Meet the Man Making the Best Movie Replica Clothes in the World
Magnoli Clothiers has turned an opportunistic hustle for many into a legit design house.
I’ve spent much of the last two months deep in the world of “get the look” content. It’s fun! I think aspiring to the style of iconic movie characters is not only a great way to get into this whole clothing game, but to discover one’s personal style. You see something, you copy it, and you see what works on you and what doesn’t…a suit from James Bond here, a watch from American Psycho there, and a haircut lifted from Brad Pitt there, and your own essence can begin to emerge. There’s also a sort of detective work to all of this which is exciting…tracking down jawnz like a stylish Scooby Doo. (Read: he got that dog in ‘em.)
Over the last month or so, a brand has kept popping up time and time again as the best source to get high quality iconic movie pieces when the authentic stuff simply is impossible to source—whether it be James Dean’s Rebel jacket or Johnny Depp’s from Fear and Loathing. It’s called Magnoli Clothiers, and has actually changed my perception on clothes like this existing.
See, normally I never recommend this kind of stuff because it’s made like shit and created by some opportunistic mega corporation looking to turn a quick buck. The worst offender of this is certainly the dozens of Drive jackets out there that I’m assuming are made of plastic in order to achieve their sub $50 price point. Magnoli on the other hand is different. Based in New Zealand, Magnoli was founded by a former prop master who turned his passion for period-correct accurate pieces into a full-time business.
Each item—from RyGo’s Driver henleys to the aforementioned Fear and Loathing jacket—is not only made of high quality fabrics and with exacting details, but custom to the person ordering it. Not only can you get the look from the movie, but the movie piece is crafted to look good on you.
This is reflected in the prices: $525 for the Rebel jacket and $550 for the Fear and Loathing joint, though is that too nuts for something custom? Methinks not. Others are even more reasonable, and thankfully: The Tom Ford sunnies Daniel Craig wore in Quantam of Solace, which are discontinued and getting over $1,500 on eBay, can be had from Magnoli for just $80.
Not everything Magnoli makes is stuff I’d recommend scooping up and wearing in your day-to-day adventures. A good portion of the business is dedicated to stuff like actual costumes—movie-correct Ghostbusters jumpsuits and Indiana Jones jackets that can just as easily be bought from the original makers (Wested Leather Co.) But if you’re in search of that movie piece that can never be tracked down or your simply don’t want to set an eBay alert that may never come, there’s no one doing it better.
Below, I spoke to Magnoli founder—who goes by just Indy—about the brand’s mission, how it came to be, and a few other things I thought are worth knowing.
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