“He’s East Coast, and I’m West Coast,” laughs Charles Clark, co-owner and -founder of Clark Cooper Concepts (The Dunlavy, Coppa Osteria). He’s the East Coast, he says in his custom Etro suit and blue patent loafers. The West Coast he’s referring to is his longtime business partner and co-founder, Grant Cooper, who dons beaten-up denim, a Buck Mason white V-neck and a Horisaki hat. Though maybe an unlikely partnership, passion is the thread that runs through it. Passion for food, for growth and for Houston. Clark Cooper Concepts has been around since 2001. January saw the “bittersweet” closing of Ibiza, and a new chef at Brasserie 19. Later this year they will roll out Satisfy, a healthcentric “passion project,” according to Cooper, who also teases a few other unnamed projects. We get the scoop on the pair’s singular style.
Charles Clark:
My style hero is Steve McQueen.
The worst fashion faux pas is to not dress up for an occasion.
Rudy Festari at Festari for men is the best tailor in town.
The first item of clothing I bought for myself was Z. Cavaricci Pants in 1974.
Hanging with my two daughters, Cece and Ella, keeps me sane.
Grant Cooper:
My earliest style memory is watching the Moulin Rouge burlesque show in Paris, and the stylish guests in attendance... I was 12 and it was awesome.
The worst fashion faux pas is to look like every other guy in the city.
Bow tie or traditional necktie? I would rather go with a lariat.
If I could turn back time, I would tell myself to do the exact same thing yet completely opposite.