When Mark asked me to write a foreword to this book, my first thought was Fuck off.
Let me explain: It wasn’t because I dislike Mark—I love him. “Fuck off” perfectly describes his aesthetic and his singular approach to life. In a world of political correctness and a constant stream of pabulum that permeates the current retail and publishing culture, Mark’s spirit is the antidote to the neutered and the bland.
Mark’s voice represents a mind-set that all generations can understand. He has co-opted “Fuck off” as a business model: he not only embodies the smart-ass and the curmudgeon; he’s made a cottage industry out of the persona of the grumpy old man. But there is more to Mark than the contrarian. He gained experience at classic purveyors of taste and style, having worked with venerable institutions such as J. Press. He expertly built a career around the established, then put that experience to good use when he broke out on his own.
As a distinct and contrarian voice in #menswear, Mark produces clever collections with a sense of humor and a poke in the eye, but his clothes are never trendy or trite. There’s always a solid through line of East Coast establishment crossed with Travis Bickle. And he puts his money where his mouth is by stamping “Fuck off” on every leather-soled shoe. What makes Mark’s vision work is that he is, at his core, classic. He understands the rules, protocol, and tradition. Then he turns it all on its ear. That, for me, is the hallmark of a genius.
—Nick Wooster