Hamilton Shirts

Hamilton Shirts is the oldest family owned business in Houston, TX. It’s owned by the 4th generation of Hamiltons, and has been in the family since 1883. The history of this company is rich and the roots predate the styles and trends of today. They’ve persevered through the decades with this mantra, “Crafting America’s Finest Shirts Since 1883”. Since their inception, they’ve been helping all types of people find the perfect fit, the perfect fabric and, if needed, the perfect custom hidden pocket. When we walked into Hamilton Shirts for the very first time, to got to know the family and see the shirt making process, it felt a bit like walking into a hotel, or spa, not shopping for clothes. Jim has an eye for fashion and quality fabric. He was also quite vocal about our choice of short sleeve, button down shirts upon our first meeting. After a few laughs about showing elbows in his store, he excitedly showed us the in and outs of Hamilton Shirts. He entertained us with vivid stories of patrons, all the way back into the 1940’s, and showed us old photos and articles to emphasize the deep, Houstonian roots. The store is now a historical marker, made official by the plaque given to them by the state of Texas, but the true history lives in the stories that are told by the family. Of course we had to ask Jim, “Who are some memorable people you’ve made shirts for?”, and thats not really a question anyone is willing to answer. It’s not about who the Hamilton’s make shirts for, it’s about how the shirt is made. Each person who works in the Hamilton shop has been there for a long time, some for decades. The quality and attention to detail is obvious in every step of the shirt making process. From the measurements, to the stencils, to the fabric, right down to the buttons - these shirts feel like there is soul put into them, and there is. The amount of eyes that graze every detail of these shirts before a customer ever sees them, ensures the perfection that is expected when you buy from Hamilton. Some of our friends over at Public Content introduced us to the Hamiltons after seeing our work. We were warned from the beginning though, filming is not something that is typically allowed inside Hamilton Shirts, so it was our job to take advantage of a visit to Hamilton Shirts, and show them how we intended to tell their story. During our initial visit, we developed a genuine interest in each step of the shirt making process, and that became a backbone of the story. During that visit, we met Jim’s children David and Kelly. Though they’re the owners of the business, they stood back and let Jim spend over 2 hours, literally exhausting himself, showing us each detail of the process and pointing out what makes the place special to him. After our initial meeting, we got the green light to film inside Hamilton Shirts, making our camera one of only a few that have been inside the business in over a century. Creating a film like this goes past selling a product, it’s an honor and a privilege to work with brands with such deep and powerful stories. We want to do more like this. - Process: Read the process on our website! (https://petro.film/hamilton-shirts) Client: Hamilton Shirts PR Firm: Public Content Production Company: Petro (https://petro.film) Director & Director of Photography: Justin Sweidel Writer & Producer: Christopher Shepherd Assistant Director: Frederik Engell Trampe Assistant Camera: Ian Leonard Production Assistant: Gabriel King Editor/Sound Design: Samuel Baiamonte Logo Animation: Cameron Butterfield Sound Mix/Master: Christopher Bourque Color/Finishing: Justin Sweidel Music: Audrey Spillman - Wreck me Instrumental | Jimmy Walter - Easy | Danny Stewart - I’ll Change My Ways | Tolo - Easy Love Instrumental | Francesco Dandrea - Pride

Hamilton Shirts is the oldest family owned business in Houston, TX. It’s owned by the 4th generation of Hamiltons, and has been in the family since 1883. The history of this company is rich and the roots predate the styles and trends of today. They’ve persevered through the decades with this mantra, “Crafting America’s Finest Shirts Since 1883”. Since their inception, they’ve been helping all types of people find the perfect fit, the perfect fabric and, if needed, the perfect custom hidden pocket. When we walked into Hamilton Shirts for the very first time, to got to know the family and see the shirt making process, it felt a bit like walking into a hotel, or spa, not shopping for clothes. Jim has an eye for fashion and quality fabric. He was also quite vocal about our choice of short sleeve, button down shirts upon our first meeting. After a few laughs about showing elbows in his store, he excitedly showed us the in and outs of Hamilton Shirts. He entertained us with vivid stories of patrons, all the way back into the 1940’s, and showed us old photos and articles to emphasize the deep, Houstonian roots. The store is now a historical marker, made official by the plaque given to them by the state of Texas, but the true history lives in the stories that are told by the family. Of course we had to ask Jim, “Who are some memorable people you’ve made shirts for?”, and thats not really a question anyone is willing to answer. It’s not about who the Hamilton’s make shirts for, it’s about how the shirt is made. Each person who works in the Hamilton shop has been there for a long time, some for decades. The quality and attention to detail is obvious in every step of the shirt making process. From the measurements, to the stencils, to the fabric, right down to the buttons - these shirts feel like there is soul put into them, and there is. The amount of eyes that graze every detail of these shirts before a customer ever sees them, ensures the perfection that is expected when you buy from Hamilton. Some of our friends over at Public Content introduced us to the Hamiltons after seeing our work. We were warned from the beginning though, filming is not something that is typically allowed inside Hamilton Shirts, so it was our job to take advantage of a visit to Hamilton Shirts, and show them how we intended to tell their story. During our initial visit, we developed a genuine interest in each step of the shirt making process, and that became a backbone of the story. During that visit, we met Jim’s children David and Kelly. Though they’re the owners of the business, they stood back and let Jim spend over 2 hours, literally exhausting himself, showing us each detail of the process and pointing out what makes the place special to him. After our initial meeting, we got the green light to film inside Hamilton Shirts, making our camera one of only a few that have been inside the business in over a century. Creating a film like this goes past selling a product, it’s an honor and a privilege to work with brands with such deep and powerful stories. We want to do more like this. - Process: Read the process on our website! (https://petro.film/hamilton-shirts) Client: Hamilton Shirts PR Firm: Public Content Production Company: Petro (https://petro.film) Director & Director of Photography: Justin Sweidel Writer & Producer: Christopher Shepherd Assistant Director: Frederik Engell Trampe Assistant Camera: Ian Leonard Production Assistant: Gabriel King Editor/Sound Design: Samuel Baiamonte Logo Animation: Cameron Butterfield Sound Mix/Master: Christopher Bourque Color/Finishing: Justin Sweidel Music: Audrey Spillman - Wreck me Instrumental | Jimmy Walter - Easy | Danny Stewart - I’ll Change My Ways | Tolo - Easy Love Instrumental | Francesco Dandrea - Pride