HSS In Good Company: Alex Mroz of Goorin Bros.

I can’t think of a better way to kick off our new video series HSS In Good Company, than with my good friend, Alex Mroz, shopkeeper at the Goorin Bros. hat shop in the West Village.

Alex was instrumental in teaching me the ins and outs of quality headwear and helping me select a few hats that were perfect for my personal style when I was just dipping my toe into the hat-wearing world. Beyond that, he’s just a really great guy with a passion for menswear and style. Here’s Alex in conversation and in his own words.

“I’m originally from Chicago, Illinois. In my late 20s I took a chance and moved to Portland, Oregon. The chance paid off because one day I wandered into a hat shop that I quickly fell in love with – not having any idea about the history of Goorin Bros. nor the timing of their growth plan. They hired me, and it worked out so well that I was quickly promoted.

Living in Portland and the West Coast was a nice change of pace, but I quickly yearned for a larger city, and it just so happened we were looking to open our first New York shops in both Brooklyn and then Manhattan, and so, of course, I applied. Four and a half years ago they relocated me and I became the first Goorin Bros. employee to live in NYC. The fairy tale continues…

One of my favorite things about Goorin Bros. is that we’re still a family-owned company with a simple mission: to bring back the neighborhood hat shop and help people find a hat that is perfect for them. There is really something about the look on someone’s face when they finally see themselves in a proper-fitting hat that suits their facial shape – their reaction is just priceless when they realize they look good in hats. At our core, that’s what we’re bringing back as a company.

Goorin Bros. has a simple mission: to bring back the neighborhood hat shop.

Hats have definitely become an integral part of my personal style. The free hats help, of course, but the exposure to so many different shapes and styles has helped broadened my taste and personal aesthetic. There are so many styles I wear now that I never thought I would be comfortable with. And believe it or not, wearing hats on a daily basis has really gotten me into the habit of making sure my overall personal style is on point.

I’d describe my personal style as tailored and layered – and by tailored I don’t mean just mean suits and button downs. Whatever I am wearing has probably been altered in some way by my tailor for the best possible fit. I was fortunate enough to learn that fit is everything. Doesn’t matter if it’s a $30 henley or a three-piece made to measure suit – if it doesn’t fit your body, it doesn’t work.

I also love layering, and its potential for the mixing of colors, patterns and textures. I have fun with layering in all seasons, but fall really is the best time, especially here in NYC.

Wearing the right hat will change how people look at you and talk to you.

Though you wouldn’t know it now, hats weren’t always something I was interested in or knew a whole lot about. Like most people of our generation, I simply did not have the exposure to hats. The hat shop was not a staple of any neighborhoods I grew up in or visited. The time of the neighborhood hat shop had long since passed, but Goorin Bros. is trying to change that!

Hats are great because there is no single piece in our wardrobe that makes more of an instant statement regardless of what you are wearing. Wearing the right hat will change how people look and talk to you. It conveys confidence, culture and style without you having to say a single word.

I believe that anyone can pull off a hat – it’s just 100-percent about finding the right hat to match your personality and lifestyle. Saying you can’t pull off a hat is like saying you can’t pull off shoes.”

–as told to HSS

Want more HSS In Good Company? Well, there’s more on the way! Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel to be the first to see new episodes.

Video produced and edited by Corey Maloney. Photography by Rob McIver Photo. Shot on location at Goorin Bros., 337 Bleecker St., New York, NY.