The Kibbitz
T UCKED AWAY ON A SIDE STREET IN Lower Manhattan, Yosel Tiefenbrun cuts cloth and sews it into fully bespoke garments. Trained as a tai- lor and a rabbi, for years he has been drawing attention to the art of dress- ing well, and to the fact that Jews are still thriving in what was histor- ically a Jewish trade: the shmatte business. The word, which means rags in Yiddish, was a humorously derogatory way to refer to those who worked in the apparel in- dustry, from finishers on the shop floor to executives making sales deals. I spoke to Tiefenbrun about this history and how it intersects with his own story, as well as how to relate to cloth- ing as a Jew. One look at what he makes (and, of course, wears) and you’ll be disabused of the notion that rags are all they are.
tailors or otherwise involved in the shmatte business? New York tailoring and fashion was and is still saturated with Jews. Neiman Marcus and some of the big clothing stores here were founded by Jews. And the story continues: here I am creating clothing in downtown Manhattan, where probably not too far from here, immigrant Jews were working on clothing decades ago. A couple of years ago, I met a Ho- locaust survivor, an old tailor, Steven Salen. He was 99 years old when I met him, and he gave me his shears be- cause he felt like passing the torch to a younger generation. He was shocked that I wanted to do what I was doing. He made suits for Richard Nixon and Eisenhower, and cut with those shears. You trained on Savile Row in Lon- don. Were you always drawn to the British style of tailoring, or was it just where you ended up? I originally wanted to design women’s clothing. I wanted to create couture women’s wear. I was thinking that the creativity and the expression of design and style is all over there. This was when I was 18, 19. I did an intern- ship at Harper’s Bazaar. I did some fashion courses. I was going to shows, and I was sketching and drawing, and it was all women’s fashion. I learned about Alexander McQueen and his journey, and how he apprenticed on Savile Row. So, thinking that I’d be able to get a proper understanding of tailoring and how things are created on the highest level, I went there. On Savile Row, I fell in love with men’s tailoring. My education and my un- derstanding of the roots of tailoring is all rooted in British construction, and the military history that it started with. Now, I’m probably making things a lot softer than I was back then: the
What are your memories of clothing growing up? In Orthodox circles, we dress up for Shabbos and for yom tov, we get a new suit for Pesach, for Rosh Hashanah, and as a kid you’re constantly outgrow- ing these pieces. So you always have to get something new. From a young age, I really started really paying atten- tion to what I was wearing, not only making it difficult for my parents to shop for me but also being very care- ful of how I wore the clothing. I would always change out of clothes when I got home, so I would keep them in pris- tine condition. That still is something with me even now. I got married 12 years ago, and I still have my Borsalino hat from then. Some- one complimented me on it the other week on Shabbos — they asked where I got that hat from. I told them it’s 12 years old and they don’t sell it anymore. I still have my wedding suit from 20 years ago. It was the first suit I ever
had made. Even though the pants are worn out and I’ve had them repaired, and I wear just the jacket very occa- sionally, I don’t think I’m ever going to give it away. Wow, yeah, that’s a special piece. It has memories. Sometimes, a garment will wear out. But, in other pieces, wear can create an interesting patina or interest- ing shape. A hat can have its own kind of character. A pair of shoes can really develop into something interesting. I was, at a very young age, already trying to go to stores that maybe my parents wouldn’t have gone to other- wise. I remember for shoes, I wanted to go to Aldo when the shoes were a little bit more out there back at that time. There was something about me that wanted to dress in my own way. It’s a challenge to create your own [look] in an environment where people gen- erally dress in certain colours. How do you see yourself fitting into the long history of Jews who were
26 SPRING 2026
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