THE JOURNAL
Photograph courtesy of The Elder Statesman
The Elder Statesman’s Mr Greg Chait on his morning routine.
Mr Greg Chait is one of MR PORTER’s longtime friends and collaborators. His laidback, artisanal brand The Elder Statesman, which he founded in 2007, was among the first we introduced on site when we launched in 2011. In 2013, we invited him to be the subject of a video we were shooting in his home city of Los Angeles. And this month, we launched a capsule collection he created for us as part of our Made In California series. “I decided to do a journey through LA and where I travel nearby, whether it’s Palm Springs or Joshua Tree,” says Mr Chait. “The vibe was all these different neighbourhoods and what I pick up along the way. It’s The Elder Statesman version of souvenirs.” Today, in our third instalment of our series on the morning routines of successful men, we ask Mr Chait how he prepares on Monday morning for the busy week ahead.
I was a Fight Club-level insomniac for about 15 years of my life. What finally helped me sleep the most were really great novels on tape. A person talking helps put me to sleep and keeps me asleep so I am fully rested for a Monday morning.
Most of the time my body naturally wakes up around 7.00am. I need a hard wakeup about five per cent of the time and I use my iPhone. But in different parts of the world, it’s different. In Greece, I wake up naturally at 1.00pm, for example.
The first thing I do when I wake up is have a big glass of water, then a good cup of ice coffee. Sometimes I’ll make it; sometimes I’ll pick it up somewhere. I never eat in the morning. Just water and coffee.
My morning routine depends on location and season. I’m not a get-out-of-bed-and-go-for-a-run guy. If I’m going to do any exercise in the morning, it’s surfing. In Malibu during the summer, it’s all about coffee and then a surf. In LA, it’s a chill morning and then I just get moving. I’ll check my emails as I’m starting to engage my day. Because I’m always working and I enjoy my job, at any point in time I’m thinking and creating. Every day is completely different. I never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
As you can see by my appearance, I clearly have no grooming routine besides brushing my teeth or taking a shower. I use no products and wash my hair maybe once a month. I don’t use beard oil, either. The only thing I put in my hair is whatever conditioner is near.
What I wear in the morning depends on what the day holds. I wear whatever clothes I have at whatever place I’m at. I’ve built good wardrobes all over the place.