Jason Mandler started his fashion line, Jason Scott, in 2013, while he was living in L.A. “I had no fashion background,” says Mandler, who now goes by the name Jason Scott. “I was working at William Morris, and I had a passion for clothing and tailoring. I’m not sure where that comes from—my mom says it’s her, and my dad says it’s definitely not him. I’d spend weekends in stores, never quite finding what I liked. I was drawn to more casual clothing, probably because I had to wear a suit and tie at work. I spent a couple of years learning about fabrics, fit, all that fun stuff. I wanted high-quality fabrics, something you can wear for ten years, and colors that go with everything.”

Three years ago, he moved to New York City and opened a store in the West Village. Last year, the brand—which is carried by Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue—expanded into womenswear. Now Jason Scott has a second store, with offices and showroom downstairs, on Franklin Street in what used to be Kiki de Montparnasse and, before that, All Good Things. “I always knew the second store would be in Tribeca,” he says. “I love the homey vibe and the industrial spaces. I probably looked at 50 different ones. This just felt like home. I saw the potential—we could keep the bones, but make it our own.”

Scott says his goal is a global brand where each store is its own community: “It’s more home than store.” (Indeed, several patrons have asked him to decorate their apartments. Another wanted to buy the artwork, which he painted himself.) At the “living room” in back, the store will host events such as yoga classes, dinner parties, pop-ups for adjacent brands (the store carries Frame denim and Garrett Leight eyewear), and movie nights, thanks to the pull-down movie screen left behind by the Swiss Institute’s temporary gallery. “A golf tournament was on the television last week, and guys were having a beer and watching,” says Scott. “There’s also a dining table, for meetings, and even a kitchen. “We’ve partnered with Chalait to serve coffee, espresso and matcha. I drink matcha every day, and I happened to meet the owner by chance once day.”

Up next? “Chicago by year’s end.”

Jason Scott is at 102 Franklin (between Sixth Ave. and W. Broadway); 646-590-3999; jasonscottclothing.com.

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