How one hard-wearing menswear brand designed a new KC denim story fit for global appeal  

Stepping into Guevel is a little like peeking behind the scenes into Cameron Niederhauser’s own wardrobe, the designer said — at least when it comes to the menswear store’s in-house line.

The Richard fit by Guevel

“We make a couple of shirts that are inspired by old, vintage pieces in my own closet,” the Guevel owner explained. “Our denim is basically built around my frame. My joke is always, if you wonder why a jean fits the way it does, just look at whoever designed it. Because they are probably starting with something they like and prefer, and that’s definitely true of our jeans. They fit how I want our jeans to fit.”

Niederhauser opened Guevel — originally named East + West — in early 2018 at 1828 Grand Boulevard in the Crossroads. He’d already spent several years with the denim-centric apparel brand Baldwin — itself founded in Kansas City — during its heyday before taking a break to work a 9-to-5 job. 

His goal now: stitch his own background and experience into the fashion industry with “a little bit of Kansas City woven in,” Niederhauser said.

“Guevel also has the stamp of being made by some of the best factories in the world,” he added. “That part’s really cool.”

Click here to explore Guevel’s line of products, as well as other offerings at the store.

Guevel’s shop in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

The brand’s Crossroads storefront — which is among those small businesses hit in a months-long string of break-ins and burglaries — is another denim-heavy story, Niederhauser said, focusing on American-, Canadian-, and Japanese-made menswear brands that blend classic styling with world-class manufacturing.

Guevel’s shop in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“We focus a lot on Japanese denim, which in our world is sort of the cream of the crop, top of the mountain,” he continued. “The ethos is really just hard-wearing, casual men’s clothes that you can build a wardrobe around and keep in your closet for a long time. We believe in owning fewer, better garments versus the sort of frenetic pace of fast fashion.” 

“Our whole idea is to maybe spend a little more and have something you’ll appreciate more in the long run,” he added.

The in-house collection, Niederhauser noted, is not just inspired by what he loves, but by seeing how much people love to buy something that is representative of Kansas City with a coastal appeal.

“People really appreciate when people take chances here,” he explained. “So that’s what we wanted to do with the in-house line. It was to see if we could build another little brand here in the Midwest that was — not only by and for people who are from Kansas City — but also had some appeal to people that we know who are in the industry in New York and LA and those places.”

Guevel’s shop in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Beneath the rivets

Niederhauser started focusing on clothes and fashion while he was in high school, he shared. And in college at the University of Missouri, he and a few friends started a blog about clothes.

“That took on a life of its own,” he continued, “and became a fairly well-read little blog in the Midwest.”

From there, he got connected to and hit it off with the owners of Baldwin Denim, he said.

“I loved what the brand was up to, loved what it was bringing to Kansas City, and pretty quickly found myself kind of with a full time job there,” he recalled.

After graduating from college, Niederhauser continued, he worked with Baldwin for several years, managing stores, buying menswear, and helping the wholesale team.

“I got to go to New York and tap into the greater menswear culture at the time,” he explained. “I met a lot of people and shook a lot of hands, and gained a lot of really good experience.”

In 2016, Niederhauser left Baldwin to attempt a more traditional job, landing a corporate sales position at a large workwear company in Kansas City.

“But I just always had the pull,” he added. “After I got out of specialty retail, I desired it again fairly quickly. But the only way I could really sign up to do it again was if it was for myself.”

So in February 2018, Niederhauser opened his own store in the Crossroads — East + West — a sort of second location to his friend’s store of the same name in St. Louis, he explained. But in 2020, when his friend sold his store, Niederhauser was inspired to rebrand as Guevel.

“Guevel is my mom’s maiden name, an old French surname,” he noted.

A model wearing Guevel takes the runway during the Social Couture event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Couture in the pocket

Niederhauser recently got to show off a few winter looks from Guevel on the runway at Social Couture, an exclusive fashion event at The Guild KC benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City. The fundraiser was organized by Rich Wiles and Lyndon Wade, with the Wade Brothers, founders of Tiki Taco, The Guild KC, RW2 Productions, and Paradise Garden Club.

The Winter Showcase included collections by Clairvaux and Guevel, while the Designer Showcase spotlighted Whitney Manney, Nina Littrell, Hadley Clark, Renee Larouge, and Bri Miller, who collaborated with “littles” from Big Brothers Big Sisters to co-create a bespoke collection.

“Social Couture was amazing,” Niederhauser said. “It was an opportunity that essentially was an immediate ‘Yes’ for me — not just for the (Big Brothers Big Sisters) organization, which is amazing — but also because of who was throwing it.”

Wade and Wiles, he continued, are amazing guys who have done impressive creative work in KC and nationally.

“They’re both incredible entrepreneurs,” he added. “And when I knew they were planning an event like this, I knew it was going to be pretty amazing. I just had to be part of that.”

Check out a photo gallery below, featuring various designers from the Social Couture runway show.