OLAF GROWALD
OLAF GROWALD
OLAF GROWALD
OLAF GROWALD
OLAF GROWALD
He’s been called a “Bearded Bae” and a “Black Dandy.” But at the end of the day, he’s just “Frank” — that is, Frank Moss, co-owner of bespoke clothier Franklin & Anthony.
No, not that Frank Moss, the former Fort Worth city councilman. That’s his father. His mother is Christene Moss, vice president of the Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Trustees. But rather than pursuing a career in local politics or education, the younger Moss decided to take a different route — fashion.
“My parents have actually been supportive [of] everything I do,” Moss says, adding that both have guided him in his business pursuits. His parents are also Franklin & Anthony clients.
Before entering the world of custom clothing, Moss was a stylist for fashion shows, working under fashion marketing and public relations specialist Stephania Schirru and Dallas designer Esé Azénabor. Then one day, a friend asked him if he wanted to make suits.
“I said, ‘That means I get them for free?’ And he said, ‘Yeah,’” Moss recalls. “I said, ‘Sure let’s do it.’”
That friend was Keaon Anthony, who became the “Anthony” of Franklin & Anthony. The duo launched the company about two and a half years ago, creating custom suits for clients around the U.S. When Anthony stepped down to focus on his family, Moss brought in another partner, Michael Anthony Taylor Jr., previous owner of bespoke clothier Eminent Style. Since his middle name was “Anthony,” the name stuck, and today, Franklin & Anthony has clients around the U.S., including Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Atlanta. It has even made suits for Buffalo Bills running back Travaris Cadet, whom Franklin & Anthony connected with through Schirru.
The company doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar yet, but Moss hopes to begin looking for possible showroom locations in Fort Worth or Arlington this summer.
Moss, for the most part, wears solely Franklin & Anthony — “I am my own billboard,” he says — and describes his personal style as “modern renaissance.” A few of his personal preferences: colored suits, peaked lapels and high-waisted pants with no breaks or belt loops.
Though he’s passionate about fashion, that’s not to say he isn’t involved in the community. He helped found the nonprofit CommUnity Frontline, a group of men focused on improving the city in areas like education, business and social issues. The group’s current focus is East Fort Worth, where Moss is from. He currently lives in Meadowbrook.
Moss balances that, alongside raising a family, running Franklin & Anthony and working his day job in mortgage modification. Whatever he’s doing, Moss says he takes the opportunity to dress up — even though he doesn’t really have to.
Anyone can make an outfit work, he says, as long as it’s carried with confidence. “If you don’t have that confidence, your outfit looks just that way. The more confident you are about your clothes, the better you look. That’s why I can get away with a very loud-colored suit.”
A Beard Model’s Tips for Maintaining a Good Beard
Frank Moss is known for his clothing style, but his beard makes waves, too, having appeared in publications like COSIGN Magazine and Essence (which named him a “Bearded Bae” in 2017). Here, his tips for beard care.
Use beard balm and oil. Bold Beardsmen and BeardGoonz are two brands Moss recommends.
Understand your hair-itage. Race matters when it comes to beards, Moss says. “For finer hair, it’s good to wash your hair daily and condition it daily … For black individuals, condition it daily, but wash it once a week, just because our hair is different, and we tend to wash out our minerals and cause our hair to get really dry.”
Know what your comb is made of. A wooden, bone or ivory comb causes less breakage, according to Moss.
Find a good barber and stick with him or her. Moss’ barber of choice is Nicole Scott of Nice Cuts - A Clip Mode Barber Salon in Woodhaven. He doesn’t go to anyone else in Fort Worth.