SLO’s newest clothing store offers ‘farm to closet’ fashion for men

When Cal Poly graduate James Fucillo looks at clothes, he sees a story.

Fucillo opened a clothing store, Office Hours, in the Mission Mall shopping center in downtown San Luis Obispo at the start of August. The space, Suite No. 3 at 746 Higuera St., was formerly Upscale Resale.

“When I went to school at Cal Poly, everyone looked kind of the same because everyone shopped at the same one or two stores,” said Fucillo, who graduated from Cal Poly in 1999.

He wanted to change that by bringing unique clothing for men to San Luis Obispo.

The name of his store is inspired by professors hosting office hours to educate students outside the classroom. In fact, Fucillo feels that part of his job is to educate people on men’s fashion and the stories behind the clothing.

Nearly all of the goods in his store are made in California by people with whom Fullicio has a personal relationship.

“One of my big passion projects is getting to know who makes what I wear. Everything I sell here, I personally know someone who helped make it,” Fucillo said.

Fucillo became interested in men’s fashion while working at a corporate job in the Bay Area. Because he had to dress in suits, he wanted to know that he was investing in high-quality clothing that was made to last.

He also wanted to know that he was supporting American businesses with high ethical standards.

“It was a lifestyle choice. When you think about what you are putting in your body, the easiest next step is to think about what you’re putting on your body,” said Fucillo, whose motto is “Buy less, buy better.”

He added that it’s important to be conscious of the people whose efforts go into creating clothes. Each pair of jeans requires human labor in the form of growing cotton, making fabric and cutting and stitching.

“You often hear ‘farm to table,’ but not ‘farm to closet,’” Fucillo said.

Office Hours’ clothing selection ranges from $9 socks to $300 jeans. Other items for sale include T-shirts and chore coats.

For more information, visit Office Hours’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OfficeHoursSLO.

This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 10:23 AM.