Ovadia & Sons

Ever wondered why that particular piece you envisioned is never available at stores? Ever wished you could place your personal stamp on the garments you wear? 

Well, Shimon and Ariel Ovadia certainly did. Born into a family with more than 25 years of experience in the garment business, twin brothers Shimon and Ariel’s destiny was bound to fashion right from the start. Growing up in such an enriching environment, imbued them with the ability to recognize and appreciate values (fashion wise) such as style, quality craftsmanship, fit and timelessness, paving the way for their future steps.  

Tired of the many tasteless and ephemeral menswear alternatives available at the market, they set out to establish their own brand, based on the premise of producing pieces they would wear themselves…and thus Ovadia & Sons was born. Their aim? Providing customers with luxury quality pieces made from some of the best fabrics in the world, exquisitely crafted to ensure a perfect fit and timeless design. Fabrics are obtained from the finest mills in such places as Japan, England or Italy and taken back to New York where their tailors work the magic. 

I could go on and on, but who better to enlighten you about the label than its creators? I was fortunate enough to have them answer a few of my questions and here’s what they had to say:

Q: The Ovadia Family is no newbie when it comes to the clothing industry, with over a quarter of a century of experience. While growing up, did you see yourselves taking over the family business or was it something that happened later on?

A: I think that was always the plan whether we liked it or not, it was in our blood, it’s what we know and love.

Q: How challenging was it for two creative young men to enter such a competitive market? 

A: It was challenging to get things started. All of the resources were new to us - we’re starting from scratch and we had to do a lot of legwork. Our knowledge and experience helped guide us and gave us a leg up to get things going. We often get asked “What fashion school did you go to?” - we didn’t. You can’t pay money for the hands on experience we’ve had. As far as competing with some of the other guys out there we were not impressed with what we were seeing in the stores with the exception of a very select few. We felt that there was a void in the market and the clothing we wanted to wear wasn’t accessible, didn’t fit or didn’t exist and that’s how the label was born. 

Q: Your label has been all over the Internet and press in reference magazines, blogs and websites. Were you expecting this kind of exposure? What helped you put your name out there?  

A: The whole thing was very organic.I guess people were simply liking what they were seeing. We’re very lucky and thankful to have had the support and exposure that we’ve been getting from everyone. 

Q: What would you say sets Ovadia & Sons the most apart from other labels?

A: Were not trying to reinvent the wheel. Every single piece we put out is wearable - its real clothing. The fit, the quality, the design. We don’t look at what anyone else is doing or the trend of the season we just do what we like and what we feel like wearing at the time. There are no gimmicks or trends, you can wear our items today and in 20 years. 

Q: I couldn’t help but notice your amazing logo comprised of two mirrored peacocks…Was the underlying symbolism taken into account when you chose the peacock?

A: We loved animals growing up and watched a lot of animal shows and still do. We wanted to incorporate that in our logo and we came up with the peacock- its very regal and elegant. There are two since we’re twins. 

Q: Are there are statement pieces in your collection? Which do you think scream out Ovadia & Sons?  

A: We love our double breasted suits. Our sport shirts and cargo pants as well. But it’s everything as a whole that makes it.

Q: Any advice for all the men out there?

A: It’s not really my advice but I’ll pass it along - ”Always do what you love and what you believe in, I was ready to walk then and I still walk away today” - Ralph Lauren told us that , it stuck with us.

Interview answered by Shimon Ovadia out of his New York apartment. Wednesday November 10th at 7:44 am over a cup of coffee and english muffins with cream cheese. National Geographic is playing in the background. 

Some pics from their Spring Summer 2011 collection:

Neckwear alternatives: