New York, NY (products made globally) · Est. 2013/2014 · Founded by Jesse James & Kostas Anagnopoulos
Jesse James grew up raiding his grandmother's cupboard in Westport, Connecticut -- the kind stocked with things lovingly worn, a little quirky, and completely irreplaceable. He and his husband Kostas Anagnopoulos built Sir/Madam to capture that feeling: everyday objects mined from the attic and turned into 21st century must-haves. Named for the email salutation used by their workshop in India, the brand is a Remodelista favorite and a Shoppe Object staple -- linen napkins, brass coasters, ceramic and stone and glass and textile, all with the quiet authority of things that have always existed and always should.
Jesse James grew up on the north side of Chicago, spending summers at his grandmother's house in Westport, Connecticut -- where he became obsessed with the Montgomery Ward catalog and the objects in her cupboards. He studied film and gender studies at Bard College, worked summers for his uncle Beau James importing European toy brands, and spent over a decade in product development before founding Aesthetic Movement, a creative agency and national sales consultancy, in 2008. It was through Aesthetic Movement that Sir/Madam was born -- a brand Jesse built in partnership with manufacturer Sylvia Pedder Khanna, with creative direction handled by Jesse and operations handled by Sylvia.
The name came from the workshop in India whose artisans began every email with "Dear Sir/Madam." It felt exactly right. Equal, warm, a little old-world, entirely unpretentious. The brand debuted at the Accent on Design trade show in New York and was immediately singled out by Remodelista as their favorite discovery -- noting Jesse and Kostas's uncanny ability to identify everyday objects that have yet to be mined from the attic and turned into 21st century must-haves. Flea market wooden spoons reimagined into kitchen bouquets. Solid brass coasters with their own unique patina. Pure linen napkins that get softer with every wash.
Jesse oversees creative direction with the support of Kostas -- his husband of nearly 30 years, and the co-founder who also happens to be his partner in life. Together they also founded Shoppe Object, now the most talked-about design trade show in New York. Products are now made in many corners of the world. On a registry, Sir/Madam is the category that makes a home feel settled and considered from the very first day -- and carries the quiet authority of objects made by people who have spent a lifetime thinking about what makes something worth keeping.
