The Remarkable Journey of Martin Greenfield: From Auschwitz Survivor to America’s Greatest Living Tailor
Martin Greenfield, a renowned tailor who graced the bodies of six US presidents, countless A-list actors, and professional athletes with his custom-made, handcrafted suits, passed away on March 20 at the age of 95. This news was shared by Greenfield’s sons Jay, Tod, and David.
Known as “America’s greatest living tailor” by GQ and other media outlets, Greenfield established the long-standing menswear shop Martin Greenfield Clothiers in Brooklyn in 1977. Following three decades of experience working in a clothing factory, he decided to open his own business and provide the world with exceptional clothing.
Greenfield’s impeccable work graced the wardrobes of numerous cultural heavyweights: Frank Sinatra, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and LeBron James are just a few examples. Additionally, he dressed six US Presidents.
In an interview with Great Big Story in 2016, Greenfield explained his craft: “My craft is very difficult to define because it’s many things. I am a maker of clothing. I know how to measure. I know how to fit people. Very few people could match me.”
Born Maximilian Grünfeld in 1928, in the village of Pavlovo, then Czechoslovakia and now part of Ukraine, Greenfield experienced unimaginable hardships during his childhood. In 1944, he and his family were forced from their home by the Nazis and taken to Auschwitz. Separated from his parents and siblings, Greenfield survived the concentration camp, where he learned the skills that would later define his career.
While assigned to wash Nazi uniforms, he accidentally tore a soldier’s shirt and was brutally beaten for it. Greenfield kept the mended garment and wore it under his prison uniform, feeling empowered by it. He recalled that people seemed to respect him more in the repaired shirt. Empowered by this experience, he risked ripping a second one so he could have two.
Greenfield’s memoir, “Measure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidents’ Tailor,” shares how these two torn Nazi shirts played a significant role in helping him build America’s most successful and famous custom-suit company. Greenfield immigrated to the US in 1947, changed his name to Martin Greenfield, and began working at a clothing factory in Brooklyn. Eventually, he bought the factory and started his own business.
Greenfield took pride in being the one who turned President Eisenhower on to three-piece suits, as he recalled, “Once he had the first three-piece suit, from then on you didn’t see Eisenhower in nothing but the three-piece suit.”
Greenfield dressed Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. While working with President Obama in 2010, he refused to replicate the sizing details of one of Obama’s existing suits and eventually earned his trust by measuring him. They began a long, fruitful relationship, with Greenfield creating virtually every suit the President wore since February 2011.
Greenfield also worked with notable figures like Sinatra and Denzel Washington, as well as in Hollywood, making 1920s-era suits for the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” and costumes for films such as “Argo,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and “The Great Gatsby.” One of his most recognizable movie moments is the bright red suit and neon orange waistcoat Joaquin Phoenix wore in “Joker.”
After Greenfield retired, his sons Jay and Tod took over the family business. Martin Greenfield Clothiers’ Website notes that the clothes are still manufactured by hand in Brooklyn, showcasing Greenfield’s obsession with quality and attention to detail.
Greenfield’s sons paid tribute to him on Instagram: “Martin Greenfield worked at the factory for 71 years, he loved meeting, dressing, and befriending world leaders, celebrities, athletes, and everyone else. May his memory be a blessing to everyone who had the pleasure to meet him.”
