Tailors one day about the fit of some the suits that were being made for his latest film, concerned whether they would be done in time for filming Monday. Manuel worked all weekend tailoring the suits, and Monday morning delivered all the outfits to Murphy. Nudie then offered Manuel a full-time job. Working alongside Nudie, Manuel later became head tailor, head designer, and eventually partner of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors in North Hollywood. Clients knew Manuel as the quiet tailor in the back at Nudie's who also did all of the fittings. Manuel designed and created many of the suits that Nudie's Rodeo Tailors became famous for in the late '50s, '60s, and early '70s. Though Nudie encouraged Manuel to make repeat "copies" of designs that sold well, Manuel refused. It was at Nudie's Rodeo Tailors that Manuel became known for his one-of-a-kind designs, making each piece unique. In September 1965 Manuel married Nudie's only daughter, Barbara L. Cohn. They had one daughter, Morelia (born in 1968). In 1975, after Manuel and Barbara were divorced, Manuel opened his own shop, Manuel Couture, just down the street from Nudie's Rodeo Tailors in North Hollywood. Many of the friends and clients that Manuel made while working with Nudie, including Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, and George Jones, supported Manuel and his new shop. From 1975 till 1988, Manuel Couture became a go-to designer and image maker for up-and-coming musicians in Los Angeles. "His customers seem to place a near-blind faith in Manuel putting their professional images in his hands, believing that what he whips up for them will be right. 'That's partly why I have survived as a designer all these years. People put their trust in me to create something truly unique,' he says." Throughout his North Hollywood career, Manuel worked with famed costumer Edith Head and made costumes for over 90 movies and 13 television shows, including the jeans James Dean wore in the movie Giant, and the Lone Ranger's famous mask. Nashville After nearly 40 years in Los Angeles, Manuel moved his business and family (second wife Susan, and three children Morelia, Manny Jr., and Jesse-Justin) to Nashville, Tennessee. "I wanted to see the kids grow healthy and safe, and L.A. started to get a little too tight for me, and too complicated. I am thankful for my time there though because that was the place where I made my career