We were lucky to catch up with Austin Roberson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Austin, appreciate you joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I’ve managed my own content since I started Instagram. I was posting simple videos and pictures of my outfits. I would collaborate with my photographer friends to get better than phone picture quality for my page. I’ve always done it by myself for simplicity sake, but also because I’m still learning out to communicate with other creatives about my vision. Recently, I started a collective with my good friends Matthew Miller (@sunflowerman), Franklin Moss (@quite_frank), and Jordan Smith (@jrdn.smith) and we all get together to create local content based around Fort Worth. We’ll focus on local coffee shops and get some creative shots to draw interest to those places and also grow our personal reach within the area. Of course it’s based around menswear, but we use that to bring the eyes to great businesses.

I think you’re stronger together than apart. The difficult aspect to that is finding the right people whom you share the same vision on. I’m blessed to share that with these men. We’ve made some pretty cool content and are trying to reach bigger audiences in order to help put Fort Worth on the map in the menswear community. Consistency is key, but making sure you’re truly using your voice and what you want to say and not just copying others.

It doesn’t take much. I just have a simple stand and I use my iPhone 15 Max Pro and understand the right lighting to give a clear view of what you’re sharing. It’s fun and you’ll only get better at it with repitition.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a custom clothier and business partner at The Man’s Shop here in Arlington, Texas. I got into this industry due to growing up being bullied. I knew I needed a change in order to shift the way I viewed myself. I found that there was a power to clothing and that was something more men (Especially in America based on how most men dress themselves) should consider.

I consider myself a linguist because I teach men how to speak with their clothing. I use my social media pages to help men see what I am referring to and attempting to build relationships with perspective clients. I truly believe in the power of clothing and how vital it is to men’s mental health.

I have a more classic view of clothing. It was called the Golden Age of tailoring so why should that not be relevant today? Dressing well usually corresponds to some sort of celebration or occasion. I believe life is precious and we should celebrate that because it’s a gift we’re not guaranteed to continue to steward. I dress for me first and foremost. I know others like it and they appreciate it, but the compliments are appreciated yet never expected. I want people to remember that life is beautiful
and it should be communicated through our clothing to bring a smile to our faces and to others.

I am trying to grow my base in Fort Worth due to its rapidly growing population and its deep culture. I’ve collaborated with local artist, brewery/distilleries, cigar shops, business owners and friends in the area to help grow the menswear culture here in Fort Worth. People here are passionate and they’re good because there’s this essence of being Texan that we’re proud of. That reflected in our food, clothing, and relationships to one another. I’m proud to be a part of it and grow with this great city.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That other’s care more about themselves than they care about you. When I’m walking down the street to get a coffee in my pink three-piece suit (yes I do own one), I was worried that others would condemn me or call me some sort of name in order to insult me. Once you begin to really ponder that humans can be too self-absorbed, we realize that if someone looks at us for a second or two, they’ll forget about us five minutes later. They’ve got enough going on in their lives. What you do shouldn’t be based on what strangers, who know nothing about you, do to or think about you.

Being confident in yourself, accept your faults, and learning from your failures has been such a freeing experience to me. I know that I’ m not perfect and I don’t strive to be that way, but I am always learning and holding myself to be a student of life.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. This is because you’ve gained the trust of other clients and they want their family and friends to go to you. That is so valuable to us because we don’t take recommendations lightly. We hold them in high regard. Trust takes years to build and a moment to shatter. Social media and SEO has really allowed us to target specific areas and people so we can better showcase who we are and what we offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themansshop.com/
• Instagram: @gentlemansavenue
• Facebook: Austin Roberson & Gentlemans Avenue
• Linkedin: Austin Roberson or Gentlemans Avenue
• Twitter: Gentlemans_Ave
• Youtube: @GentlemansAve

Image Credits

n/a