2020 Issue 6 Nov/Dec - Focus Mid-Tenn Magazine

Christopher Lester talks past, present
and future of Clifton+Leopold
by Lauren Means | photo by Tennessee Photographs
No one could have expected 2020 to turn out the way it has.
If we had a crystal ball to see the future, no business would
have planned to launch this year. No one knows this better
than Christopher Lester. A vision that started to come to fruition in
October 2018 had a launch date of May 2020. A brand focused on
dressing up to go out now had to deal with a quarantine culture.
Christopher lets us in on how his brand came to be and gives
advice for anyone looking to take a leap of faith on their own ideas.
Tell us a little about
yourself so our readers
can get to know you.
My name is Christopher
Lester and while not a
Nashville native, I’ve called
the city home for over
two decades. I’ve spent
the better part of the
last decade working in
the digital marketing and
brand storytelling space
and currently work with
companies to help them
leverage email and social
media to tell a better story.
I’ve always been a serial
entrepreneur and enjoy
the excitement of taking
an idea and nurturing
it into reality. Prior to
Clifton+Leopold, I had
the privilege of working
at Emma Email Marketing
where I served as the VP
of Sales. It was here that
I learned to dream big,
work hard and lose the
fear — all tools that have
aided me in the launch of
Clifton+Leopold and gave
me the courage to say out
loud “I’m going to launch
an apparel manufacturing
company in the United
States during a global
pandemic” and not feel
crazy.
Outside of my daily life, I
serve on the Nashville LGBT
Chamber’s board where
I have the opportunity to
work alongside some of the
smartest and most driven
people I know. I’ve led the
marketing committee for
the last five years where
I had the privilege to
serve with two amazing
CEOs, lead a complete
rebranding and help create
the 20th-anniversary video
— a project that I’m deeply
proud of.
I am a lover of the arts
and love living in a city
that values them. I grew
up in Cincinnati, Ohio
and some of my earliest
memories were of going
to the theatre, symphony
and ballet. As we continue
to deal with the fall out
of COVID and the toll it is
taking on these things I
hold so dear, my goal is to
find opportunities to plugin
even more and help these
irreplaceable institutions
continue in our great city.
I am the father of the
most amazing 16-year-old
Weimaraner named Olive
and share a home with
her in East Nashville. She
reminds me every day to
be thankful for waking up,
to make the most of the
sunshine on a cool day
and to not ever feel bad
for taking a nap when the
mood hits.
Why Clifton+Leopold? Is
there a story behind the
brand?
For the “short”
version we share with
everyone, you can find
the Clifton+Leopold origin
story here, but just for the
Focus audience, I am happy
to share a little of a “behind
the scenes” story.
When I was early in the
development process,
everyone kept asking what I
wanted to call the company
— a step that I sort of
jumped over because
working through how to
manufacture apparel in the
U.S. was a much bigger
challenge than what to
name a company. But, the
name thing was the first
question on everyone’s
mind.
I knew from the start that
I wanted a “something and
something” name and I
really wanted to use classic
quintessential British names
if I could make it work. I
began researching names
and filling them in on the
chalkboard wall in my
dining room.
Clifton was the first
CHEERS! / NOV+DEC 2020 / focusmidtenn.com / Page 13