She responded with, “don’t worry about that fabric, it’s too expensive for you.” James wouldn’t take no for an answer and said “well, why don’t you let me worry about that” and when she asked what he wanted to use Ultrasuede for he said, “everything.” And he did use Ultrasuede in everything. James was hooked and asked the fabric supplier about it. On top of all that, it’s a fully sustainable product made from recycled plastics and plant-based materials. It feels just like real suede but it’s vegan and machine washable. It was a sample for something called Ultrasuede, a microfiber that doesn’t crack, fade, shrink or wrinkle. James was sitting in a fabric meeting, going through swatches for the first fall collection when a piece of fabric came loose from the pile and fell into James’ lap. They needed something new, something different that would set Nifty Genius apart. Having created this unique shopping experience and the curated brand wasn’t enough though.

This ambitious team, however, did not stop there and decided to create a fully curated lifestyle experience: a website that would sell everything from clothing, shoes, accessories, and apothecary, to classic cars, furniture, watches, and everything in between. They had decided to design a line of direct-to-consumer menswear that serves the informed gentleman through understated yet elegant garments. Flash forward, James had been consulting for Jared and partner, Larry Lemons for a year. Taken aback by the cheeky name and the fact that an NFL player had come to him for consulting, James was apprehensive and asked Jared: “Do you want this to be a hobby or a real business?” Jared responded, “a real business” and the journey began. Jared came to James with the idea for a men’s clothing wear company called Nifty Genius. CEO and Creative Director, James Costa was working at his previous menswear company when he was approached by the tight end for the Oakland Raiders (then Rams): Jared Cook. Rome wasn’t built in a day and The Curated Menswear Experience didn’t come to be overnight. James, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. “So nice to open my cabinet and see it nice and neat.Today we’d like to introduce you to James Costa. “I am a much happier person now and no longer feel the need to throw all my lids out the back door!” Shared another relieved shopper. I looked for racks and found these on Amazon. “The lids were always a problem, no matter how I tried to stack them. “I was looking for a better way to organize my pots and pans cabinet,” wrote one now-organized cook. More than 4,400 five-star reviewers have found kitchen clutter relief with this handy tool. That means no more digging under a mountain of pans, anxiously waiting for it to topple before you find the lid you’re looking for. The rack fits in a cabinet and there’s space between each metal bar to store a pot or lid and keep them sorted. This golden nugget of a kitchen gadget is very simple in construction and design, but it does so much.

This rack is 10.1 x 7.75 x 7.5 inches, can hold four pots or lids and, is available in bronze- or silver-hued steel.

Nifty genius