Daniel Dele-Tunji, 33, is a menswear veteran and spirit guide to many. He’s held posts at some menswear juggernauts, like P. Johnson, Brunello Cucinelli, Stoffa and Ven.
Once Dele-Tunji finished building out Studio Raisonné’s temporary space, he’s helped many men get dressed and find their right fit. When the young entrepreneur decided to break off and start his own business, he didn’t have much trouble bringing clients on board. Dele-Tunji is as cool as they come, and a hell of a sharp dresser.
Studio Raisonné is Dele-Tunji’s holistic style consulting agency, where he helps men find their appropriate style, sell their old garments and better tailor their wardrobes to suit their ever-changing lifestyles. Last month, he hosted a pop-up in the West Village, selling a rotating selection of some of the finest archival and vintage fashion he came across while sourcing and selling for his clients. Dele-Tunji told me that this was a chance for him to perfect the future in-person experience. If you’d like to get in touch with Daniel, you can email him to arrange an appointment at info@studioraisonne.com or at his website (linked above).
Once he finished building out that space, I visited him to peep what he had for sale and chat about the pop-up, what he’s currently interested in menswear-wise and the one American designer that he credits with giving The Row its successful blueprint.
Christopher Fenimore: Talk to me about why you started Studio Raisonné.
Daniel Dele-Tunji: I came back to New York, lucked up working for Cucinelli. At the time, this was the beginning of Casa Cucinelli. I got to implement a lot of that knowledge of maker and hospitality provider while engaging with that high-net-worth individual. I realized that the consumption of clothes was at its peak at that price point and that that client needed a lot of not only hand-holding on how not to be wasteful, and also, for that clothing to continue to live a second life. When I came up, I wasn’t super wealthy. I wasn’t buying a lot of clothes at retail. I was buying a lot of clothes off of eBay, as I still do, or on Yahoo! Japan, finding things that way. Studio Raisonné is my answer to how guys are going to shop in the next 10 to 15 years. I think most gentlemen are going to be able to see that there are so many things made exceptionally in the world, that they need some variation of editing. That editing is what we do at Studio Raisonné. You tell us what it is that you do and how you like to live your life and how you want to present yourself in that world, and we dissect that in as many ways as possible. Then, we present garments on a seasonal or quarterly basis and allow you to work through them so you’re not looking through the entire world of garments. You’re looking through a really sharp edit of garments that you’ve not told an AI to [present]. You’ve told an actual person — one that you can engage with. “I tried it on. It didn’t fit the way I was hoping to. Let’s actually try something else.” That Bergdorf [Goodman-style] personal shopper experience was really just for the one percent. This is meant to be for the everyday entrepreneur that is as busy as they’ve ever been and need and want to present themselves in a way that’s cooler than they ever did before.
And what’s the deal with this space you’re working in now?
As we build wardrobes, many of those garments stay in the wardrobes, but many do not. We believe a lot of those don’t deserve to be returned to the vendor, [which is a] hard process. We would like those garments to stay within that collection. In our collection, we choose to consign some of those and create a little bit of a feedback loop for the client, which is nice because clients are not wasting money all the time. They don’t feel like they’re only spending. They’re also seeing their garments go to another home and have a second life. It also creates that opportunity for the client to clear things out of their wardrobes in order to purchase more things. What we have today is Collection Three, all things pre-fall minded, in our West Village space. So, lots of Dries [Van Noten], lots of The Row, and lots of the things that we’re used to: Comoli, Visvim, Chimala, those sorts of Japanese brands, but the difference is in how we put things together, which is a bit more tailored than what we’re normally getting with these brands. How do we position them in a way that feels holistic?
We’re in shoulder season right now. What are you reaching for? What kind of footwear are you wearing? Has anything changed as we go into the fall for you?
Hell yeah. It’s kind of funny that you ask that because today I think is the perfect version of this late summer day where it was a cool morning, it was a little rainy, it didn’t really reveal that it was going to be [this warm and sunny] until about noon. But you had to be prepared for it. So, I wore merino. I’m wearing a lot of merino. This is probably my third day in a row either wearing merino wool or cotton and silk. This summer has been about a lot of silk. The rain and the unpredictability. Adding silk lends a nice bit of formality to something that can sometimes feel a little sloppy. Linen and silk have been really nice for me, but then today I’m in merino and silk, which feels a little bit lighter, a little bit slipperier on the skin. In the morning, I need a layer, but in the afternoon when the sun’s come out I feel a little bit cooler, a little bit insulated. That’s been the vibe.
What’s your most recent pickup?
Two really beautiful silk shirts from P. Johnson. I got one in ivory and then another in a gray reverse stripe, my favorite stripe. Big ass chest pocket, really, really oversized fit, big beautiful collar, and those have been the shirts I’ve been leaning on for the summer. Just wear that over a tank, wear that over a white T-shirt. It can take all three levels of the summer day.
Is there anything you’re on the hunt for?
Khakis. Really sick, sexy khakis. We just got a pair of The Row men’s cotton silk chinos in the collection, and they’re fucking gorgeous. I swear to God if they weren’t a 31, I really would have [bought them for myself]. That’s the mood right now — a pair of true chinos in a sandy brown or taupe. Khakis and a white T-shirt! I’m also very much vibing [on something] red. I don’t know what it’s going to be. In my head it sounds too far out for me. It’s probably going to be a Saman Amel silk V-neck in red.
Is there one piece you regret selling or giving away?
Yes, I often sell my most favorite things because if I don’t then I’ll keep them and that’s not my job. Recently I had the wool-silk mock neck from Stoffa in fig. I sold it to one of my favorite clients and he’s currently wearing it right now in some pictures and yeah, I mean, just a little bit of chill in the air this morning. I was like “Fuck, you know what would slap so hard right now?” I don’t regret it because he’s getting off good fits with it.
Is there anything you’ve learned about dressing for your build or your complexion that you can share?
Don’t be afraid of the trouser waist being a little big. [All kinds of guys] go, “Oh wow, that trouser waist is too big so the pants don’t fit.” Coming from the tailoring world, it’s about the seat first. You can fix the waist. Even with my casual pants, I tend to wear the seat and waist bigger and then cinch them in with a belt. I like the frame that that can create. I also like the comfort that creates, so don’t be afraid of the trouser waist being a little big.
I have a big ass and I need a bigger waist size to accommodate it.
The seat, the rise, the thigh, those things move together. It’s just better to have a bigger trouser. I’m not saying if you’re a 32 wear a 38 but my waist measures at a 33 and I wear a 36.
Can you give me one all-time favorite brand and one new brand to watch?
That’s a hell of a question. I don’t think this is a brand you’re gonna die on a hill over but it’s one that I come back to all the time: Calvin Klein. I am maybe the world’s largest proponent of American luxury. An American brand can make everything in Italy and it can still be American by the very nature of the [products it makes]. When you look back at Calvin Klein [from the ‘90s to] ‘01, you see all of the nodes that are now what we are presenting as American luxury in The Row. Treat cashmere like this super casual thing but it’s this very refined idea. Put silk into a lot of things that don’t necessarily need it like an M65 or a pair of cargo pants. Make a hoodie really, really, really beautiful. Make an all-black thing in all of the fabric that you would never consider it in but then sell it separately so it never feels like this one whole black concept. Calvin did a lot of those ideas and he did them very, very well. Yes, the brand is something else now but I think the original idea is still very, very good.
One brand to watch is Salon C. Lundman. Everything about Christophe Lundman’s vibe and mind reminds me very much of Calvin Klein from 20 years ago. He’s like, “I want to make it right. I want to make it beautiful. I don’t give a fuck. I’m gonna add a quirk and you’re gonna have to deal with it.” Every time I see the little cuff or the little collar or the double collar on the shirts, he’s pushing people that want to dress boring — because these are boring clothes, you can’t wear them fun — but he’s pushing that person in the most fun way they could possibly be pushed.
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