From Burrow to Kelce, meet the man who keeps the stars suited

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From Burrow to Kelce, meet the man who keeps the stars suited

Tom Marchitelli poses with Travis Kelce, one of his approximately 404 clients across the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. Courtesy of Tom Marchitelli

Anthony Gharib, ESPN
Mar 10, 2024, 10:27 AM ET
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After the Cincinnati Bengals clinched a spot in Super Bowl LVI, Tom Marchitelli had one thing on his mind.

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“I spent the first 24 hours after he clinched the AFC title, reaching out to everyone I could. How can I get in contact with Joe Burrow?” Marchitelli told ESPN.

In 2014, Marchitelli left his job as a hedge fund accountant to become a custom menswear designer for athletes. By Super Bowl LVI, he had worked with top players such as Travis Kelce, Dak Prescott and Rob Gronkowski, tailoring his way to becoming one of the most sought-after designers in the business.

Dressing is a sport to Marchitelli, one that he’s competitive about. As he sat in the home office in his penthouse apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey, he became determined to work with Burrow.

He knew his usual strategy of direct messaging athletes wouldn’t work. He soon found out Burrow shared the same agent as Prescott, a client who owns about 150 suits designed by Marchitelli.

Marchitelli hoped that previous relationship would increase his chances of getting Burrow, and it did. His contact asked Marchitelli how soon he could get to a snowy Cincinnati.

The answer? Tomorrow.

“When I make the connection, my goal is to get in front of them as soon as possible, like the next day. Because I want to show them how seriously I take their business and the relationship,” Marchitelli said. “Some people may wait a week or whatever. No, I strike while the iron’s hot every time.”

Burrow asked if Marchitelli, who had brought a dozen different fabrics to the meeting, could make two suits instead of one. Eager to work, Marchitelli thought, “I’ll make you 10.”

Burrow wanted a black and silver striped suit along with one styled with a purple velvet. He told Marchitelli to ship both to Los Angeles where he’d be five days later. But Marchitelli wanted to ensure perfection. He returned to Burrow’s doorstep three days later for a personal fitting.

On the morning of the Super Bowl, he anxiously sat at home with no idea if Burrow would wear one of his suits. Burrow chose the now-viral black-and-silver striped suit.

“When we saw the first video of him getting on the bus, my wife and son were jumping up and down. I was relieved, to be honest,” Marchitelli said.

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Home
Draft
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From Burrow to Kelce, meet the man who keeps the stars suited

Tom Marchitelli poses with Travis Kelce, one of his approximately 404 clients across the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. Courtesy of Tom Marchitelli

Anthony Gharib, ESPN
Mar 10, 2024, 10:27 AM ET
Share
LikeLike
Open Extended Reactions
LikeFireLaugh
184
After the Cincinnati Bengals clinched a spot in Super Bowl LVI, Tom Marchitelli had one thing on his mind.

EDITOR’S PICKS

Grading the NFL offseason’s biggest moves: Baker Mayfield signing, Mac Jones trade, more
41mESPN NFL experts

NFL free agency tiers: Barnwell ranks the best WRs and DBs from most to least valuable
3dBill Barnwell

Who are the best defensive linemen on the free agent market? Barnwell stacks them in tiers
3dBill Barnwell
“I spent the first 24 hours after he clinched the AFC title, reaching out to everyone I could. How can I get in contact with Joe Burrow?” Marchitelli told ESPN.

In 2014, Marchitelli left his job as a hedge fund accountant to become a custom menswear designer for athletes. By Super Bowl LVI, he had worked with top players such as Travis Kelce, Dak Prescott and Rob Gronkowski, tailoring his way to becoming one of the most sought-after designers in the business.

Dressing is a sport to Marchitelli, one that he’s competitive about. As he sat in the home office in his penthouse apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey, he became determined to work with Burrow.

He knew his usual strategy of direct messaging athletes wouldn’t work. He soon found out Burrow shared the same agent as Prescott, a client who owns about 150 suits designed by Marchitelli.

Marchitelli hoped that previous relationship would increase his chances of getting Burrow, and it did. His contact asked Marchitelli how soon he could get to a snowy Cincinnati.

The answer? Tomorrow.

“When I make the connection, my goal is to get in front of them as soon as possible, like the next day. Because I want to show them how seriously I take their business and the relationship,” Marchitelli said. “Some people may wait a week or whatever. No, I strike while the iron’s hot every time.”

Burrow asked if Marchitelli, who had brought a dozen different fabrics to the meeting, could make two suits instead of one. Eager to work, Marchitelli thought, “I’ll make you 10.”

Burrow wanted a black and silver striped suit along with one styled with a purple velvet. He told Marchitelli to ship both to Los Angeles where he’d be five days later. But Marchitelli wanted to ensure perfection. He returned to Burrow’s doorstep three days later for a personal fitting.

On the morning of the Super Bowl, he anxiously sat at home with no idea if Burrow would wear one of his suits. Burrow chose the now-viral black-and-silver striped suit.

“When we saw the first video of him getting on the bus, my wife and son were jumping up and down. I was relieved, to be honest,” Marchitelli said.

Marchitelli’s current client total is approximately 404, spread across the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA. Chase Daniel was the first athlete he styled. In the time since, he has worked with ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe and made 30 suits for Ric Flair.

Prescott has a dedicated room to keep Marchitelli’s suits. “The gents room he calls [it],” Marchitelli said. Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jimmy Garoppolo have all been suited up by Marchitelli.

There’s no brick-and-mortar store. Instead, he works out of a home office in his penthouse apartment — he calls it the house that suits built. His suits are tailored outside of Los Angeles and his major suit mills are produced in Italy and England. The standard turnaround for a client is three weeks, but Marchitelli emphasized he can do it as quickly as two weeks, a week — or even in one day.

“I’m kind of like a store on wheels because I bring the store to you,” Marchitelli said.