RIP RICHARD SAMUELSON, SAMUELSOHN LTD: KIND, WITTY, OPINIONATED

MR is sad to announce the passing of Richard Samuelson, for many years co-president, with his twin brother Michael, of Samuelsohn Ltd. Richard died on January 4th and was known for his storytelling, jokes, and opinionated letters to the editor. 

Says Linda Amorin, who worked with Richard for many years, “He sewed the heart in every suit. As eccentric as he was, everyone loved Richard because he was real: kind, witty and so passionate about making the best-tailored clothing in North America. He was the best boss in the world, referring to me as his ‘deputy.’ I will miss him dearly.” 

Richard is survived by his wife Laurie, son Adam and wife Michelle, daughter Danielle and husband Bryan, and grandchildren Emma, Leah, Dylan, and Charlie. Donations in Richard’s name can be made to Cedars Cancer Foundation or the Alzheimer Society of Montreal. 

The following tribute is from friend and business colleague Joshua Weiss: 

A Very Nice Friendship  

Roughly 30 years ago, Richard and I were introduced at one of the Ideabiella fabric fairs in Cernobbio, a beautiful spot on the shores of Lake Como, north of Milan. Clothing companies from across the globe attended this twice-yearly by-invitation exhibition to shop the various Biella mills before collections were assembled for market. We buyers could therefore see entire lines rather than a version condensed for the U.S. agents. These fabric fairs were the epitome of elegance. Lunches were catered by Villa d’Este; everyone dressed the part. 

So someone says to me, after a morning cappuccino, “Hey, Josh, you should meet Richard Samuelson; he, like you, is really into opera.” Well, an opera snob like me has heard this before. I don’t need to meet someone who tells me they like the opera because they’ve seen a few. No interest at all. However, Samuelson is the owner of his company while I work for the owner(s) of mine. Of course, I’ll take the introduction. Why not? 

We meet. In maybe 30 seconds, we click. ”What did you think of Morris in Meistersinger? What’s your favorite Verdi duet in his middle period? Yes, ‘Si! vendetta’ (Rigoletto) is mine as well.” We became fast friends and shared a dinner at just about every Ideabiella following. In between, a lunch or dinner in Manhattan, as he visited frequently. We went to the Met together numerous times including at least two Ring cycles (4 Wagnerian operas over 6 nights). I always purchased the tickets and he was Johnny-quick sending me a check. During intermissions, we’d agree or argue about what we were hearing/watching. 

Then there were the Saturday Met live global broadcasts on the radio. We both listened faithfully and would critique via email what we’d heard, to the point of even evaluating the host. Anyone with a passion for the arts can appreciate a connection such as this.   

Oddly, we didn’t speak much about business. I was with Cliftex, a highly sophisticated, machine-made, fused product, turning out 30,000 coats weekly. His company crafted just about the finest specialty store product in North America. I don’t recall his output but it was probably 10 percent of ours, each garment a diamond.    

He didn’t have a New York office, so he’d set up in a hotel for spring and fall markets. I wasn’t exactly a competitor, so he’d have me in after hours to show me a few things. As a 42 regular, I would try on his garments. So supple, such perfect shoulders! Other than certain fabrics and that his coats had two sleeves, our suits had little in common: his Paul Stuart business was not at risk, nor were my Sears or Men’s Wearhouse relationships vulnerable. 

We didn’t speak very much about politics as we were not in alignment. I’m way off on the left edge and he, more on the fence climbing down on both sides. We did enjoy speaking about baseball. He, of course, loved his Montreal team and I’m a life-long Yankee fan. He respected the Yankee history. About ten years ago, he sent me something quite special: old Yankee tickets dated Oct 5, 1956. He, at age 19, was at Yankee Stadium to watch Don Larsen pitch the only perfect game in World Series history. 

We emailed quite a lot about classical music and opera, exchanged birthday wishes every year, and sometimes commented about happenings in the clothing industry. I called him this past November 15th to say Happy Birthday, but Laurie told me he simply wasn’t able to speak.   

I suppose opera, being the dominant connection between us, was the reason he always signed off, not as Richard, but… Ricardo.   

It was a very, very nice friendship. Rest in Peace, Ricardo.