Meet the Lawyer Who's Reviving Tailoring in Rochester
J.P. Rochester is a stylish ode to the once thriving garment town.
When Justin Perez introduced himself at an event for “The Handbook of Men’s Style,” the first thing I noticed was his suit, a sharply tailored, peak lapel number in a deep charcoal. I wasn’t the only one. In the course of the evening I watched several of the room’s well-dressed men stop Perez to inquire about the provenance of what he was wearing. Turns out the Wall Street lawyer is something of a tailoring addict, thanks to the influence of his litigator father and his hometown: Rochester, NY. Rochester was once a thriving garment manufacturing center, home to Hickey Freeman and Champion, before falling on hard times, and Perez grew up volunteering in some of those same factories (a requirement of his Catholic schooling, another influence on his style). So when it came time to try his hand at suit making himself he naturally chose to root his made-to-measure brand, J.P. Rochester, in his hometown.
I recently got on the phone with Perez to talk tailoring, Rochester’s forgotten history, and his Model No. 1 suit.
What’s your background and how did you get into tailoring?
“I’m an in-house counsel at an investment bank, that’s my day job. But my interest in menswear started during my time at law school. I started blogging during the #menswear days and over time figured out what I liked and what I was into. The Italian menswear scene was kind of taking over everything, you know, images of Pitti Uomo were all over the place. That’s when I really started to get interested. I built up a little bit of a following, nothing big, but enough to be able to work with a lot of different tailors and companies, learning the made-to-measure process.
I kind of always wanted to start something but I didn’t know what it looked like. I felt like everybody was doing something. Everybody was a tailor, everybody was starting a brand…selling ties, selling shirts. I started developing a relationship with a factory in Rochester, that’s important because I’m from Rochester. My dad only bought Hickey Freeman suits.”
Some people might not know about Rochester’s history as a garment manufacturing hub. Can you talk more about it?
“So Hickey Freeman’s a big one, right? I don’t think it’s called Hickey Freeman anymore, I think it’s called Rochester Tailored Clothing. But yeah, Rochester has a deep history of garment making and it used to be a booming economy. There was Kodak, there was Bausch & Lomb. But Kodak and Xerox kind of went south and the city dried up as well.
When you think of tailoring, I think most people that are familiar with the space and made in USA, they probably think of Southwick. Hickey Freeman was older and on par with Southwick. And then there’s this other factory, Adrian Jules, which is the factory that I have a relationship with. It’s a family-run business started by Italian immigrants. I think people would be surprised to learn that a lot of stuff is made in Rochester, New York when you see the ‘Made in USA’ label.”
Your first suit is called the Model No. 1. What’s it like?
“It’s basically a Neapolitan style, soft tailoring but with a few nods to American tailoring as well. All the suits will have a two button cuff and everything’s pretty much three-roll-two, unless somebody wants a two button or a double-breasted. So it’s kind of just mixing all these worlds, in terms of like the height of the gorge and all of these things that I’m taking into consideration.”
Ok, so say I’m ready to pull the trigger. What’s the process like?
“You send me your measurements or I measure you. Then, you tell me if you want Neapolitan or just a natural shoulder, but I’m always gonna push you to do little to no padding. It’s gonna be a three-roll-two, a slightly higher gorge, a slightly wider lapel, two flat pockets, and a ticket pocket, because I’m also heavily influenced by Ralph Lauren, as is everyone else. In terms of trousers, they’re going to be nicely fitted with a good drape, a slightly wider waistband, single pleat, and cuffed trousers. If you’re in the city, I will come to you wherever you are; I have hundreds and hundreds of swatches to go through.”
What are some of your favorites?
“I think a Hardy Minnis Fresco is just absolutely perfect for a suit. That’s the gray one I keep posting, it was actually my first sample that I had made. If I was going to ever tell anyone to get one suit, it’s always going to be a charcoal. And I would always push the Fresco because I love a little bit of texture.
I’m always partial to a Harris Tweed. In terms of my personal style, it’s pretty northeastern preppy. So anything that kind of leans into that era, like a cream and black herringbone Harris Tweed, which I am making for myself [laughs]. I have a fun little twist, actually, I was inspired by someone that was at your party.”
Oh yeah?
“I think they had a vintage Ralph Lauren, I want to say it was a corduroy blazer. It had two flap patch pockets but with a flap ticket pocket above the patch flap. I feel like I’ve only ever seen Ralph do it, so I’m assuming was a Ralph Lauren jacket. I’m definitely doing that with this one.”
How do you feel about the timing of this project now that men are rediscovering, and maybe for younger generations discovering for the first time, tailored clothing?
“It’s really interesting and lucky timing. It’s hard because my view is definitely skewed, I never wavered. When I’m in the office, I always wear a tie. And that’s something that’s just kind of been hammered into my head growing up with my dad and then through school and then all of that stuff. I just feel most comfortable when I’m in a suit, and I think you look your best. As old fashioned as that might sound, it’s still very true.
The amount of people that have come to me and asked me, ‘Where do you get your suit made?’ I’ve sent people to so many different places, and that was kind of the a-ha moment. Instead of sending you to my friends—which I’m happy to give them business and whatnot—but if you really like the way that I look, and the things that I like, and if that’s what’s interesting to you, well, why don’t I make it for you?”
