The Benefit of Being a Gentleman

I think there’s a great challenge in finding ways to get new people charitably engaged. Usually that means having an event or drive where the focus is on having fun or gaining something for yourself, while giving a kickback to a charity. The DJCC does that through Taste, our annual wine tasting that benefits local visually impaired children, and Johnny Sides, a formal event with proceeds benefiting the Assist the Officer Foundation. But a new Dallas-based retailer has a quirky new idea.

I love quirky business ideas that seem to catch just the right combination of weird niche and off-center purpose. I also love pocket squares. I don’t wear suits to work (not even close, in fact), but on the weekends I try to come correct. Which means any vest or jacket has the right accent, among other things. Quixotic might be my new favorite vendor.

Inspired by the many buy-one, give-one models that exist today, [Southern Methodist University grad David] Novak has built on that idea by engaging customers beyond the point of purchase. Ten percent of Quixotic’s sales support U.S.-based women’s shelters, but there is also a campaign called Square for Square: If you lose your pocket square during an act of gentlemanly valor, the company celebrates your actions by sending you another.

Encouraging men to be men is valuable, considering how likely local yuppies (myself included, unfortunately) are to fall back on college habits of interacting with others, particularly women. Encouraging men to be gentlemen, and finding a way to incentivize it, could be a huge shift for the community. Not to mention the women and children who’ll get help just from the initial purchase.

So, gentlemen, if you love women, or if you just love pocket squares, Quixotic ought to be on your list for your next accessory purchase.