George Zimmer, the gravelly-voiced founder of Men’s Wearhouse, has a holiday gift idea that might surprise you.
“Tickets to a rock and roll concert,” he told CNNMoney’s Christine Romans when she asked him for ideas.
He’s a big fan of The Rolling Stones, who he’s seen four times, but for a gift he’d go in another direction.
“The Stones are getting a little old,” he said. “I think Cold Play would be my choice right now.”
His other gift ideas are more what you’d expect from a career clothier who, after getting fired from Men’s Wearhouse, immediately launched two other menswear companies: zTailors and Generation Tux. Both startups use Uber-style platforms to reel in millennials.
Zimmer, famous for his catch phrase “You’ll like the way you look, I guarantee it,” took the opportunity to plug his new companies. He said he’d give someone “a wonderful set of cuff links and studs just in case” they ever want to rent a tuxedo from Generation Tux. Naturally, he was wearing a tuxedo from Generation Tux when he said that.
He also said that “a pair of really comfortable shoes” would also be a great gift.
Pressed for specifics, he said he used to wear Bally shoes, which start at $395 a pair. But not anymore.
“Now, I wear my own shoes,” he said, glancing down at his Generation Tux patent leathers. “They’ve very comfortable.”