We caught up with Joseph Lor, CEO of Tocco Toscano and Faire Leather Co, to get a glimpse into the life of the man behind these eponymous multi-million dollar fashion brands.
Joe, who turns 34 this year, manages and oversees the daily operations of Tocco Toscano, a female-focused leather brand, Faire Leather Co, a male-focused leather brand and Sondermade, a bespoke leather goods company.
Joe picked up the leather trade from his father when he joined the company straight after graduating in 2012. He then took over the reigns as CEO in 2016 when the company was going through a rough patch, diving in and turning the company around just a year later. Now, Joe leads a team of almost 80 people.
We sat down with Joe to catch a glimpse into his life, how he drives his companies and juggles a grueling work schedule whilst maintaining his boyish good-looks and chiseled physique.
1) What’s it like being a leader to 80 personnel across 3 companies?
Joe: I think that to be a good leader, you need to be passionate about the work you are doing. I know best where the company should be heading, and that means I need to lead from the front and never be afraid to get my hands dirty.
2) What is the vision for your companies and the future you are trying to create?
Joe: We want to marry fashion with function into our brands and dominate those niches. At the end of the day, we want our products to not only be aesthetically beautiful but have functions that can be make the hustle and bustle of daily life a little bit easier.
3) As CEO of 3 different companies, what is your work schedule like?
Joe: Work starts anywhere between 11am to 1pm and ends usually at about 3 or 4am. I tend to meet a lot of business associates in the evenings which can extend past midnight. The time for me to truly focus on my work is between 12am to 4am where I can think deeply in the quiet of the night.
4) How do you juggle your social life with such a gruelling schedule?
Joe: I’m very thankful to have a supportive girlfriend who puts up with my irregular hours! I try to make time for my family and friends for a few hours on the weekends. I believe in spending quality time with them, be it having a good meal or just talking about how our week has been.
5) Continuing in that vein, how do you stay in such good shape?
Joe: Well, I’ve always hit the gym in whatever pockets of time I can spare. Recently however, I’ve been going for intense calisthenics workouts twice a week at 8am in the morning. It’s a quick 1 hour workout session then I’m off to work to shower and get the day started.
6) What are the 5 grooming accessories that you can’t live without?
Joe: Hmm, the 5 grooming accessories I carry in my Bond Briefcase are: Toothbrush, dental floss, deodorant, shaver and hair pomade. These are the essentials for getting ready quick in the off chance that I overlooked an important meeting.
7) Nice, speaking of hair pomades, you have great hair by the way, what do you look for in a pomade?
Joe: My hair is on the longer side, so I need a pomade with a strong hold that will keep the stray strands neat and well kept. I prefer a lighter smell and definitely would look for a product that is easy to wash off.
8) Since we are just launching our suavesmith classic pomade, what do you think of it?
Joe: My initial thoughts are that the classic pomade is pretty good, the hold is strong enough for me and it smells fresh. I’ve cycled through many different brands before and to be honest, haven’t really stuck with one exclusively. Hopefully suavesmith can be my new favourite one!