Bespoke suits suggest private clubs on London’s Pall Mall and tailors on Savile Row with the royal warrant on their shop doors. But a man doesn’t have to be a millionaire or a lord to look like a million bucks. That’s the mission of Nas Laine. This May, he moved his men’s tailoring shop, NL Suits, into a space shared with 3rd Ward Jewelry and Shoo in a Historic Third Ward building, 241 N. Broadway. He promises to make any guy look good in a suit for less than $600—and to make the experience fun.
Tell me about your background.
I was born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. My father was an ambassador in London, where I went to middle school and high school and two years of college. When my father’s term ended, we didn’t want to go anywhere that wasn’t English speaking.
So you came to Wisconsin?
My mother had family in Madison. That’s what brought me here.
Before going on your own, you worked at a men’s store at Mayfair, Bachrach. Was that how you got started in the clothing business?
My mother’s profession was clothing. She was a master tailor and had her own shop. Growing up around the age of 5 or 6, I remember people getting measured. I witnessed the process of handmade clothes while growing up. After we came to Madison, my mother worked at a Bachrach store doing alterations. That’s how my job came about—that started my career in the industry of making men feel OK about accepting fashion, allowing them to define their image through custom designed suits and personalized wardrobes. I had great mentors at Bachrach who shaped my career.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
You’ve been doing NL Suits since 2011, first in Wauwatosa, then in the Third Ward next to the Kasana restaurant, and now upstairs in that same building. What sets you apart from other men’s stores?
We pride ourselves not only on the quality of our craftsmanship but on how we approach the business as a whole. It’s about building someone’s identity, not just about building their wardrobe. It has to do with knowing the client’s needs, even when the client doesn’t know them himself. A lot of men’s clothiers are almost confrontational—they give men little information and give them the feeling that they have no say. Often clients leave frustrated, spending a lot of money and regretting it before they even get the product.
How are you different?
I engage with my clients in ways that many clothiers don’t do. You have to have sensitive ears to try to find the client’s wishes and needs. You start with knowing that a client wants to look good, but maybe he doesn’t know what colors to wear, what looks good on his body. We want to educate our clients into what looks good on them by laying out all the options—fabrics, colors, styles, as well as taking 30-35 body measurements to make sure everything fits just right. Alongside our custom clothing business, our dress shirt and accessories are what defines us as stylish. I want it to be enjoyable as I help clients define their image. I want the client to be comfortable with what he’s wearing and how he looks.
The stereotype is that women care more about clothes than men.
Men do care. The difference is that guys do not address this as directly as women. Every guy wants to be the Man. You see a sharp dressed man and you don’t just walk by—you look twice. A lot of guys come in with photographs saying, “I want to look like that.” They might not know how to do it, but every guy wants to be confident and look good.
NL Suits is planning a grand opening event for September. For more information, visit nlsuits.com.
