Clothier keeps politicians in style
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. ABC-7 News anchor Leon Harris. Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele. Prince George’s Council Chairwoman Camille Exum. But his custom clothing business, Kustom Looks in Lanham, isn’t a franchise, or a high-traffic store in a glitzy shopping plaza. It’s a two-man operation in a studio apartment-size boutique in a business park along the Beltway, that, by word of mouth, has become the place Prince George’s politicians and entrepreneurs go to look good. ‘‘In the end, nobody wants a politician who looks like a slob,” said Asamoah, 34, sitting in his three-button, three-piece charcoal-colored wool suit with side vents. As he sees it, Kustom Looks is satisfying a craving in Prince George’s County for high-end clothing. As any frustrated booster of the county will tell you, top retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom still shun Prince George’s County. But that loss has been Asamoah’s gain. He started his business less than two years ago, in his bedroom. Sales have soared since, from about $75,000 in 2005 to $250,000 last year. He’s shooting for $600,000 by the end of this year, and $1 million by the end of 2008. ‘‘Fashion is something that’s prevalent in African American society. We like fashion,” said Asamoah, who moved the business to Lanham in early 2006. ‘‘Why the high-end companies have ignored this county is for them to explain, but we fill a void.” So Prince George’s professionals who want upscale clothes, but don’t want to go to Tysons Corner or Wisconsin Avenue, go to Asamoah. His suits run from $685 to $2,000, and on average are a few hundred dollars less than comparable suits at larger retailers, Asamoah said. Councilwoman Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Seat Pleasant showed up Friday afternoon to pick up a sharp new blue gabardine suit for herself that had just come in from Bangkok, where the Kustom Looks clothing is made. Exum’s aide, Kendal Gray, was there to pick up something for himself too. ‘‘Oh, gangsta’!” Asamoah said, joking with Exum while she tried on her new acquisition. Exum smiled. Asamoah also put together the suits for County Executive candidate Rushern Baker during the primary campaign. He’s been sizing up state Sen. Anthony Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington since he started. He’s fitted former NFL running back Brian Mitchell as well as sports commentator Rick ‘Doc’ Walker. Lt. Gov. Brown, who lives in Mitchellville, is a new customer, but devoted his inaugural wardrobe to Asamoah’s attire last month. Brown said he wore a black tux with a three-button jacket and a six-button vest for the gala, and a traditional blue suit for the swearing-in. ‘‘I was in Kwab fashion on Inauguration Day,” Brown said. ‘‘He’s very responsive, very attentive. A good clothier.” ‘Attentive’ puts it lightly. As the name implies, Kustom Looks is a build-your-own type of place. Customers walk into the hideaway in the Treetops office building and go through a step-by-step sizing process, where Asamoah and his business partner, Wylace Liggon, check posture, shoulder type and other physical intricacies. The customers pick the fabric, the color, the pocket type, the collar type, so that practically every suit is individualized. His 3,000 fabric samples and patterns are stacked in dozens of postcard-size booklets next to his office for customers to leaf through. ‘‘You feel that you’re kind of tucked away. Nobody knows that you’re in here. You get stuff with your man inside,” Liggon said. ‘‘It’s hard to go back to the store once you’ve had something made for you.” But it’s the finishing touches that make Kustom Looks unique, Asamoah explains. He compares the extra features to those in a luxury car. Each client’s name is stitched into the inside of the jacket. The suits come with pockets for business cards, pockets for BlackBerry devices and cashmere collars. Asamoah hopes to expand his business throughout the region, and plans to open a second location within two years. Although he presents himself as a veteran haberdasher, Asamoah is new to this. He studied physics at Morgan State, and did computer-consulting work before opening Kustom Looks. But he was tempted by entrepreneurship when he was doing sales and marketing for AmWay during and after college. He did ‘OK,’ he said. Good enough to buy a 32-acre farm in Brandywine, which he rented out for parties and concerts. He’s still in entertainment, in a sense. He plans to put on a fashion show this week with models from Bowie State University for a county government-sponsored Black History Month event in Upper Marlboro. And he’s preparing for the upcoming D.C. Fashion Week, a regional fashion show in the District. He’s certain Kustom Looks will be the smallest player there. No matter. ‘‘Smallest, poorest – we’re gonna kick their tail, though,” Asamoah said. ‘‘We’re gonna destroy ‘em.” E-mail Judson Berger at jberger@gazette.net.
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