We’re proud of a lot of things we do over here at Maceoo. The meticulous engineering that goes into every fit, our designs, our customer service, customization, etc etc. But without a doubt, our fabrics are something we hold close to our heart. Let’s get something straight right now, great clothes don’t exist without a great fabric. Who else is better qualified to give us a rundown of our fabric supplier than our founder and the creative brain behind Maceoo, Mehdi Raad.
I sat down with Mehdi at the (relatively) new Maceoo store in the ARIA hotel, to pick his brain on how he sourced the fabric that makes a Maceoo garment into something extraordinary. The store is filled with mementos of Mehdi Raad’s life. Lions, olive trees, bits and pieces of Americana, and graffiti cover the store. Each symbolizes an important part of his story. A big part of that story is Italy, which Mehdi called home for a period of time. I ask him what he loved most about the country.
“The clothes!” He laughs while pointing to a rack of men’s dress shirts.
“Whenever people talk about luxury, the best buttons, the best stitching, it’s always Italian. Italians suffer for their beauty. I’ve always loved that. They take fashion to another level.”
To describe Mehdi’s relationships with fabric as obsessive, is an understatement. Which is why all of Maceoo’s products are made with Italian fabrics.
“Touching a good fabric is better than touching a beautiful woman.”
Like other aspects of his business, Mehdi employs a scientific approach to fabrics and style.
“If you understand fabrics, you design better clothes. Our clothes are a combination of three things; American technology, French style, and Italian craftsmanship.”
Mehdi’s background is in engineering, and as he grabs a black dress shirt off the rack and feels the cloth, I start to see that he still very much thinks like an engineer.
“It’s fascinating, it’s similar to gemology. You have to treat fabric like something precious, like a diamond. You can hold a fabric the same way you hold a diamond and appraise it. The composition, the softness, the weight. It’s a science. ”
He calls it ‘The Touch’, as he invites me to feel the shirt he’s chosen to showcase.
“Here, feel the thread count. The higher the count the softer it is.”
Mehdi’s love affair with Italian fabrics began, as most affairs do, at a bar in Maceoo’s former home, The Ivy hotel in San Diego.
“I remember it was a Tuesday and I met a woman who told me her family had a factory in Italy that had been open since 1881. We talked for hours about our lives. I told her about my company and showed her some of my designs, the men’s dress shirts and men’s leather jackets I was working on. She loved them. We’re still great friends. Turns out her family makes fabrics for Gucci polos and Versace shirts for men. She was flying out on Thursday, and we exchanged numbers. That night I bought a one way ticket to Italy to meet her family and discuss working together.”
Just like the other cities Mehdi has called home, he speaks fondly of Italy.
“The lifestyle there is completely different. It was exciting, I had a lot of fun. I remember how beautifully everyone dressed. It’s that kind of confidence I want to bring to our customers. I want everyone who wears men’s dress shirts from Maceoo to feel like a rock star.”
Unlike other designers and owners, Mehdi is intimately familiar with the people who produce his fabrics. “They ran the factory the same way I was running Maceoo. It was a family business. That made a big impact on me. It was incredible seeing the artisanal side of fashion mix with the manufacturing side. I could tell they were really doing something unique.”
