You have to admit, Mitch Button, the founder of Meisturwerk Machinen just oozes with style.
For those of our readers who haven’t heard of Meisturwerk Machinen yet, shame on you.
Meisturwerk Machinen is a men’s luxury lifestyle brand that is the embodiment of everything that ESM loves in this world – from motorcycles, to badass leather gloves, to timepieces, to unique forged pieces, to clothes, to just being awesome overall.
Two of our favorite products that can be found on Meisturwerk Machinen’s official website: leather gloves and the Daytona watch strap buckle.
After following Meisturwerk Machinen on Instagram for a few months, we already suspected the founder of this company led a much better life than us mere mortals.
Beautiful racing vehicles, living in a home filled with vintage Louis Vuitton pieces/motorcycles/killer furniture and the occasional glimpse of his “easy-on-the-eyes” partner were some of the few things which made us envious of Mitch Button, a.k.a Meisturwerk Machinen, a.k.a. ESM’s version of a modern day renaissance man, a.k.a. the guy who we wouldn’t mind trading lives with for a few days.
An image followers on Instagram are all too familiar with – a living room we would kill for. Also known as Meisturwerk Manor.
Mitch has successfully built a unique luxury lifestyle brand from the ground up over the past few years with laser focus, inspired by his passion for racing and anything mechanical.
And the crazy part? Reading the very thorough history of his company’s development on Meisturwerk Machinen’s official website only tells part of the story.
Even before our interview, our research revealed Mitch as a person who is very intelligent, passionate about what he does, driven (during our email communication he had surgery in the morning and was back at work in the evening) and has a hell of a lot of style (which can be seen from the products he sells on his site).
We were fortunate to talk to Mitch and get the lowdown on Meisterwurk Machinen, his path to get to where he is now, how lucky he is to have a beautiful wife who happens to share his love for motorsports, and what drives him on a daily basis.
Mitch Button is twice as interesting as any person we’ve met. We’ve become bigger fans after our interview with him.
On your website it says your original path was “becoming an architect with ties to engineering and an addiction to racing”. Were you still in school before heading up Meisturwerk Machinen or were you working at a job? If you were working, what were you doing?
The early history of Meisturwerk Machinen is anything but routine.
Having studied Architecture/Engineering I developed an eclectic mix of interests and passions. Education & Motorsport consumed my life before Meisturwerk Machinen and this is exactly why I liberated myself from both when given the opportunity to move to London and support my beautiful wife’s career while simultaneously establishing my label.
I believe that the greatest rewards in life can only come from taking the greatest of risks… leaving a secure life in order to construct an impenetrable one from the ground up seemed to be fit the bill.
So not only does Mitch have an amazing home, killer rides and a borgeoning business, he also has a beautiful wife who happens to be a – you guessed it – professional ballerina.
Some time ago my wife was invited to train at The Royal Ballet School and having spent her entire life working toward a dream of becoming a Principal Prima Ballerina (a dream that has now come to fruition) I was immediately inclined to drop everything and jet to the UK.
I have always described myself as being born of American blood but with a British Soul… with a great respect for British tradition and values I used this opportunity to further my education only this time in the direction of the values that were to comprise a strong foundation to what is now Meisturwerk Machinen.
Your website also mentions a little bit of Boston and a little bit of London in your history. Were you born in London and then moved to the US? Do you still go back and forth between the two countries on a regular basis?
I am American born and only relocated to London. I love England and do frequently travel back. If I were to deem myself an addict, I would then deem London my drug… I couldn’t stay away if I tried.
Yeah, we think Mitch has a deep connection with the UK. All the way down to where the magic happens.
Do your ties to the UK influence your design aesthetics? If so, how?
They do more than just influence my design aesthetics, they fuel the engines that drive my lifestyle.
I spend my weekends in London at what I would consider to be the best vintage markets in the world : Portebello Road – Brick Lane – Camden.
As a connoisseur of anything orbiting luxury or style one would be hard pressed to visit these gems and retain the vast array of inspiration displayed.
Both Mitch Button and Meisturwerk Machinen have a unique style – all influenced by his unique story.
There’s an interesting line in the DNA section of your website – “While Meisturwerk Machinen embodies the definition of a Luxury Lifestyle Label, it is actually birthed from the inability to accept an unfortunate childhood of poverty while persevering only fueled by fear of being forgotten.” Do you mind elaborating on this statement?
When born we are all dealt a hand of cards. Whether we hold rubbish or gold it is our choice of how to play them. I believe that this choice is our “ace up the sleeve”. My hand wasn’t only rubbish but was missing a few cards and ultimately left me with a decision that would depict my future.
Being surrounded by people who are the mirror opposite of the man that I am today I believe that while I had a weak hand of cards, I also held the key to success as I spent my youth visually seeing exactly what “NOT” to do in order to succeed in life.
From very humble beginnings, Mitch Button of Meisturwerk Machinen is now living the dream.
I have seen many people come and many more go… many people live and many more die —-> I have seldom seen them remembered or celebrated. Money seems to fuel many companies but I have always been fueled by legacy. I became an adult at 14 when I left home and have since persevered to construct the life that I dreamed of as a child.
I work hard so that the lines which separate my dreams from my reality is no longer visible.
Your website also mentions that you have a passion for racing. Were you racing on a team or were you racing.. “unofficially”? Do you still race today?
I bought my first car at the age of 15 and 14 years later have lost count.
I have fixated on speed since birth…my first words were literally “race car”. A passion this strong can only have one outlet and it fortunately is racing. Racing has always been a hobby of mine that began with bicycles and progressed to go karts, dirt bikes, motorcycles and ultimately leveled off with cars.
We think it’s safe to say Mitch Button from Meisturwerk Machinen has a love for anything that goes fast, from race cars to motorcycles, to bicycles. Here he is getting into his customized BMW M3 GTR.
More recently, racing has been a huge part of Meisturwerk Machinen. While most labels sponsor a team or a driver, I am my team…my driver, so the Motorsports division of Meisturwerk machinen is soon to evolve into epic proportions with the completions of my stroked S85 V10 ALMS BMW M3 GTR, Ducati Cafe-GP, stroked Ducati GP-999 and my latest horse, a 1988 Ferrari 328 with carbon fiber wide body.
I will pilot all of these as well as the future Meisturwerk Machinen vehicles.
We love the items you have curated for the “Meisturwerk Manor” – from all the motorcycles to the Louis Vuitton bags, to the killer Timothy Oulton furniture, to the vintage pieces. Tell us a little bit about the history of the Manor and how long it took to get it to where it is now.
Also, do you have problems with your significant other when you park all your gear inside the house (because we would love to do the same)?
If home is where the heart is… my heart will remain “Meisturwerk Manor” as we drew from all corners of the world to surround ourselves with a curated collection of the things we love the most.
Timothy Oulton is a brilliant man with an untainted vision and was a huge help with instrumenting the atmosphere of our home. I can count on one hand the men, women and brands that I believe can do no wrong… Timothy Oulton is one of them. Taking this into consideration it only seems fit that we work together…so follow along for a collaboration in the very near future
You know if this was anyone else’s house, their wives would have left them. Mitch Button just reminding us how lucky he really is.
We never stop collecting new pieces so our “museum of history” will continuously grow. However, we are still young so it only took us 3 years to reach this point… our hoard of vintage Louis Vuitton included.
We find pieces all over the globe but many from London, France, Italy (Imported 1800’s leather sofa) and Japan.
Above all others, I love frequently answering the question about my wife’s feelings on parking ten Ducati’s in our high-rise condo. She not only loves it but pushes me to push myself for more. More motorcycles, more cars, more everything that your average woman would torch if she could.
Without mutual support a relationship has no value and I believe that ours is extremely valuable… so much so that I would torch the Ferrari’s, BMW’s & Ducati’s if I were asked to choose.
I could go on with this topic for pages so will spare you the time and sum it up by saying that she loves the smell of oil and gasoline… what else does a man need?
If you enjoy “Meisturwerk Manor”, just wait until we finish the new “Meisturwerk Penthouse” and begin showing it in January of 2015!
You’ve got an awesome collection of motorcycles. Do you plan on eventually selling all of them at some point in time after enjoying them? Which motorcycle is your favorite and why?
I have an inability to sell my toys… let’s call it “Meisturwerk Disorder”.
I will only add to my collection but never plan to deplete it. I love them all but have to say that my favorite is my “GP999” which is my latest project to be completed in October. This bike is like no other Ducati on the planet and after 2 years I am looking forward to ripping it around the track.
One of our favorite bikes in Meisturwerk Machinen’s arsenal – a Ducati GP999.
You seem to have an eclectic product line driven by the passions in your life, from timepieces to gloves to straight razors to clothes. Which product was the first one you ever created? Which product is the one you are the most attached to?
I believe that designing and fabricating things I love will never feel like work so my product line will always consist of the things that I am most passionate about.
I began my obsession with horology at a young age while working for an authorized Audemars Piguet, Panerai, Rolex, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantine dealer —-> Surrounded by these giants I was immediately taken to their history and infrastructures. I slowly curated a vast collection of fine timepieces and at this point realized that by simply changing the strap on a watch you can recreate it’s entire character. Leather straps then became the first products to carry the Meisturwerk Machinen name.
I am most proud of my MM-01 as it has fueled countless designs for the future MM instruments.
Meisturwerk Machinen’s MM-01 timepiece.
On your website you also mentioned you “take pride in artistically defining Meisturwerk Machinen by personally dreaming, designing, fabricating, photographing and marketing everything branded with my infamous ’5 triangle / 4 circle’ crown”. For your different products, how far down the fabrication path do you get for each piece? And how long does it take for you to go from inception to build?
I work alone but the intensity of my OCD could only be rivaled by combining most compulsive of designers so my process is more delicate than most manufacturers.
I begin every design, whether necessary or not, with pencil sketches. I then progress this to hand drawn blueprints & drafts just before converting them to digital images. While tweaking digital designs I typically begin prototyping and once there is a common ground to work from I produce concrete prototypes for beta testing. Only after beta testing is complete do I turn the production units over to my clients hands.
This is where every Meisturwerk Machinen product starts – with Mitch on a sketchbook.
Start to finish I am buried in the process and never rush the process.
Essential Style for Men is all about style. How would you define your personal style? How does that affect how you design your products?
Divergent —-> I have a wide range of styles, all of which are dependent on my mood.
I often find myself wearing the opposite of what I feel that the majority of a crowd will wear as conforming is boring. Ironically this directly reflects in my product designs as again here I typically produce the opposite of what I feel the majority of the industry is producing.
Who are your icons? What inspires you as a modern day renaissance man?
Howard Hughes, Enzo Ferrari, Valentino Rossi, Aryton Senna, Francois Goyard & Louis Vuitton.
Perserverence and originality… at all costs.
More images from Meisturwerk Manor.
We’re curious about your “Order of the Crown” membership. How does it work and what do members receive when they sign up?
I will soon embellish on this membership as it is only now in the early stages of development.
Every great label has a strong following of clients but more so friends and I believe that without these friends that label couldn’t succeed. The “order” is meant to offer a “return” to these friends and bring us all together as frequently as possible to share our passions and interests.
I would like for my friends to feel as if they are part of a family and that their support never goes unnoticed.
We also saw on Instagram you scored yourself a new Ferrari. Mind talking to us about the details on the car?
I would love to fill your ears with the details of my entry into the Ferrari family!
It was my dream as a child to pay cash for a Ferrari before the age of 30. I retained this dream until I embarked on the journey that is now a $200,000 carbon fiber wide body stroked V10 ALMS M3. As this build unfolded my plans for a Ferrari subsided for a later date…until recently.
Meisturwerk Machinen’s carbon fiber wide body stroked V10 ALMS M3.
Pouring everything into a world class build is taxing so my wife bought me a Ferrari 512 Testarossa 1/64th scale car at the beginning of the build and told me to “keep this with you at all times as a reminder of your dream”. Only three months ago she said “you are 29, the clock is ticking…let’s get the Ferrari that you have always wanted”. With no hesitation I began searching for hours each day and after many flights to view many beautiful cars I found it.
As the Mahogany Wood garage door lifted I saw the ass end of what is now my 1988 Ferrari 328 with a complete carbon fiber 288 GTO styled wide body. As Enzo’s last year I believe the sub 88’ Ferrari’s to be some of the best and as this car came into view I forgot to breathe… that was all I needed to decide that this car was meant for me.
Like we said before, from simple beginnings, Mitch is now a very lucky guy. Meisturwerk Machinen’s 1988 Ferrari 328 with a complete carbon fiber 288 GTO styled wide body.
What does the future hold for you and Meisturwerk Machinen?
If I could sum up the future of Meisturwerk Machinen in one paragraph it would not be the “empire” that I plan to build.
Join me on this journey and together we can see all that the future holds for Meisturwerk Machinen and me, Mitch Button.
Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved so far, Mitch… you earned it.
For more information on Mitch Button and Meisturwerk Machinen, you can checking out the official Meisturwerk Machinen website at http://meisturwerkmachinen.com or you can follow them on Instagram at http://instagram.com/meisturwerk_machinen.