We recently had the pleasure of sitting with Brandon Snower, the visionary behind the growing menswear brand Le Alfré. We picked his brain on the importance of entrepreneurship, brand building, and utilizing social media to reach and engage audiences.
Thank you for joining us. We're excited to get this interview underway and to learn more how branded Le Alfré – how you've created not only the character, but the brand, the ethos, and what the future of Le Alfré looks like.
Brandon Snower: Yeah, thanks for having me. It's really exciting to develop something new in the space of classic menswear. For a long time, at least for me, I've wanted something different. I guess that is what we are building now.
Jumping in, can you set the stage? Who is Brandon Snower?
Brandon Snower: I'm just a guy from Chicago; I went to Northwestern for school and studied organizational change. I didn't know what I wanted to do in college, and I think, like most people, I was trying to figure out what the hell I would do with my life. Finance and banking was kind of the trajectory that many of my peers went down, and it was kind of just "Oh, I'll do this because everyone else is doing it."
I landed a job in New York working in investment banking and was excited. I thought that would be my career for the rest of my life. But it turns out it wasn't. I didn't know I was going to be an entrepreneur. I had no idea I would start a clothing brand if I were to start a company. But I had this idea from being in New York, surrounded by many cool brands and people who think very differently, artistically and culturally. And I got inspired by many different things, which happens when you're in a new place.
And that's what kicked me off on this new trajectory: starting a menswear brand. I wanted to build it strategically different from other brands I had encountered as a consumer that felt stuffy and cold.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Brandon Snower: I think the 1st is "hard-working." I'm always going to work extremely hard in anything I do. Two is "observant". I like seeing things from different perspectives in different ways. And I've always enjoyed being a part of whatever is happening around me. And third, I'm very aspirational; I always set big goals. I always like a dream. I'm a dreamer, and I dream big.
You’re known to leave handwritten cards to your club members [Club Members are how Le Alfré refers to their customers], and even drop off some packages yourself. How does this add to the brand experience?
Brandon Snower: Yeah. In my experience as a consumer purchasing from brands, I never felt that those brands resonated with me as an individual. Whether that was the creative, copy, photo shoots, design, or branding – you know, who is behind the brand, crafting the story and engaging with the consumers? I was missing that.
And many guys miss that. So, as an outsider coming into the fashion industry not knowing anything like organizational structures or standard operating procedures, I've been able to think, "What is wrong with these brand experiences, and how do we [Le Alfré] do it completely differently?"
For example, if I'm in the neighborhood, why not drop off a package to a club member? Because at the end of the day, it's about the people who are purchasing the products, engaging with the brand, and being part of our community that we're [Le Alfré] building. All those little touchpoints excite them to be a part of what we've cultivated for them.
Would you mind walking us through how Le Alfré started as well as how you came up with the character of Alfré?
Brandon Snower: I wanted to start a brand that didn't give off the stuffy vibe that many other brands in the classic menswear space give off. I wanted to create something mature & sophisticated but that was also fun, playful, and cool – something that would resonate with me and many guys out there.
When I think about the brands I grew up with, many were so big and commercialized. They don't seem to care about the individual purchasing their product. For Le Alfré, we wanted to create an experience, something culturally relevant. Something that makes our club members say, "Oh wow, that's really who I am. I love the design, the fabrics, the craftsmanship." We try to do everything in a casual but elevated manner. And I think that's our differentiator. We have an intimate connection with our club members, and they can relate to us and to each other on a level that is really, really different.
What does branding mean to you?
Brandon Snower: It's absolutely everything. It is so vital to the longevity of a business. Your branding has to be so much more than your product. For one, you need to build your reputation. If your product is not perfect – or at least striving for perfection – you may get someone to buy it once, but they won't repurchase it.
So, what differentiates your brand? So many menswear brands are out there, and we all sell white button-downs, t-shirts, and hats. So, we focus on the experience and the connection with our club members. Whether through our website, emails, Instagram, TikTok, or our customer service reps, it's essential to ensure that every touch point is cohesive across every channel.
What are the three building blocks of your brand?
Brandon Snower: First, it's the quality craftsmanship of every single product we offer. We strive to produce every element as best as possible, whether it's the fabrics, the trims, or who we partner with. Every factory we work with specializes in one piece of garment.
Second, Le Alfré has a playful authenticity about it. I think being an outsider to the fashion industry has led to the brand being very casual, playful, fun, and cultural sense. We don't have to be so formal
And then the third is really having the maturity and sophistication of a cultured guy. Our brand isn't just selling products; it's understanding the different facets of life, whether that's through music, art, design, sports, or fashion.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Brandon Snower: Definitely from other brands. I think every brand looks at other brands to get inspiration, whether a photo shoot or other design. But also, I see things in movies, I see things that people are wearing on the street that are cool. Sometimes, someone's wearing something, and I'll take a picture behind them and save it because I liked how they styled it. I'm always looking at color combinations and patterns. It could be in clothes, awnings, anything. I'm constantly taking pictures, and I put them in a folder that's just like an inspiration folder of design colors and art styles from every place I travel to, whether it's Chicago, New York, Portugal, etc.
What is your cure for dealing with creative roadblocks?
Brandon Snower: I just take a break. If I can't think of something, I don't waste my time or energy trying to think about it. The answer usually hits me in random places. Like, I'll be in the grocery store, and I'll think of something, and I'll be like, "Holy **** this is, this is going to work." and then I'll just quickly write it down on my phone, and then I'll just expand on it when I get home. But once I have an idea, I do it immediately because that idea is not coming back unless I write it down.
What role did social media play in growing your brand and your business?
Brandon Snower: Social Media gives us an outlet to display who we are. There are various channels, whether that's TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn, and each channel is highly crucial to the growth of our brand. But you have to make sure you understand each channel – you must be aware of your audience on each platform and tailor your marketing. So, how I market and communicate on TikTok is completely different from Instagram, which is entirely different from LinkedIn.
TikTok is so different. It's very raw, uncut behind the scenes. Instagram is more clean and sophisticated. It's more about community building – sharing other people, our club members, retagging them on our stories, and showing our latest collections. LinkedIn is all about personal growth, failures, and learning.
Can you remember when Le Alfré started gaining traction on social media? How did you capitalize on that momentum?
Brandon Snower: It took a year of people telling me to go on TikTok because I'm just not a big social media guy, and I didn't think TikTok was for me or the brand.
But when I joined, I started sharing my story about building a company instead of just promoting the brand. So, I posted a carousel showing the journey of building the brand, including all of my mistakes, from the beginning until then. I maxed out the number of slides I could post on TikTok, which I think was 32.
I sent it to a couple of my friends, and they were like, "Dude, that's way too long. No one's going to go through all that." But I posted it anyway. And it was picking up traction, reaching 5, then 10 thousand views. I called my dad and said, "This is kind of going to blow up a little bit."
And I started to get orders coming through. And the views were increasing. Around midnight, it was up to about 250,000 views. And I thought, "No way will this hit 1 million views". But after a couple days, we landed at about 1.6 million views. I got 20,000 TikTok followers and a ton of sales. That post really blew up the brand. I worked nonstop for 3 days to fulfill those orders.
You're opening your first showroom in New York City*. You’ve operated totally online so far. What led to you opening up a physical space?
Brandon Snower: The way we've built the company is very "person to person." We're building a community, and having physical interactions and touchpoints is great. It will create an environment where club members can interact and network. People can try the gear, see the products, and hang out. And having a physical presence gives that connection we are trying to facilitate.
Do you have any other fun announcements, comments, or shoutouts you want to share?
Brandon Snower: We are opening our showroom and we are also releasing a lot of new products, which is very exciting.
A special thank you to Brandon Snower for taking the time to chat with us. We loved his insights into branding and entrepreneurship and expect even more great things from hi in the future.
Le Showroom is now open at the time of this posting. If you find yourself in New York, make sure visit Le Alfré’s brand new showroom, Le Showroom located at 28 W. 27th Street, Suite 701, New York, NY 10001.
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