What does a suit represent to you?

Power, ostentation, masculinity, primacy, exclusivity, and oppression: all subjective views of a garment that once was a simple, common uniform for the working class. But now suits have been seemingly hijacked by the wealthy, elite members of society or those who operate the “system of control.” In this text, we unfold the good, bad, and ugly facets of this phenomenon to discuss what role suits serve in society and what they mean to us at Franco Uomo.

Composed by Alec Hattan for Franco Uomo
Fashion Philosophy by Matthew Mountford
Photography by Geremy Magbanua

OneRow, a bustling boulevard capped with penthouses and luxury suites towering over its lavishly curated streets, stands as one of Silicon Valley’s most attractive districts. For some, it’s a family playground and for others, it’s a great place to impress a date. Whether it be executives staying at Hotel Valencia or passersby from the many surrounding restaurants, Franco Uomo is used to seeing an incredibly wide range of visitors, and we have learned that it’s near-impossible to determine who is who.

One thing remains clear, though: the remarks of those passing by who feel that our luxury store is grandstanding amongst the public. There seems to be a notion that Franco Uomo radiates some sort of intimidating opulence which puts our clientele above the rest of the crop. There are certainly more expensive stores in Santana Row or Valley Fair, but “Power Suits” like ours won’t be found at these superbrands like Versace or Prada. And what you surely won’t find is our authentic craftsmanship and devout attention to the individual. It’s this dissonance that begs us to explain what exactly it is we are doing behind the windows at Franco Uomo.

Inherent Dignity vs Useful Dignity

To continue, we need to ask what exactly “dignity” is -- that is, human dignity -- and what happens when it becomes lost. This is tricky, for history has unfortunately shoehorned the concept of dignity into meritocratic value. Rather than being a metric of value, dignity is that special value humans wield for their mere existence -- for their perseverance through the turmoils and troubles of life.

Dignity is to demonstrate a full, comprehensive understanding of self-worth and self-respect. It’s to grasp the inherent value weaved into human life and all the fruits sowed from it, and as Victor Frankl emphasized in his moving memoir, A Man’s Search for Meaning, such dignity radiates through all of mankind.

Frankl, however, continues to shed light on the sorry misconception of this inherent value, saying,

“Today's society is characterized by achievement orientation, and consequently it adores people who are successful and happy and, in particular, it adores the young. It virtually ignores the value of those who are otherwise, and in so doing blurs the decisive difference between being valuable in the sense of dignity and being valuable in the sense of usefulness.”

When Dignity Fails…

Thinking of dignity as a measurement of value is a dangerous misjudgment that can be traced to the roots of every injustice suffered by man. As Frankl points out, it is only through the stripping of the dignity of European Jews that the Nazis were able to justify extermination. Likewise, it is only through the degradation of race that an economic system can be built on slavery and the exploitation of the poor.

“If one is not cognizant of this difference and holds that an individual’s value stems only from his present usefulness, then, believe me, one owes it only to personal inconsistency not to plead for euthanasia along the lines of Hitler’s program, that is to say, “mercy” killing of all those who have lost their social usefulness, be it because of old age, incurable illness, mental deterioration, or whatever handicap they may suffer.”

Dignity here becomes not just a value but rather the lens that confronts and inherently contests the treatment that mankind has historically shown to inflict unto itself. It is the tension between our failure to uphold respect and the creativity in which we persevere our suffering.

“Our generation has become realistic,” Frankl adds, “for we have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord’s Prayer or the Shema Israel on his lips.”

Dignity of the Western Individual

At Franco Uomo, this struggle is woven deeply into the core values of the company as a result of David Shuja’s, C.E.O. of Franco Uomo, history.

When Soviet Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979 during the Cold War, they marched through the Helmand Province known as “Little America,” a development project funded by USAID to combat the growing Soviet Union’s influence in the country. Born and raised in this haven of American privilege, David and his brothers wore American suits, drove American cars, attended western-style schooling, and lived in a diverse community with people from around the world. For the residents, this standard of living and the individual freedoms it afforded were intertwined. But for the Soviets, this dignity for the individual was a threat to the conformity that Communism employs to command power.

“Our suits became the symbol of our protest,” recalls David Shuja. “They harassed us and tried to beat me into submission. And if I didn’t join them in fighting against my own people, they would have forced me to go to college in the U.S.S.R. to be indoctrinated.”

It was here where David opted to flee from the degradation and humiliation he faced from the Soviets and leave his country towards Pakistan, staring down death as he weaved his way through minefields and percussive gunfire in the Soviet-controlled territories lining his path. But through his determination he eventually arrived in Pakistan, finding safety in their UN/US Refugee Program. They funded his travel to San Fransisco, California, where he brought with him the tragic understanding of Victor Frankl’s meditations on human nature.

Finding “The Art of Style”

As David sought stability in his new American life, finding success in both schooling and fiscal responsibility thereafter, he was constantly dogged by the prospect of restoring the dignity he, his family, and all the other Afghanis in Little America were once given. Together, with his father and brother, they decided to take up this challenge by opening a family-owned menswear company in Silicon Valley, for the menswear they donned back in Little America was exactly how the Soviet soldiers distinguished them from the rest of the Afghanis.

To David, Franco Uomo is his link to both his tragic past and beautiful future. Through focusing on catering to each individual’s needs and striving to help them see their full and inherent beauty, he has embedded into the company his family’s goal to imbue the same sense of dignity he found in Little America. Franco Uomo was founded with the goal of lifting people up, much like the Americans lifted David and the other Afghanis in the Helmand Province up.

At Franco Uomo, suits are not a means of fitting into the affluent nature of Santana Row because suits are not just a simple three-piece, flashy garment; they’re a transformation. Through the art of fine colored threads and sculpted woven wool, a suit can turn what people sadly see in the mirror as “ordinary” into what they truly are: extraordinary. Stretching those cuffs out and shouldering into the crooks of a suit is reminiscent of Clark Kent in a phone booth transforming into Superman. To be a little cheesy, donning a suit is super. A flattering suit can turn a light onto the transcendental, inherent dignity that humans wield, not only making them feel dignified but also like an evolution of themselves. A suit is a means of ascension from a man into a husband, a graduate into an employee, or a refugee into an entrepreneur.

“When you look in the mirror and see yourself in a perfectly tailored suit designed and made specifically for you, the mirror becomes a window into your highest self,” says David.

For many, it is a long journey to this window. It doesn’t come cheap any sooner than it can be bought with money alone. But in this window, the individual becomes King unto Himself. In this window, his Style transcends Art and begins to Look Like Dignity.

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