In addition to the pride we take in our unique title of America’s Oldest, a claim we staked by remaining 100% American Made, every day, since our founding 137 years ago, we take great pride in our Cleveland, Tennessee home. Born here, raised here, and rescued here three years ago by Cleveland’s most successful native son, we remain as proud of where our business is located as we are of the people who make it hum.
Proof positive of that pride is how, where, and with whom we conduct our photoshoots. Yes, we craft world-class product that we proudly put up against the finest British and European makes. Yes we scour the world to find the best materials from the world’s most famous fabric mills, most renowned button-makers, etc. to create the best value for our growing number of customers. Yes, we are indeed growing up and out.
But as global as our R&D process is, and as broad as our national Sales footprint continues to stretch, we remain firmly rooted in our hometown: a small, proud, working class city the likes of which used to dot every state in our nation, back when more companies shared our belief in the importance of American Made. In principles over profits.
That hometown pride, and our commitment to investing in what matters, informs our Marketing in every sense. We do all our photography right here in Cleveland; our models are our employees. We don’t spend thousands of dollars flying to far-flung locations, showcasing high-priced professional models. We couldn’t if we wanted to. But we also want what we do to mean more than that.
We focus on a more important goal: keeping Americans working, and building American industry in America, with Americans. We aim to capture what often feels like a forgotten and overlooked beauty of our country’s factory towns and the places and spaces many of us grew up in and around: the drive-in burger joint, the local bowling alley, the county fairgrounds. Small scale local businesses.
We showcase the beauty of Made in America: from fashion to food, from milkshakes to motorcars. We can’t give you glitz and glamor, but we proudly give you our heart and soul. And that heart and that soul are captured in our shoot locations featured in this space, and in our model/colleagues who represent those for whom our products are built: the hardworking, discerning everyman. Come along for the ride…
SHAKE SHACK (the original; Cleveland, TN, est 1959)
Long before a certain big city chef co-opted the name and reignited the ‘trend’ of well-made American comfort food (when did that ever really go away?!), Cleveland’s own Shake Shack established itself as a dining destination of legendary proportions for generations of Tennesseans. A favorite night time destination for preening teenagers, automobile enthusiasts (in its 60s heyday, "The Shak" was like a veritable car show on any given Saturday night), and outdoor adventurers refueling along their way home from hiking/rafting/biking trips throughout the river valley, the look is straight out of a Happy Days set, and just as deliciously nostalgic. Except it’s not a ‘look’ crafted from focus group feedback to capture the spirit of 50s Americana – it’s legit. Like Hardwick, a true original, and we are proud to have shot models and colleagues (and brothers) Will and Bailey Jones (company executives and themselves Cleveland born and bred) here, rocking our impeccable H-Tech 590 performance wool suits, flanking our Chairman’s custom ’68 Dodge Charger, itself a fine example of the unbeatable beauty and enduring appeal of Made in America craftsmanship. A perfect way to launch our new branding.
CLEVELAND SPEEDWAY (Cleveland, TN, est 1954)
There is nothing more Southern than dirt track racing, and nothing more Cleveland than our own legendary dirt track. Opened by pioneering Southern racer Lee Johnson back in the mid-50s, the Speedway was a regular weekend hotspot for the families and motorheads of southeast Tennessee for generations. A popular regional proving ground for young drivers coming up through the ranks and diehard old outlaws committed to the Late Model life, this iconic local spot oozes Southern soul. Like some of its most legendary race cars, and celebrated drivers to boot, it has taken on some dents and traded more than its share of paint over the years, but that character is exactly what comes through in its environs: the crooked wooden grandstand, the Press Box that looks as if someone hit the pause button at the checkered flag of its last race, a snack bar that still smells of popcorn and fryer oil despite being defunct for nearly two years at this point. This place IS the South of our youth. And thus a perfect backdrop for our Fall ’17 collection, featuring Human Resources head Donnie Upshaw and Network Services Director Pete Tuttle, showcasing beautiful seasonal tweeds and plaids that will launch online in October. Sign up for our Emails to stay on top of all new releases and special programs and promotions.
CREEKRIDGE ESTATE (Cleveland, TN)
Few things capture the unique beauty, and marriage of muscle and finesse like vintage American made automobiles. And few collections of these impressive machines can rival that of our Owner and Chairman. Housed in a museum-like garage on the grounds of his Creekridge Estate, the collection features some of the most iconic American made automobiles in history, each with a special tie in to our Owner himself, along with other legendary makes form all over the world. But the focus is his first love - the American Made classics of his youth.
From a 1963 Studebaker Avanti (the sleek flagship car of the “new” Studebaker that was designed to rival the upstart Corvette and usher in a new era for the legacy car maker, echoing his own acquisition of Hardwick in 2014, and its subsequent, and more successful, transformation into its current world class modern iteration), to a 1963 Corvette Stingray (in a rare navy blue with cream leather interior and iconic split rear window – our Chairman’s first Holy Grail car), to a 1969 Camaro Z28 (the first car our Chairman drove in high school, right here in Cleveland), to a 1970 Challenger (a true monster car in Day-Glo green with a frightening 426 Hemi engine and pistol grip shifter, which terrorized the straightaways in its heyday). And many more.
These cars represent the finest of American design and craftsmanship and are enduring testaments to the unrivaled value of American Made products. Our tailored clothing is made with this mantra in mind, and is a perfect complement to the undeniable beauty and heirloom quality make of these iconic autos. Cleveland is a car-mad town, and the Creekridge Collection echoes that obsession, and captures it in its utmost. Wearing with pride our Fall ’17 seasonal product as well as our award-winning navy blazers and khakis at Creekridge are Will and Bailey Jones, along with Head of Product Rob Pierce and VP of Marketing Chris Fleming; the latter two of whom are still catching their breath from witnessing such an incredible (and incredibly loud, in many cases) display of automotive history all under one roof.
