Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryder Chosewood.
Hi Ryder, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey in men’s fashion began in the contrast of cornfields and rugby uniforms; the story is curious and different, and its narrative reflects a lot in the feel of Kempt. I grew up in Georgia, but I started college in a small town in Illinois, choosing the school for its rugby team. I’d always loved sports and the brands that found inspiration in them. I was obsessed with Ralph Lauren’s Rugby line, feeling understood and inspired. I found that being intentional about what I wore in college was my way of creating an identity for myself when I was far from home. I have always believed that the clothing we wear is one of the few ways we can explain ourselves to others without saying a word.
Like a lot of college freshmen, my path and my passions weren’t lining up, and before long, I was looking for the escape hatch. I eventually found my way to New York City and the Fashion Institute of Technology. I lived over the bridge in Brooklyn and worked at both a flagship retail store in union square and for a start-up men’s personal styling company. Learning about the contrast between the rigidity of the corporate world and the agility of small business was the first glimpse that I might want to create something small of my own.
The thing about New York City is that it’s not home to me, and I learned quickly that I didn’t want it to be. I’d assumed that to succeed in fashion, I needed to be at its epicenter, but NYC isn’t home to the people and places and trends that made me fall in love with clothing in the first place. There’s something special about Georgia’s slow crawl towards innovation – its scaling culture and diversity, paralleled with its centuries-old roots and elaborate history. I moved back home and during my final two college years (this time at the nation’s greatest university – Go Dawgs!) I learned that Athens is all of the things I love about Georgia within one drive of the loop. The energy of this city is unique. The more you look for it, the more you’ll find.
When I transferred to UGA, I reached for the thing that always helped me root myself in a new place – clothing. After living here a few months, I’d tried to find a place to shop that felt like it was true to me and to the story I wanted to tell here in Athens. I found a few pieces here and there that I loved, but I felt like there was so much more out there in menswear that hadn’t found a home in the Classic City.
That’s what inspired Kempt – the need for a place that isn’t afraid to push the boundary of what southern menswear can be. It’s a place for the people who are trying to tell their story differently and who aren’t afraid to break the mold a bit. Georgia is southern; it’s classic, traditional, warm… but it’s also experimental, cutting-edge, and unconventional. My goal is to create a space that gives Athens guys a chance to feel inspired by their style and excited about how they look and feel. It’s been the most amazing journey so far.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I could fill up pages with anecdotes about times that I felt unprepared or unqualified to be diving into entrepreneurship or plans that fell flat, but the most glaring struggle so far has been navigating through 2020 and the Covid pandemic.
We opened our doors officially in August of 2019, so we got a whole six months under our belt before the city of Athens (and shortly afterwards, the state of GA) mandated non-essential business to close. At that time, we didn’t even have a website. I’d been really passionate about focusing on the brick-and-mortar experience for our customers, knowing that that’s where our strengths and my prior knowledge could really shine. However, the most exceptional customer service experience doesn’t mean a thing when there are no customers to serve. I was terrified that this basket that was now holding all of my eggs was on its way to the ground – and after such a short time.
Right before opening Kempt, I worked at a women’s boutique here in town. I remember about ten days into lockdown, I spoke with my former boss/mentor, Katie, in a full panic – “What am I supposed to do? We’re just getting started and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” I’ll never forget what she said; it still keeps me motivated 15 months later – “no one knows what to do right now, but listen to me. If you can make it through this, what comes after is going to feel easy.”
She probably doesn’t know how much I repeat that mantra to myself when I have a particularly rough day/week. I’m still waiting for the easy part to come, but I know that we are so lucky to still be here after an insanely unpredictable year. We were super fortunate to be able to retain our small staff during the three months that we were closed, and we leaned hard into creating a website that felt true to our store and our brand. Athens is the most amazing community for small businesses – the people who live here are intentional about supporting “the little guy” and there are moments of kindness during that time that I’ll never take for granted.
As you know, we’re big fans of Kempt. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Kempt is a men’s clothing store in Athens, GA focusing on trend-forward styles. I’m really passionate about sustainability in the fashion industry, so we carry brands and pieces that are made to last. One thing I love about our product assortment is that we try to avoid brands you’d find in big box or department stores, so often folks are discovering these styles for the first time.
The store features a curated assortment of California surf brands, NFL QB-founded athleisure brands, European denim brands (with the most comfortable jeans you’ve ever tried), and a really cool collection of gifts and accessories for any guys on your list. There’s a little bit of everything so that anyone who comes in will find something they love.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years as a consumer is the misconception that men shop in a way that’s totally different from women. I disagree – I think we’ve come to a time in menswear where guys are really interested and excited about the way they look and what they wear. We try to create an experience at Kempt where clothes shopping is an errand that people enjoy – there’s always beer in the fridge to have a drink with friends or get help from a stylist, if they want it, in a low stakes environment. There’s nothing that feels better than when a new customer is leaving and says, “this place is awesome.” It’s what makes all the tough days worth it.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe in luck in a really broad sense of the term. I feel lucky to have been born to parents who constantly cheered us on and pushed us to follow our passions. I feel lucky to have a fiancé that was willing to jump into the entrepreneurship lifestyle with me and “clocked in” on days where we were short-handed and overwhelmed. I’m lucky that the team of people who work and have worked at Kempt have always been champions and supporters of this dream of mine. I’m lucky that Athens is a town where kindness is overflowing and small businesses are celebrated.
I think everyone can find luck in their story and their journey, mixed in with the hard choices and efforts they make. If I go back to my years living in New York, I think it’s like this – Hard work is sprinting down the stairs to catch the train. Luck is the stranger holding the door. You have to have both to get to where you’re going.
Pricing:
- Tops $28-148
- Bottoms $45-128
- Accessories $15-75
- Gifts $10-100
Contact Info:
- Email: team@kemptathens.com
- Website: kemptathens.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kemptathens
- Facebook: facebook.com/kemptathens
- Other: Google Maps – https://g.page/kemptathens?share
