Hollywood’s Premiere Tailor Is Coming to a Screen Near You

If you’ve seen an impeccably tailored suit on the red carpet in the past year, chances are Patrick Henry, aka Fresh, was probably behind it. As one of the driving forces behind the dapper rebranding of the NBA in the last decade, Fresh made a splash with his vibrant menswear on basketball stars such as Dwyane Wade and Draymond Green.

Athletes aren’t the only ones to be enticed by the dynamic look of his label, Richfresh, either. With a hand in everything from the crimson and black number The Weeknd sports in his “Heartless” video to the color-blocked fits actor-producer Lena Waithe wore during the press tours for Boomerang and Queen, and Slim, Fresh is the midst of a moment that’s been a long time coming. “I was confident that I would get here,” he shared on the phone from Los Angeles. “I’m one of those people who makes things happen, and whenever I’ve put a certain amount of energy into something, it has always happened.”

It is rare for an independent label to gain such traction without going the traditional route of editorial placements and runway collections. Still, Fresh has managed it admirably. The move from taking custom orders in Memphis to running a thriving business in Los Angeles is the stuff fashion dreams are made of. Perhaps that’s why Fresh’s story is headed to a small screen near you. His new series Fresh Dressed, is soon to be released on Quibi, the recently launched short-form video platform.

Fresh’s introduction to fashion came during his early teens, after an attempt to impress a classmate went woefully wrong. “She told me that girls like guys who dress nicely, and I didn’t,” he says with a laugh. Rather than let the rejection get to him, he decided to upgrade his wardrobe and learn more about the history of style. What followed was the glow up of the century. “I taught myself how to sew after that conversation. I read Ralph Lauren’s biography and Calvin Klein’s. I thought fashion was going to be my saving grace,” he says. “After all the information I took in, I was the best-dressed kid in school.”

The experience stayed with him, and after a stint at university and a series of unfulfilling day jobs, he decided to try his hand at tailoring full time. “After I was fired from a job, my ex-wife encouraged me to try doing something that I enjoyed,” says Fresh. “At the time, I was 21 and living in Memphis, so the idea of having a tailoring company seemed more logical than starting a brand, and I wanted to be the best.” His dedication earned him a loyal clientele and the business soon became profitable. Still, Fresh wanted to see if he could push things further. “I felt like I had this power. I had been a nerdy self-conscious kid and fashion helped me feel confident, like I could walk into any room and hold my own,” he says. “So, I wanted to find a way to do that for as many people as possible.”

Fresh, Hollywood’s Premiere Tailor, is Coming to a Screen Near You

To make that dream a reality, Fresh packed his bags and headed to Los Angeles in early 2013. Initially working for Zegna as a tailor, he found being in the epicenter of celebrity culture inspiring. “I started calling myself a celebrity tailor, I knew that I could perform consistently on that level and the [title] draws attention,” he says. “I began to carry myself differently; I changed my Instagram profile to say that, then stylists and publicists started reaching out to me. They asked who I had worked with in the past, and I’d say I was private, but I didn’t have any celebrities back then. I was bullshitting!”

The gambit wouldn’t have worked if Fresh didn’t have the talent to back it up. His signature aesthetic—clean lines, unexpected color combinations, and a focus on fit—sets him apart, bridging the gap between the dandy, fashion-forward aesthetic of Gucci and Thom Browne and the more straight-laced classicism of Berluti. Each suit is laced with personality— and that’s precisely what drew in Quibi’s head of content acquisition, Jim Toth. While working as a talent agent at Creative Artists Agency, Toth, who also happens to be the well-dressed husband of Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, had a made-to-measure appointment with Fresh that evolved into a pitch meeting. “He came in, we made him some suits and track pants, and he just went nuts,” says Fresh. “Two months later, he told me he was leaving CAA and taking a new job with this app Quibi. I went to drop off some clothes at his home one day, and I walked in, asked him how things were, and said we needed to talk about doing a show.”

Fast-forward several months and Fresh is among the platform’s starting lineup, a move that should introduce his work to a brand new audience. “[The show] is a day in the life,” he says. “I’m going to be doing things and leading this rockstar lifestyle while dealing with these rockstar clients and getting real. It’s less tailor and client and more like good friends who’ve known each other for a long time.” Fresh is now looking to find ways to give back, having recently set up Henry Mask Co., a service offering reusable, washable protective gear, “Now it’s [about] trying to find ways that we can focus on what’s going on in the world,” he says. “We’ve been fortunate and blessed, so now it’s time to take some of our mental energy and do something for the people who need it.” With one mask donated to healthcare workers and families in need for every piece sold, he's on the path to do just that.

Originally Appeared on Vogue