A Continuous Lean

This is Nick Hilton [https://www.hiltonsprinceton.com/]. He’s someone who the real menswear people all know and respect. They also like him because he’s a pretty nice guy. If you are interested in style, clothing, and dressing well, then Nick is a good person to meet. He has an interesting story, which he details in his book A Tailor-Made Man [https://amzn.to/43pya7w]. At one point, Nick’s family had one of the world's largest American-made tailored clothing brands. Fun fact: His father gave Ralph Lauren (who worked for Norman Hilton) the seed money to start Polo. This is just one of the many interesting stories surrounding the Hilton family, which Nick chronicles so well in his book. A friend recommended A Tailor-Made Man to me, but Nick reached out to me before I could read it. We met via Zoom, and we spoke for over an hour. I was intrigued with Nick, his family, and his history in menswear. I also liked that Nick has serious opinions about dressing and doesn’t shy away from sharing them. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of things we use in our everyday lives. That’s a big part of what has driven my point of view with ACL through the years. I arrived in New York after many of these apparel manufacturers were gone, but I still could extract some of the stories about the golden years of U.S.-made clothing. I love to hear stories about the prime days of American-made suits when hundreds of thousands were made in Brooklyn and all over the Northeast. Having guests like Nick on the podcast to tell some of these stories is important to me. If you read his book, you’ll understand that era even better. Until then, I hope you enjoy our conversation. Below are two ads from the Norman Hilton natural shoulder glory days. The ACL Podcast is meant to be a companion to the newsletter. You can listen in the Substack App, on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-continuous-lean/id1529498509] or via Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2jvxa6g5ShOQ9cpnYLeXQ9?si=k7kUIJPdRcahPh_1sWE8Fg&nd=1] directly if you prefer that. If you like this story, please consider subscribing and sending it to a friend. As always, I appreciate your support. Big thanks to Al James for lending me his music. The song is Hard Working Dogs by Dolorean. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe [https://www.acl.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

We catch up after a long month away. I talk about Los Angeles, then we get to our usual programming of sad fandom, the Pitti clown show and fishing trips. Hope you like it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe [https://www.acl.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.acl.news [https://www.acl.news?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7]

One of the great joys in life is finding a hobby which involves travel. To play tennis in Italy, go fly fishing in Argentina or play golf in South East England (as I am doing this week) is a wonderful prism in which to meet people and see the world. Over the past several years I’ve traveled with The Fliers Club [https://www.thefliersclub.com/]to incredible places that I would have not likely experienced. The discovery of this group has been such an inspiration for me that I wanted to talk to Founder Eric Stepanian about his perspective on travel and golf. Most importantly I wanted to talk about how they have built such an amazing community. Happiness in golf was easy to find, but it was harder to find people who share the same values around the game. Some might not realize just how nuanced golf can be or how it can open up space in your life for happiness via competition, camaraderie and travel. No one has taught me more about the possibilities in golf than Eric. We chat about travel, life, etiquette, merch, and celebrating the ancillary benefits of golf. Hope you enjoy our conversation. The ACL Podcast is meant to be an add-on to the newsletter. You can listen in the Substack App, on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-continuous-lean/id1529498509] or via Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2jvxa6g5ShOQ9cpnYLeXQ9?si=k7kUIJPdRcahPh_1sWE8Fg&nd=1] directly if you prefer that. If you like this story please consider subscribing and sending to a friend. As always I appreciate your support. Big thanks to Al James for lending me his music. The song is: Hard Working Dogs by Dolorean. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe [https://www.acl.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Kevin McLaughlin is the owner of the beloved New England heritage brand Quaker Marine [https://quakermarine.com/] and the co-founder of J.McLaughlin [https://www.jmclaughlin.com/]. He’s a no nonsense New Yorker with an intimate knowledge of the nuts-and-bolts of making clothes. I would have a hard time finding someone more involved in the history of garment manufacturing in New York. It’s a delight to be able to chat and learn from him. When I meet someone like Kevin, my mind starts to race with questions. He’s seen a lot when it comes to making clothes and manufacturing in America. Every year the footprint of New York clothing-makers continues to shrink as factories close. Even in my short time working in the business things have continued to get noticeably smaller. Conversations with guys like Kevin help to preserve some of the history of the garment industry and give it a place in the dialog of today. These stories are but a small tribute to the hard working people of the trade, past and present. I hope you enjoy our conversation. The ACL Podcast is meant to be an add-on to the newsletter. You can listen in the Substack App, on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-continuous-lean/id1529498509] or via Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2jvxa6g5ShOQ9cpnYLeXQ9?si=k7kUIJPdRcahPh_1sWE8Fg&nd=1] directly if you prefer that. If you like this story please consider subscribing and sending to a friend. As always I appreciate your support. Big thanks to Al James for lending me his music. The song is: Hard Working Dogs by Dolorean. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.acl.news/subscribe [https://www.acl.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]