The Quality Makers: Clayton Chambers of Sprezza

Fashion writing has seen an explosion in independent Substacks and social media accounts over the last few years. From film-inspired style guides to idiosyncratic trend forecasters, there’s something for everyone. People are increasingly turning to these independent creators for inspiration to help define their own personal style, rather than old media institutions that prescribe impersonal trends. 

Few projects in this space have had the meteoric rise of Sprezza, Clayton Chambers’ must-read menswear newsletter and Instagram. Seemingly overnight, Sprezza has become the go-to source for thoughtful, stylish pieces that look beyond microtrends to identify what makes a person or a brand truly fashionable. 

We sat down with Clayton to ask him about the work that went into creating Sprezza, how to develop a personal style, and his favorite brands of the moment.

TQE: For those who don’t know your work, how would you describe your Sprezza project?

Clayton: Sprezza is a creative outlet exploring men’s style. I do that by writing a weekly newsletter, making short-form videos, posting style photos on my Instagram, and hosting events in person in cities where my readers live!

With my content, I try to use Sprezza as a place for curation, education and discovery around all things men’s style. Once I started writing, I realized how many guys loved the content I was putting out because there’s such a big gap in quality and delivery. I realized that there weren’t many authentic, honest voices with real opinions at the time, so I started writing more frequently, and it’s grown 100% organically from there. 

I've always been fascinated with clothing's place in the culture, and how it's moved culture forward. I launched the newsletter on Substack a few years ago when I was between day jobs; it was a creative outlet for me to curate and share things I liked learning about. The rest is history.

TQE: Why did you decide to focus on menswear?

Clayton: I've loved clothes for as long as I can remember. My Mom used to dress us for church every Sunday. The weekly look was a navy blazer, an Oxford shirt, khakis, a tie, and penny loafers. Looking back, I love the idea of a uniform. I also remember my dad (who was a Southern Baptist preacher) used to only go shopping once a year, on New Year's Day. We'd drive 45 minutes to the nearest Dillards or JC Penney, and he'd stock up a few suits that were 80% off. Sprezza was just a natural extension of things I already loved.

TQE: When do you feel like you started to find your audience? 

Clayton: It took a few years for me to start finding my audience. That’s normal (and to be expected!). I wrote hundreds of pieces of content (between newsletters and Twitter threads) before I felt like I was hitting a stride with what people resonated with.

Ultimately, finding what your audience wants and what your voice is are two connected things. The only way you achieve both is by making stuff—regardless of how terrible it is. You’ll eventually find your way, so don’t take shortcuts.

TQE: Your writing style is so specific — I’m thinking particularly of your “Menswear is Genreless” piece. How has your voice as a writer grown since you first started the Sprezza project? 

Clayton: Honestly, the more I create, the more I’ve learned that when you put energy into your creative work (whether you’re writing, photographing, running a brand, etc), you realize how f*cking hard it is to do—let alone, to do it consistently. And so you learn to respect that everyone who makes anything is just trying their best.

I want that openness and gratitude to be reflective of my work. So, you probably see less hot takes, less bombastic opinions, and more thoughtful, researched ideas these days. I only want to share and tell you something that I believe. And you should take it with a grain of salt – I’m learning just as much on-the-go as anyone else is. 

TQE: Are there any brands you’re loving right now?

Clayton: I’m a huge fan of independent brands that maintain their own creative metronome and don’t pander to the trends. A few who do this well are 18east, Kestin, and Carter Young.