Manuel

The Manuel clothier (also known as Manuel of Nashville, Tennessee) was founded by Manuel Arturo José Cuevas Martinez, who was born 23 April 1933 in Coalcomán, Mexico. He developed his trade at an early age, learning to sew from his brother, and even established a small fortune producing dresses for his school-aged peers. In 1951, he relocated to Los Angeles, California to apprentice under local tailors. His most famous employer was Sy Devore, who tailored suits for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, and Dean Martin. Cuevas began to develop an interest in embroidery while in Los Angeles, which led him to the famed tailor, Nudie Cohn, known for his lavish and outlandish high-end suits. The two began working in tandem, eventually splitting dual ownership of Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors in North Hollywood. Cuevas produced many of the suits that made Nudie’s famous throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, holding onto the belief that a garment should never be replicated, but always customized. Cuevas eventually established his own business, Manuel Couture, also in North Hollywood, serving clients he had established while at Nudie’s, including Johnny Cash and George Jones. His one-of-a-kind, tailored suits remained hugely popular into the 1980s. At the end of the decade, Cuevas relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he began producing garments on a more marketable scale, reproducing designs for the consumer market that had been popular with celebrities. He continues to operate out of Nashville, with a shop and showroom located at 800 Broadway. His client list reads as a “who’s who” of both country and rock musicians as well as film stars, and includes artists such as Hank Williams, John Wayne, Gene Autry, Dwight Yoakam, David Cassidy, John Lennon, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, The Grateful Dead, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Jack White, Linda Ronstadt, The Bee Gees, Roy Rogers, Neil Young, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Jackson Five, Robert Redford, Marlon Brando, David Lee Roth, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Jack Nicholson, and even Salvador Dalí. He has also tailored suits for several former US presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Cuevas, both in his work with Nudie and Manuel tailors, created some of the most iconic suits of the era, as well, including Elvis Presley’s famous jumpsuit, Johnny Cash’s black suit, and the suit, which featured embroidered opium poppies, that many believe foreshadowed Gram Parsons’ infamous drug-induced death in Joshua Tree. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including several Lifetime Achievement awards from the cities of Los Angeles and Nashville, Country Music Association awards, and a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville.