WAY OFF the curb in a Teachers Village street stands the door of tailoring house JE & Co. Inside is a sanctuary of wood panels and whisky bottles, amber lighting and an analog clock that’s hanging off an ornate metal hook.
And while people go here to have a suit or a barong made, the speakeasy vibes of the waiting room are a subtle throwback to the tailoring shop’s roots as, well, something else.
“Di pa siya plantsado at the time, but when I started, yung concept ko was, I wanted a gentleman’s lounge,” recalled founder Johann Ebarle, the “JE” in JE & Co. “I was thinking of either a cigar room or a whisky bar for men, and then I wanted something on the side, like a service.”
Eventually, he narrowed his business plan down to a single use case, then bought a pair of sewing machines, borrowed a jacket machine from a friend, and set it all up inside his mom’s garage. Nine years later, he now has a space of his own — one that brings to mind that seed of an idea he’d had in his head.
Ebarle knew he’d made the right call (“I wanted a specialization. I don't want to go to a place thinking, 'What's the main service?'”), but even if the gentleman's lounge idea never pushed through, he believes that the aura of his shop is one of the reasons his regulars love having their suits made at JE & Co. As an advertising major who founded a string of small businesses — his latest one is a barbershop-slash-car wash down the street from JE & Co. — he knew that first impressions count.
“Men who are good in their field, they go to me for several reasons. And one of them is yung branding ng JE & Co. It's very manly. It's a gentleman's shop. Doon pa lang, may exclusivity na e,” said Ebarle.
He gestured around his shop. “They feel like they’re where they’re supposed to be.”
Ravenas own 30 or more suits from JE & Co
Among these regular customers are a host of PBA players, both current and former. Matthew Wright had just come in for a fitting for his wedding suit, while in his own wedding ceremonies, Kev Ferrer proudly rocked two JE & Co. numbers: one in dark blue, the other in dashing gray.
“Paul Artadi was just here yesterday, Alex Cabagnot just messaged me, he’s coming in this week, he wants a suit done,” said Ebarle, ticking off a mental rolodex of his clients. San Juan's Mayor Francis Zamora, also a former athlete himself, is also a repeat customer.
But the PBA players who really put JE & Co. in the map were the Ravena brothers, who, up to now, are regular customers of the tailoring shop. Elarbe estimates that the brothers own about thirty JE & Co. suits or more — each. While Kiefer goes for stylish, formal cuts, Thirdy is “talagang edgy, very flashy.”
“Kiefer Ravena is the nephew of my good friend Randy Ravena, brother of Bong. Si Kiefer, when he was still in high school, we would watch his games and hang out sa house nila, sa parties. He helped me introduce the brand to the public,” said Ebarle.
Together with another regular customer Sam YG, Kiefer began posting about the tailoring shop, paving the way for more PBA customers to come visit.
“I'm quite confident with the quality of my work. Yun ang tinututukan ko. I make sure I give them the best-fitting suits,” he said of his wares, which begin at around P20,000.
“Ako mismo, I make sure I get to see at least one fitting of my clients. I don't just let my staff or tailors decide yung outcome ng fit. I make sure I see it.”
The way Ebarle sees it, men in general — and athletes in particular — know more about fashion than they did back when he was starting up the shop. He also feels that in some level, he can relate to his high profile PBA clients. He is a huge basketball fan, and even played in inter-college tournaments back in UST, dreaming that one day, he’d make it into the pro league.
“When I meet these athletes, may common thing e,” he said. “Yun agad ang pinag-uusapan namin. Before we go to suits, basketball muna agad.”
And then, when it comes to talking about suits, these athletes know what they want.
“Athletes now are very fashionable. When they are not in a suit, streetwear yan e. But with formal suits? Di sila yung mala-Westbrook na talagang mag-e-experiment e.”
Ebarle added, “When it comes to formal wear, they would still prefer looking classic.”
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