Our Founder's Summer Favourites

Looking for some new music? Bored of your current podcast? Need to impress your next date with a killer food spot or activity to do in Calgary? Abdul, Ayaz, Lucas, and Abdullah have your back. 

Our founders founded Adesso Man in 2016 as a passion project to change the men's fashion and lifestyle market. As a result, the men have become the heart and soul of Adesso and their personalities speak through the brand’s product and community impact. Their passion and drive speaks through not only their work, but through their interests as well! 

With our Summer days coming to a close, we asked each of our founders what their favourites from this season were. Let’s go through Abdul’s favourites first. 
 

Abdul Basit Ahmed | Little Mr The People & Strategy Guy 

Co Founder, CEO (Biz development, Marketing Guru, Customer Experience) 

Favourite song(s): I have been listening to a lot of Afro beats and Afro pop; I like the song “Blessed” by Wiz Kid
Favourite podcast: The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
Favourite movie of 2022: Top Gun
Favourite TV show of 2022: Only Murderers in the Building
Favourite book: I can never finish books but I really like books that help you become a better version of yourself; Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza is a great read.
Favourite restaurant of 2022: Cleaver @cleavercalgary; Huge foodie here
Favourite Calgary Activity: Going for walks along the river
Favourite purchase: My favourite purchase this year has been my wide brim bucket hat for the Summer
Favourite Adesso product + how you’ve been incorporating it in your daily lives: My favourite Adesso product is our Adesso bracelets which I wear every day. Other brands I love from our store are Milo and Dexter and Devon+Lang which I wear consistently.
 

Ayaz Raja | Little Mr All-Round Fashion Inspo 

Creative Director & Visionary

Favourite song: Lately, I’ve been replaying “Tonight” by Ballester. I’ve always been into music that energizes me, and rarely like listening to slow songs unless it’s by a Pakistani Artist (then it hits different)
Favourite podcast: I’ve stopped listening to podcasts, but I have been watching one person on TikTok recently @drewafual. She’s hilarious and witty, and goes after all these misogynistic men who attack her, so she stitches videos and attacks back. It’s hilarious. I’ve just recently come across her platform, and it’s some quality banter. 
Favourite movie: White Chicks, and the Orphan
Favourite TV show: Brooklyn Nine Nine
Favourite restaurant: Anejo Calgary @anejorestaurant. YOU CAN’T DO WRONG WITH SOME NACHOS, AND TACOS. 
Favourite food: Anything home cooked. Anything.
Favourite Calgary Activity: Take advantage of being around the mountains. 
Favourite purchase: Experiences. Any purchases that help me gain memorable experiences is worth every single penny. I bought myself a european tour right after university to celebrate my accomplishments, and it left a lasting impression on me. That’s where I caught the travel bug. I’ll never turn back. 
Favourite Adesso product + how you’ve been incorporating it in your daily lives: Bro. EVERYTHING. I use Adesso in every single thing I do. From my face wash, to my moisturizers, to my clothes, underwear, socks, and cologne. I love all of our fashion accessories, it helps me have something that’s unique and different. Our lapel pins and colorful pocket squares are always a much needed addition to all my blazers. 
 

Lucas Anderson |  Little Mr Know It All

Co-founder, VP Operations, Supply Chain and Sourcing, Builds All the Ikea Furniture,  IT guru.

Favourite songs: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, Don’t Dream Its Over by Crowded House, and Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus (Yes, really).
Favourite podcast: Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer in 2 Bears 1 Cave are absolutely hilarious together. This is the only podcast I've ever cried laughing at. Plus, Bert reminds me of myself a lot.
Favourite movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel. Honestly this movie has everything, and is the closest I’ve seen to a perfect movie. Tied for 1st is Interstellar, this movie is just beautiful and Matthew McConaughey is amazing. 
Favourite TV shows: Lost. This show was way ahead of its time. I think a lot of people did not enjoy it in the end is because people were much more dumb back then in regards to TV. TV back in the early 2000s barely required any critical thinking. If you didn’t like it, or hated the ending, Rewatch it. You’ll like it now.
Last Man on Earth might be my favourite comedy, tied with Arrested Development. 
Favourite book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink! This book was huge for me. It is so useful not only for business, but also for day to day life. It goes over a lot of owning up to your faults and not making excuses for them. It helps you become a much better leader overall.
Favourite restaurant: Blue Water Cafe @bluewatercafe in Vancouver - I stop here everytime I’m in Vancouver. The seafood is amazing.
Favourite food: Steak or Salmon. Both are great in my opinion. The steak has to be medium rare though. I don’t understand how people eat steak well done.
Favourite Calgary Activity: Exploring the city. This city honestly has so much to offer. From different parks to walk around, to checking out new restaurants and stores downtown. 
Favourite purchase: Same as Ayaz - a trip to Europe. My girlfriend & I booked a trip in 2018 I believe it was. We traveled from London to Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome & Naples. We joined a Contiki and met some great friends along the way. It was an absolute blast, and I want to go back to Europe someday soon.
Favourite Adesso product + how you’ve been incorporating it in your daily lives: My favourite adesso products are probably our beard brushes

& our safety razors. The beard brush I use every morning to help straighten out my beard and keep it looking clean. I also switched over to a safety razor about 5 years ago and haven’t looked back. I have way less irritation now on my neck, and have spent probably $20 over the past 5 years on blades.

 

Abdullah Ahmed | Little Mr Nice Guy

Retail & Operations Manager

Favourite song: Pehli Nazar by Atif Aslam. I love listening to slow romantic songs & House Music. 
Favourite movie: Top Gun, The Mechanic, Transporter, Bourne Identity, all Van Dammes movies.
Favourite TV show: YOU, Dexter 
Favourite restaurant: Paia Fish Market @paiafishmarket in Honolulu, Hawaii
Favourite food: Every type of food from all cultures.
Favourite Calgary Activity: Exploring Calgary, going for walks in downtown, rafting on the bow river, and going to the mountains. 
Favourite purchase: Experiences. Me and my wife's trip to Honolulu, Hawaii in 2022 was the best purchase and experience. And I have personally traveled to 10 countries within a month of October in 2016. Barcelona, Rome, Venice, Switzerland, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Srilanka, Dubai & London. 
Favourite Adesso product + how you’ve been incorporating it in your daily lives: Pretty much everything, I use our Adesso shaving tools like straight razor to line up my beard, safety razor to shave my bald head. I have 2 to 3 beard balms and oils that I use on a regular basis to keep my beard conditioned and shape up together. Our Adesso bracelets to style up my wrist. Adesso socks to go with my outfits. Adesso Leather Rachet belt which makes my life easier in putting on my belt. Devon + Lang Underwear is the best and most comfortable underwear i wear. And my suits to go with every Adesso Accessories I have the ties, pocket squares, bow ties, tie clips, cufflinks and lapel pins.

Tag yourself! Who are you most similar to and why? Does your taste in Adesso products align with the founder you chose? Be on the lookout for more founder related content in the upcoming months for some Fall and Winter favourites!