Miguel Wilson is the KING of Luxury. With the Miguel Wilson Collection, he brings each groom’s personality and flair to the stage on their big creating a uniquely exclusive wedding experience “because it’s his day too.” As a Premier, Award-winning designer, his creations have graced entertainers, businessmen, and athletes worldwide showcasing his dynamic eye for cut and sumptuous fabrics. An epitome of Black Excellence, Miguel knows how important representation is in the luxury market and he has created a brand that exemplifies distinction. Miguel has set the highest of standards in his industry and we are excited to see what he does next.
FMM: Please introduce yourself and your business.
MW: I’m Miguel Wilson, a celebrity menswear designer, and wedding/groomswear expert. I own the Miguel Wilson Collection, a luxury men’s formalwear company that specializes in creating quality and creative garments with the perfect fit. I’ve worked with celebrities, professional athletes, corporate executives, and many high-profile men. However, my favorite clients are grooms, and because of that, I’m one of the few menswear designers that carry a collection just for grooms and groomsmen. Currently, I have four locations based in Atlanta, Washington D.C., Miami, and New York City. But, my clientele is all over the world. Even before I added additional locations I had men traveling to my first store in Atlanta just to work with me and I would travel to my clients as well to make sure that they received the best service possible.
FMM: What is your definition of “luxury” groomswear?
MW: Luxury groomswear is a combination of fit, fabrics, quality, and design. With my Miguel Wilson Wedding Collection, I have the tagline “Because it’s his day too.” When I decided to start creating groomswear, it was because I noticed that women spend a lot of time and money looking for the special dress for what is considered to be one of the most important days of their lives. However, men would go and rent something. It didn’t make sense to me that a woman would show up to their wedding looking, and feeling like a queen, to stand next to someone who didn’t look or feel the same.
The Miguel Wilson Collection is a collection of formalwear specifically for grooms, and groomsmen, that is very creative. We utilize different styles, colors, and fabrics to create garments that make the groom stand out and ensure that he has a one-of-a-kind outfit. The luxury part comes from the fit, fabric, and extra thrills that we put into everything we do. When getting something custom made the fit is always the most important thing. Whether someone is big, small, tall, or short, the fit makes all the difference, when something fits someone perfectly they look their best.
The quality matters also, not just the quality of materials but the quality of the design. There are certain things that a designer like myself can look at to tell the difference between a quality custom suit and something that someone bought off the rack from a retailer. All retailers cut corners somewhere to save on cost or time. When you buy from someone who is giving you something custom-made, and its quality, no corners are cut. They put in the time and effort to measure you for the best fit, utilize the best fabrics, and work with the client to design something that will become special to them.
FMM: As a celebrity designer, what feelings do you want your pieces to invoke in your clientele?
MW: I want my clients to feel special every single time. For my wedding clients, when the groom is standing next to their bride, I want them to feel like they look just as good as her, and sometimes better. It’s the man’s special day too so I want him to feel special as well.
And for my other clients, I want them to feel like every time they step out in one of my garments they’re the best-looking man in the room. I see my clothing in a lot of different places thanks to social media. I get to see my clients at their events and parties, and they definitely stand out in those photos. And that’s not just me saying because I’m the designer, but I see the comments on the page and other people point out my clients as the best dressed. That makes me feel proud.
One of my best clients is rapper 2Chainz. He buys my clothing for all occasions including his wedding, his birthday, and promo for his music. When someone becomes a repeat customer that means that they’re saying to me, “I love your work. I appreciate your work. And, I value your work.”
FMM: As a Black luxury designer, what obstacles have you overcome?
MW: As a Black luxury designer, I think that my biggest obstacle is my own community. I love Black people and the Black community. I support the Black community and as a Clark Atlanta University Alumni, and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Inc, I support HBCUs. I even create events just to show off Black excellence. I want to design for Black people and make us look like the kings and queens that we are. However, as a Black person who makes luxury goods, I wish that I had more support from my community.
It hurts me that I have my stores across from Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and other major luxury brands that are European-owned, and I can look out and see the lines of Black people waiting to buy from them. And most of those people won’t even walk into one of my stores that is just down the way. Even sadder is that Black luxury designers aren’t considered major until they get the nod from White people. I’ve been a designer for over 20 years, and I have many celebrity friends and clients, as well as a lot of loyal customers. I’m considered to be very successful. But when it comes to the Black community, I sometimes feel like a nobody because it’s their support that I’m fighting for; that I’ve always fought for.
That’s why I consider myself an advocate for Black luxury designers and goods. I want our community to put more focus and dollars into supporting and uplifting our luxury goods. If you have the money to support Gucci and Prada, why not figure out who Black person makes better luxury goods than those brands and support that person. I promise you; they exist. I support other Black luxury brand-owners all the time and sometimes allow them to display their items in my store.
FMM: What has you inspired at present?
MW: I’m inspired by the lifestyle. And what I mean by that is, when I first started designing it was about making men look good and feel their best. That’s still the mission, but it’s expanded to not just formal wear but creating an entire lifestyle out of what I do. Everything that I do comes from something that took place in my lifestyle. Before I was a menswear designer, I was a corporate executive who loved wearing custom suits. Now I’m looking to take aspects of my current lifestyle to package it for my customers and expand my business to accommodate it. For example, I have a new athleisure line and I’m working with other vendors to create luxury goods for my customers.
FMM: Where do you see the future of luxury groomswear?
MW: I honestly don’t know. I’m doing something unique and different that’s never been done in the wedding space. I hope that the garments that I make will become the standard for grooms instead of the stuff they’ve been renting for years. And I feel like it is becoming the standard and more guys are investing in it. My team and I have set the bar very high. And we’re not just groomswear designers but wedding experts. Designing in the midst of a wedding is an entirely different animal and we’ve perfected that process. It’s like watching “Say Yes to the Dress” on steroids, between consultations, designing, multiple fittings, and alterations. We sometimes accompany the grooms to their wedding, or I’ve even had to fly out to the wedding to deliver the groom’s clothing in a different city or country. The job is never done until after “I do” is said.
I don’t see many designers being able to handle doing all of that, especially if they don’t have a strong team. However, I do see the demand for what I do growing more every year and that gets me excited because when the demand grows, my business grows.
FMM: Please tell us about The Black-Tie Experience.
MW: The Black-Tie Experience is a luxury event that incorporates fashion and culture. We use as all Black vendors and invite people to experience Black luxury which includes Black chefs, Black-owned liquor brands, Black live performances, and more. The event is one of many events that I put on annually to raise money for my non-profit, the Ride to the Olympics Foundation. I do one in my hometown of Washington D.C. and one in the city I reside which is Atlanta. And honestly, I want to do more in other cities, especially Miami and New York City where I have stores.
The other event that I produce is the Atlanta Fashion & Polo Classic which includes all of my loves which are polo, fashion, culture, great music, Black luxury, and Black-owned businesses. This event is our biggest fundraiser for the foundation, and I have people flying from all over the company to enjoy the experience. It’s the biggest Black-owned luxury experience that you’ll ever attend.
FMM: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
MW: Anyone who knows me knows that I love horses, so I would have loved to have become a professional polo player. I’m a very active and athletic guy, and I can still keep up with the professionals on the polo field. But instead, I get to live out my dreams through my non-profit the Ride to the Olympics Foundation, which helps underprivileged youth participate in equestrian sports. We provide riding lessons, raise funds for the kids to compete, and provide unique experiences centered around equestrian sports. Equestrian sports changed my life and my love of horses allowed me to get to where I am today. A lot of people don’t realize that because equestrian sports are expensive activities, by nature their closed off to kids that come from low-income families. Even middle-class families have a hard time paying for them. But there are so many networking opportunities, scholarship opportunities, and career opportunities that come from it. My goal is to expose as many kids as possible to equestrian sports to increase their amount of opportunities and to spark an interest that they may not be aware that they have.
FMM: How can our readers connect with you and your brand?
MW: The easiest way to connect with me is to walk into one of my stores in Atlanta, Washington D.C., Miami, or New York City. I’m usually in my Atlanta store the most because I live in Atlanta, so I’m known to have a lot of people just stop by to talk to me. Especially my friends, whether they live in Atlanta or are visiting from out of town, always stop by the store. If you can’t make it in to see me in person you can connect with me on social media, for Facebook and Instagram, it’s @miguelwilsoncollection. You can also find me at www.miguelwilson.com.
Photos Courtesy of Miguel Wilson.
