Brand and creative strategy
Tactical tips for brand development and growth
Playbooks for creating better content on social & web
Trend reports and market research on consumer products
+ more

Hyper is for brand builders, operators, founders, marketers, and those who are generally creatively curious.

Would love for you to subscribe if you have a brand, work internally at a brand, or are considering launching your own brand.

Bittersweet news

My friends Alejandro and Leah live in Amsterdam and have been running Tempest Works, one of my favorite menswear retailers.

Their curation of brands and products is top, top-tier.

But they (sadly) have made the difficult decision to close the shop and they have to liquidate all their inventory this month.

I want to support them and help get their products to a new home!

They’ve been super kind and agreed to give Sprezza readers priority access to buy their remaining inventory from brands like—

Nanga
Kestin
Sassafras
Goldwin
Norbit
Wythe
3sixteen
etc

All Sprezza readers get 50% off everything from their website until Sunday night. Use the code SPREZZA at checkout and support my homies!

Here’s a few things I love from the website right now.

People who’ve interviewed me recently

Three Percent Rule — thanks to Asher for having me!

THREE PERCENT RULE

Building Brand Community with Sprezza

Clayton Chambers is the sartorial mind behind Instagram account and menswear media outlet, Sprezza. Sprezza stands out among many menswear accounts because of its unique curation, focus on experiences versus products, and highly referential insights. Chambers often features menswear legends like Alex Delaney, Lawrence Schlossman of Throwi…

a year ago · Asher Salik

Drew Joiner’s Beyond the Garment pod

Loved chatting with the homie Drew about all things clothing, style, life, etc. Make sure you add this pod to your favorites. He interviews some legit people every season!

New England having its style moment

We all know that NE is home to America’s most bangin’ brands, from Sperry and JPress to Rancourt and the almighty Leon Leonwood Bean.

And despite the region’s heritage for prep and outdoors, there’s a fun new wave of designers and brands putting their own spin on Northeastern vibes, and I’m here for that. Here are three of my favorites right now… let me know other brands you’re loving too!

Manresa

We’re all familiar with the homie Mike from Manresa and the brand he’s built around the New England outdoors. Mike is just an authentic guy who makes fucking great clothing. From his Detroit-style Bittner coat to the Osyterman roll-neck sweaters, he perfectly blends workwear with wearability across different genres.

He’s also launching Bluehorse MFG next week, his spin on American-made basics. I am very amped about this.

Slow Process

Up in Burlington, Vermont, we’ve got Sam from Slow Process. Sam is someone I respect and admire. Reflective on his brand name, he’s taking the methodical, slow approach to brand building, where he makes everything you see on his website.

On top of that, I enjoy the way he documents the process and journey, inviting you into his world. You really get a feel for the level of detail, customization, and love he puts into his work.

DRU by Drew

Then we’ve got Drew White, the head designer and overseer of collabs at Bodega, one of America’s beloved independent retailers.

He hails from Providence, Rhode Island, and blends his New England upbringing with his personal tastes and preferences around streetwear. He launched his label, DRU by Drew, to launch his own line of products and team up with other brands on specific projects.

First up? A limited run drop with New England Shirt Company, which went live a few weeks ago, on a made-to-order basis.

Excited about future collabs this man cooks up.