God, Family and Grit: The businessman who is changing the way DC conservatives dress
Nathaniel Rios is building a family business, dressing DC's MAGA crowd in bold, quality and affordable suiting...
A Man with a Clear Mission
Nathaniel Rios never intended to be the go-to tailor for the MAGA movement in Washington D.C.
The 47-year-old Pentecostal pastor from Mississippi was introduced to tailoring 15 years ago when he needed extra income to support his family after starting a church. What began as a sales job at Jos. A. Bank has evolved into the Blue Thread Project, Washington’s go-to custom suiting for the new Republican establishment.
“We wanted to create a $10,000 experience at a Jos. A Bank price point,” Rios explained.
Operating out of a beautiful Capitol Hill row house, Rios and his sons have carved out a unique niche serving lawmakers, White House aides, and Trump administration staff, with other locations in Palm Beach, FL and Oxford, MS.
He is known for modern, slimmer cuts, favored by his younger clientele, and his bold custom suit linings featuring political and historical imagery like President Trump holding up his fist defiantly after being shot in Butler PA, Trump’s now-famous mugshot, and even George Washington crossing the Delaware River.
Rios says custom suiting is an opportunity to tell a personal story, and it’s important to him that he can continue to provide a bespoke experience at a reasonable cost amid tariffs affecting his supply chain.
Watch my conversation with Nathaniel Rios about building the bedrock of his suiting empire:
God and Family at the Core
God and family are at the center of Rios’ ethos as an entrepreneur. Blue Thread is truly a family business, as several members of the family serve in crucial roles, including his sons, to whom he wants to impart the values of hard work, grit and perseverance.
“I don’t want to do business with anyone else,” Rios says. “They always say ‘family businesses don’t work,’ and its only true because people don’t understand how to create that space,…”
When asked about how he handles hardship and challenges in his business, Rios says he immediately turns to God and credits his strong faith for reassurance in his ability to succeed and overcome.
“And I think of my family. I’ve got to fight for my family and I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure we can get better,” he said. “We just gotta keep doing this, keep trying to do our best to be the best that we can in this space.”
The Future and Plans to Scale
Rios says he is looking to scale his business by opening other locations around the country and hiring more staff to meet the already impressive demand for his product. He mentioned looking to the Chic-fil-A model as a possible option for growth while maintaining premium quality.
“By the end of this year we will have everything we need in place to start putting 21 places across the country that will be strategic,” he explained.
More than a Suit - Book a fitting
The Dream Client
Before wrapping up our interview, I had to ask Rios who his dream tailoring client would be if he could choose anyone to make a custom suit for.
“I think the one person that I would love to do is Donald Trump,” Rios said with a big smile. “First of all, he is very particular about his suits. I have been studying his suits, how he wears them,… I think he’s such an incredible human being.”
Rios theorized that Trump strategically wears certain color ties to project an intended image as well as the shades of blue he chooses for his suits.
“You’ll see how he wears his blues, if he is wearing a lighter blue he is usually traveling,… every move is calculated.”
Final Thoughts
The most valuable piece I took from our conversation was the reassurance that no matter how hard or dark the situation feels as an entrepreneur trying to build a business, or in any given life situation, there are guiding lights, like faith and family that can give you the strength to keep moving forward.
This is clearly evident in Rios’ journey to build the Blue Thread Project into what it is today.
He encourages young entrepreneurs to take risk and to commit to building something greater than oneself, in spite of the inevitable struggles that come with it. That advice, if heard and adhered to, will keep the gears of America turning long into the future.
Sounds nice I may have to get a few of these suits thanks for the Great story
Very good! Inspiring! Would like my Grandchildren to hear this!! My ONLY.... suggestion...... would be to INCLUDE in the conversation, his son!! It reallly bothered me to see him have to just sit there.... kinda' ignored. I realize his Dad certainly values/loves him, but maybe, show respect to him by letting him speak...a little anyway!!! Ty for listening!