Mr. Porterfield’
As a frequent viewer of your “Someone You Should Know” segment I have an individual who definitely qualifies ffor this segment. His name is Maurice Hood and he is the owner , operator and one man show at Maurice Hood’s Custom Tailor Shop located at 1900 W. Hubbard St in Chicago At the recent Academy Awards two of his tuxedo creations were worn by Brandon Oldenburg and William Joyce who won the Oscar for best animation. This is the second time his work has received acclaim as he created the purple tuxedo worn by Prince at the 2007 Academy Award show. Maurice is one of the premier tailor’s in Chicago and has designed and created suits for many celebrities such as Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland, Scottie Pippen,John Thierry , Byron Miranda and many other celebrities. With his recent Oscar success he has received acclaim in other venues but very little locally.

Maurice is a one man show and a visit to his shop reveals an elaborate set-up for making clothes that he alone created and he alone utilizes. Maurice is one of the most resourceful people you would ever meet . He also is a skilled craftsman when it comes to the art of cabinet making and has had some of his work appear in Architectural Digest.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Maurice doen’t even involve his professional skills and artistic ability. In an age where Black men are frequently denounced for not being good father’s , Maurice is a single parent and is completely devoted to his two children Whitley and Isaiah. He works tirelessly to provide for them and he does all the “soccer mom” things as well as keep house and cook nutritional meaals for his children every day. He is amazingly devoted to the welfare of the children and works round the clock in an attempt to provide them with an opportunity to see up close that success comes from hard work..
Many a night I’ve sat with Maurice and watch him meticulously create suits for people. He is quick to remind you of the 465 steps he enploys in the making of a suit. The man works 24/7 and rarely sleeps. He is truly an artist !

For the last 30 plus years I’ve had the privilege of having Maurice as my best friend in life.Although I’m a bit biased, the facts are the facts. He is a person who has brought world wide acclaim to this city on more than one occasion, but remaains anonymous in his home town. Mr. Porterfield , Maurice Hood is most assuredly someone you and all of Chicago should know.!!!