AFTER EMIGRATING FROM HAITI AND STUDYING THE FASHION INDUSTRY FOR YEARS, THIS ENTREPRENEUR AND HIS FAMILY NOW OPERATE ONE OF SOMERSET COUNTY’S MOST STYLISH, AND ITALY INSPIRED, MEN’S CLOTHING BOUTIQUES

BY JESSICA JONES GORMAN • PHOTOS BY ROBERT NUZZIE

More than 30 years ago, before Ernst Michel started building wardrobes for Bergen County businessmen, he started running a small, high end men’s boutique in the Garden State Plaza Mall.

“I knew nothing about retail and even less about fashion,” Michel said of his start in the industry. “But I was working part time in a shoe store when the owner of this men’s clothing store came in and just liked the way I waited on her. So she hired me, gave me the keys to her business, and allowed me to bring in a new staff and start fresh. Sure enough, after three years, we brought her over a million dollars in sales.”

Inspired by the success, Michel left the shop and attempted to open his own, but the concept only lasted eight months.

“I knew I wanted to be my own boss, but I was undercapitalized and simply not ready,” he recalled.

So, he took a job at Onore, another high end clothing store, before regrouping and opening a big and tall shop, which he owned and operated with his wife for several years. He then worked at Papillon in the Riverside Square Mall.

“Throughout my career, I was always learning,” Michel said. “My first employer had classic tastes and helped me achieve a good eye for buying. The second maintained a beautiful store; he brought in fresh flowers every day, played the right music, and offered every guest a glass of wine or espresso as soon as they entered. The third store I worked in offered a very high level of fashion, and that’s where I learned about the best brands and custom work. In my mind I was putting each of those aspects together and building my own concept.”
In 2004, Michel took a chance and started selling Italian business suits out of the trunk of his car.

“I had a lot of contacts, and had access to a big warehouse in New York City, so I set up a website and voicemail service and took my business on the road,” he said. “I would see clients on an appointment only basis, offering personalized service in their home or office—a service which my busy clientele appreciated.”

Michel’s business grew rapidly, and he decided to open a brick and mortar store in Somerville to better serve his clients. He called the shop Tessuto, which in Italian means “textile.”

“I did a lot of homework studying the demographics of Somerset County,” Michel said. “People thought I was crazy opening a fine Italian clothing store there, but we did unbelievably well, even better than I thought. My goal was to provide the Central New Jersey area with unparalleled service and merchandise imported from Italy.”

Offering brands like Luciano Moresco, Eton, Zanella, Italo Ferretti, Mac Jeans, and Stenstroms Shirts, Tessuto focuses on providing fine, imported menswear coupled with unparalleled personalized service. In 2010, Michel was joined in business by his sons, Asheley and Jordon

“We opened a bigger store, about twice the size of the shop we had,” Michel said. “And the kids brought the store to a whole new level. They offered new ideas and a youthful vibe that helped us stay current.”

In addition to business and casual menswear, the store offers tuxedo rentals and shoes. A tailor shop handles both in store purchases and outside work. Made to measure and shop by appoint ment services are also available.

“I love the atmosphere we’ve created here and love the relationships we’ve developed with our customers,” noted Asheley Michel, Ernst’s son and store manager. “Our clients are like an extension of our family and I’m extremely proud of the business that my father has built.”
Jordon Michel, the youngest family member at the shop, said that he is thrilled to learn the family business as well.

“I watch my brother and my father and learn every day,” he noted.

And, after 30 years of selling men’s fashion, Ernst still takes great pride in his operation.

“I simply love what I do,” he concluded. “I’m an immigrant from Haiti who was able to achieve the American dream. I knew nothing about fashion, my family didn’t have a lot of money, but I saw an opportunity and worked hard to build this business. Yes, there have been challenges, but I’m so glad this is the path I chose. I’m convinced that Tessuto will only continue to grow and expand in the future.”

Tessuto
9-11 W. Main Street, Somerville 908.725.4000 /
tessutomenswear.com