My favorite store in New York City
A peek inside C'H'C'M' and a look at Sweetu Patel's day-to-day style
If you’re a devotee of this holiest of menswear temples like me, you might have wondered why I have yet to feature C’H’C’M’s owner, Sweetu Patel, in my Esquire series, Five Fits With. The answer is simple—he’s not interested in being featured with the sole focus on him. He’s just not that kind of guy. His earnest words when I asked him to do the piece with me? “I don’t have anything to say,” which I haven’t found to be true given the amount of interesting conversations I’ve had with him, about life, about his experiences in London or with the shop, and yes, about clothes.
Tucked away on Bond Street in NoHo, C’H’C’M’ is easily my favorite store in the city, housing artisanal clothing makers from all around the world, often breaking new brands to the public before many other tastemakers and shops, and certainly years before bigger retailers discover them—and when they finally do discover them, it will probably be at C’H’C’M’. It’s a warm oasis in the winter, and an air-conditioned mecca in the summer. There’s something in this store for every menswear fan. There are modern tailored pieces from the likes of Margaret Howell, Seya, and Stoffa. It’s where I discovered Ten c, Evan Kinori, Auralee and James Coward, and countless other brands he’s cycled in and out of the shop. If I’m not mistaken, my first significant clothing purchase was here—a Death to Tennis car coat. It is a place that I hold dear, and have been frequenting since 2012 when I started my higher-end clothing journey. Sweetu’s C’H’C’M’ house line is really great, too, and one of my favorite shirts in my closet is from his first or second collection.
Though you probably won’t see him on Esquire’s site—Sweetu, I’m still ready when you are—he’s allowed me to photograph some outfits of his and feature them here, sans interview. It should go without saying that he has the personal style to match an establishment of this caliber. I’ve included some shots of the shop above, though I have to say, all of these were taken from November of 2023 to April 2024. C’H’C’M’ is that rare blend of timeless and prescient, anyway. I’ve been sitting on these images as publishing this piece kept taking a pause, either for life with a newborn, or more pressing commissioned work, but with the temperatures starting to dip and work dates piling up again, I figured it was time.
I love this store too!
lovely post.