Tailor to NFL stars dishes his fashion secrets
When they're on the field, NFL stars aren't given too many options to make a fashion statement. But when game time is over, their style is more eclectic.
And Tom Marchitelli is the tailor who hundreds of athletes go to for the cut that fits them the best.
Marchitelli, the founder of Gentleman's Playbook, has made thousands of custom suits for professional athletes, including 210 NFL players.
His one-of-a-kind style, from traditional colors to eye-popping creations like Joe Burrow's black and white tiger-striped suit that he wore during last year's Super Bowl, has put him in high demand.
"I push the envelope because I know that my guys have the personality and the guts to pull off the most loud ones, because I truly believe, no matter how bold the print, it can be pulled off when it's tailored perfectly," Marchitelli told ABC News.
The tailor started as a hedge fund accountant, but self-taught how to tailor suits after catching the fashion bug.
"I always wanted to be in a custom-tailored suit," he said. "I just fell in love with the process of seeing these elaborate prints in these bold colors that I knew myself no one else was wearing."
Eventually, Marchitelli began to create his own suits and show them off on social media. His work caught the attention of many interested customers, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The two had met years earlier and he became a regular customer. Marchitelli made a specialized suit for Prescott for the 2020 NFL Honors awards that he called his favorite among the suits he has made.
"Because of the color, because of how he wore it, because of the location -- we were in Miami - everything was perfect," Marchitelli said.
He said he partners with a Los Angeles-area company to get every suit tailored with pinpoint precision. Marchitelli added he personally interacts with each client, including big-name athletes like Rob Gronkowski, for whom Marchitelli created a suit for a Super Bowl within 24 hours.
New York Giants lineman Ben Bredeson recently ordered a suit from Marchitelli and said he was impressed with the cut.
"I've seen his logo around the locker room and it's all been great stuff," Bredeson told ABC News. "I wanted something I could wear multiple times, different events and obviously for games."
Marchitelli said he's already preparing quick turnarounds throughout the playoffs.
"I have about 72 hours to execute each one of those plans, because whoever wins this weekend, I get to start cooking up ideas," he said.
