When Tom Martichelli ruffles through the various swatches and patterns in his Hoboken, NJ home office, he understands the significance of his future designs.
Hundreds of pro athletes – including Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott – have chosen custom suits tailored by the former hedge fund manager for their pregame attire. He isn’t just a clothier, then, but something of a hype man as well.
‘I feel like I’m dressing superheroes,’ he told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview. ‘Because first of all, the majority of them are so large and in impeccable shape, right? So my job essentially is to outline their their frames and have them feeling ready for battle.’
Since 2014, Martichelli’s ‘Gentleman’s Playbook’ business has done just that, outfitting athletes across the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott is a frequent client, and hasn’t repeated a suit in eight seasons. Burrow’s eye-catching tiger-stripe suit before Super Bowl LVI was a Martichelli creation, while Eagles star Saquon Barkley was outfitted by him in white tux before scooping up the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
And Kelce, perhaps his most high-profile customer, was most recently outfitted by the clothier for the Chiefs’ postseason captains pH๏τoshoot.
Tom Martichelli has dressed hundreds of pro athletes, including Chiefs star Travis Kelce
Martichelli left his job in finance to become clothier, and works out of his home in Hoboken, NJ
Burrow arrived to Super Bowl LVI in 2022 in an eye-catching tiger-striped suit
In the age of the ‘tunnel fit,’ when everyone from the quarterback to the kicker is conscious of their pregame attire, Martichelli has become a go-to source for both style and confidence.
‘Once you leave your house, the words are – they’re not my words – all business,’ he said, while speaking on behalf of Bounty’s Wingman campaign. ‘Those are the words of the captions my guys throw on their [Instagram].’
Martichelli’s appeal – perhaps surprisingly due to his 500-plus person client roster – comes from his personal touch.
A lightweight suit for a Miami road trip won’t look the same as the outfit for a December trip to Kansas City. Josh Allen, another one of his clients, prefers more muted styles than Burrow.
Overall, Martichelli says, it’s a ‘compeтιтion’ between players, and they don’t want to be caught in the same suit as one of their colleagues.
‘I always wanted to stand out,’ the dad-of-three says now of his college days. ‘I never wanted to have the same shirt and tie as anyone else, the same suit color as anyone else. I just always wanted to look different and be on my own level, so to speak.
‘I mean, fast forward [to now], that’s really what draws the my athlete clientele to me, because almost all the athletes I deal with have that same mentality. You know, they don’t want to go into a store that has ready-to-wear suiting that just has the charcoals, the navies, the blacks. They want the unique prints, where they can stand out and have something that they don’t have to worry about looking over their shoulder and, ‘Oh, is my teammate gonna have it? Is someone on another team gonna have it?”
While Martichelli says that consistently producing his one-off designs is not as difficult as one may think – due to his ‘extensive collection’ of fabrics from Italy and England – Kelce certainly gives him plenty of room to work with.
Martichelli also outfitted Saquon Barkley in a sleek white tux when he picked up the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2019
Kelce, seen here in a patterned blue suit, has become known for his riskier fashion choices
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The Kansas City star often goes for a more casual look on gamedays, though he wore a loud lime-green suit made by Martichelli after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win in 2020, and has become known to push the envelope sartorially.
‘The word is daring, that is the word that comes to mind on how Travis dresses, but he also does it unapologetically, confidently,’ Martichelli said.
‘I mean, it’s just, all eyes are on him. He kind of has that ability to wear whatever the heck he wants, and people are going to love it.
‘… And it’s to the point where people can’t wait to see what he wears every single week, including me.’
Kelce is far from the only Martichelli client set to step up out in front of cameras this week.
His teammate, Jones, also works with the designer, while Allen is the favorite to pick up the league’s MVP award at NFL Honors this week.
A handful of other players – including presumptive Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse – will also amble down that red carpet in Martichelli’s suits.
And after Jones went shirtless underneath a black silk suit prior to last year’s Super Bowl, Martichelli is eager to see what he wears this weekend.
‘I have a collection that is literally just for playoffs, Super Bowl and red carpets, okay?’,’ he said. ‘And I don’t open that bag until January, when the playoffs start. So those are the fits that are coming out now.’
Still, there is one white whale for Martichelli when it comes to sportsmen wearing his designs: Tom Brady.
Chris Jones wore a black silk suit from Martichelli last year – without a shirt underneath
Martichelli is a huge admirer of Tom Brady’s fashion and would love to dress him some day
Described by the tailor as ‘the greatest dressed athlete of all-time,’ Brady raised eyebrows during his playing career in his sleek Tom Ford Suits and luxury watches. His cream zip-up jacket prior to Super Bowl LV was one of Martichelli’s favorites.
‘I have emulated his style,’ he beamed. ‘Listen, the scruff right here – that’s from watching Tom Brady show up, literally. I think he’s the most style-inspiring athlete in our history. He was wearing a Tom Ford three-piece suit, before guys were ever wearing three-piece suits the game. He was the first guy that would walk on the field before a game and have the cameras following him, got the sunglᴀsses on.’
Martichelli did meet his fashion idol at a Super Bowl event one year. And while he has yet to dress the seven-time Super Bowl winner, he left him with a pᴀssionate pitch.
Read More Travis Kelce’s stylist reveals why Chiefs star performs specific red carpet hand trick 
‘I said, well, the day is going to come where you change your fit, right? You’re going to either get more lean or maybe you’ll bulk. And I said, Tom Ford himself is not going to get into a plane the next day and come resize you. But this Tom will.’
Until then, Martichelli will continue dressing his already-loaded list of clients, who operate in a far different world, fashion-wise, than when Brady began his career in 2000.
Stars like Kelce, Burrow and Prescott will remain in the limelight, but eyes are on everyone now. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has received attention for his suiting, and offensive linemen want to look good too.
That, ultimately, is where Martichelli comes in.
‘Athletes are real people, and they are used to being viewed in their helmets, in their jerseys, their pads,’ he said.
‘And when we started seeing them out of those pads and not just battling on the field using all their athletic ability, then they start showcasing their personality, their personal side. They’re giving that to the fans.’
