With our 4th birthday just around the corner, there's no better time to thank our customers who have been with us since the beginning. Last week we invited one of our top customers - Duke Chung - along with several of his friends down to our Georgetown Pop-Up Shop for an evening of fine bourbon tasting and shirts. We had a great time getting to know Duke, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of
Parature, and took a few minutes to catch up about startup culture in DC, his favorite places in the nation's capital, and his love of Ledbury shirts.
What is unique about the startup culture in DC?
The DC startup community is a relatively small, but growing and intimate community. The local entrepreneurs tend to lean on and support each other, and the problems that the local entrepreneurs tend to solve are focused on tackling some of the biggest issues of our time - healthcare, cyber security, energy, education, and social issues. And of course, it's convenient to have the world's largest buyer in town, the federal government.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I enjoy skiing, biking and playing basketball (Parature employees play every week for Parahoops). Also enjoying collecting. Lastly, I like volunteering to support Food & Friends, a community caring for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses.
Top 3 places to go in DC?
- Georgetown neighborhoods - taking a walk through the historic neighborhoods, grabbing drinks and cigars at Bourbon Steak, or enjoying a summer afternoon at Kafe Leopold.
- Going for a run or bike ride on the Mt. Vernon Trail. Its also a great way to get nice views of the city. If you make it to Gravelly Point, you can watch airplanes taking off and landing at Regan.
- Late night chili dogs @ Ben's Chili Bowl or a Shack burger at Shake Shack.
What do you love most about Ledbury shirts? The brand itself?
First and foremost, I love the passion and dedication that both Paul's have in starting Ledbury. The apprenticeship with the London tailors, their vision of style for the modern man, and their relentless focus on customer care.
I like the quality of the Ledbury shirt, and innovation around lower the second button because the founders know that men wear less ties these days. I have always worn Zegna and Armani shirts, but these days I choose my Ledbury shirts in the morning first.
