Who are you?

I am a man with some experience throughout the Eurasian continent, primarily in hospitality and the creation of elements of gentlemen’s style. Style is my passion in whatever I may be doing.

How would you describe your own style?

My style? It is the daily expression of my life’s experience from my youth in Sri Lanka to my maturity in the Western peninsula of Eurasia. If you mean my clothing, then I think it is obvious from photographs that the base is the English men’s dress of the 20th century as leavened and lightened by Italy’s artisans and warm climate.

What is your earliest memory related to menswear and style?

My father and grandfather were civil servants under the British colonial administration. They were dressed to be fit for London, had it been located in the tropics. As a boy, this was most visible on Sunday and at the cricket grounds.

What inspires you / How do you find inspiration?

I was always interested in what other people do. Not to imitate but to learn from them. Sometimes I was inspired as a lad to less proper things– like making bell-bottom trousers out of priests’ cassocks or painting my cricket boots red– for which I got a thrashing. Now I have been working in the clothing trade for many years. So I can say that my inspiration comes from reflecting on that history– and of course the amazingly talented hands of the women who sew the collars of my shirts.

If you had to name one person that has had the most influence on your style, who would that be?

Fortunately, there are some questions I do not have to answer.

How would you describe the Italian menswear scene? (Or British/American/Asian)

Well, Italy makes everything as if it were for leisure and holiday. By that, I do not mean that as Americans they are obsessed with “casual”. Italians can turn the essence of a Wall Street pinstripe or a City suit from the stiff officious attire that was common in the mid-20th century to a suit that embodies the business habit but fills it with the spirit of a breeze from the Gulf of Naples. While the British are known for the peculiar humor and stiff upper lip– even if those are clichés– it was their clothing culture that stimulated Italy’s artisanal traditions that survive today. We are now in a major crisis because of the attacks on the SME sector worldwide resulting from the current emergency. This will take resilience and spiritual commitment is the artisanal resources of this country are to survive and continue to thrive.

How do you evaluate the Italian market in terms of sartorial menswear? Are there any trends?

It is hard to say what the trends are or will be. It has been more than a year since the trade has met at the semi-annual Pitti Uomo. If the summer edition is actually held we will know more. I think that the massive reduction in travel and office work will mean changes in the market and a focus perhaps on less ostentation and more comfort.

Tell us a bit about your company or you as a person, what is the secret or unique with what you are doing?

For more than two decades I have been promoting not just shirts but an attitude. Effortless elegance. It is based on a maxim: there is no self from the shelf. So I design attire and choose accessories that require a man to reflect, to make decisions, not just to follow others. For the same reason, I only produce in Italy. That is where the tradition is. That is where the family companies are. That is where the future must lie. We need to appreciate how others make what helps us make ourselves.

But the secret shall remain a secret. You know Shakespeare wrote, I think it was in Titus Andronicus, “three may keep a secret if two of them are dead”

What is your number one suggestion to men that want to learn how to dress better?

Take a good look at oneself in the mirror and ask “who am I?” Then ask how do I want people to recognize that?

How have these crazy times affected you? Any positive sides?

I appreciate the time and the reduced speed that has resulted. I come from a country with a hot climate– there is no virtue in doing things too fast,

Although I am not sure the word “crazy” does justice to the conditions we have now had for over a year. Panic will solve nothing. I have never been one inclined to panic. These times may simply exhaust those for whom the panic business has been a way of life. Then we can start again to listen patiently to each other.  The deceased German chancellor Helmut Schmidt was often heard saying in moments of apparently grave uncertainty– “abwarten, Tee trinken”– in other words, wait, keep sipping one’s tea. As a native of Sri Lanka– where so much fine tea comes from– this reaction comes naturally.

What was the first thing that brought you in to menswear and how would you start building your wardrobe, any advise or secrets?

I worked in hospitality for many years and saw all sorts of men travelling, in all social and income classes, from all countries. I wanted to have shirts that were good for travelling and also unique in style and quality. I have never been very interested in brands per se. There are some companies that produce remarkable goods and have famous names. However I am more interested in the making than the marketing. So most of what I have comes from people and places that I know personally. That is how I learned to distinguish between my own needs and preferences and those of others. There is an anecdote about the French shirtmaker Charvet– I do not know if it is true, but it coincides a bit with my own philosophy. First, it is said that they have hundreds of shades of white because their clientele was predominantly the class of men for whom a white shirt was de rigeur. Second, John F. Kennedy was supposed to have ordered all his shirts from Charvet. However as President of the United States he could not be seen wearing French shirts– hence they were always delivered without a label or maybe with some fantasy label to conceal their origin. Why do I mention this? Kennedy and not only his wife were considered very well dressed persons in their day– but there was no talk of brands or names. People just learned to know what they liked and what fit them. This is a lifelong process. There are no magic formulae. It is all part of maturity– like the quality of the fine teas from the country of my birth..

I am a man with some experience throughout the Eurasian continent, primarily in hospitality and the creation of elements of gentlemen’s style. Style is my passion in whatever I may be doing.

How would you describe your own style?

My style? It is the daily expression of my life’s experience from my youth in Sri Lanka to my maturity in the Western peninsula of Eurasia. If you mean my clothing, then I think it is obvious from photographs that the base is the English men’s dress of the 20th century as leavened and lightened by Italy’s artisans and warm climate.

What is your earliest memory related to menswear and style?

My father and grandfather were civil servants under the British colonial administration. They were dressed to be fit for London, had it been located in the tropics. As a boy this was most visible on Sunday and at the cricket grounds.

What inspires you / How do you find inspiration?

I was always interested in what other people do. Not to imitate but to learn from them. Sometimes I was inspired as a lad to less proper things– like making bell-bottom trousers out of priests’ cassocks or painting my cricket boots red– for which I got a thrashing. Now I have been working in the clothing trade for many years. So I can say that my inspiration comes from reflecting on that history– and of course the amazingly talented hands of the women who sew the collars of my shirts.

If you had to name one person that has had the most influence on your style, who would that be?

Fortunately there are some questions I do not have to answer.

How would you describe the Italian menswear scene? (Or british/american/Asian)

Well, Italy makes everything as if it were for leisure and holiday. By that I do not mean that like the Americans they are obsessed with “casual”. Italians can turn the essence of a Wall Street pinstripe or a City suit from the stiff officious attire that was common in the mid-20th century to a suit which embodies the business habit but fills it with the spirit of a breeze from the Gulf of Naples. While the British are known for the peculiar humour and stiff upper lip– even if those are clichés– it was their clothing culture which stimulated Italy’s artisanal traditions that survive today. We are now in a major crisis because of the attacks on the SME sector worldwide resulting from the current emergency. This will take resilience and spiritual commitment is the artisanal resources of this country are to survive and continue to thrive.

What is your number one suggestion to men that want to learn how to dress better?

Take a good look at oneself in the mirror and ask “who am I?” Then ask how do I want people to recognize that?

In terms of menswear, can you mention any essentials in your wardrobe for summer 2021?

Always good shoes, whether light slippers or proper sandals. I am not a snob but flipflops are for the pool or the shower. Clothing is intended to insulate, that is to maintain the body’s natural temperature throughout the day. Do you know why cricketers can be seen wearing sweaters even in summer? It is because the cable-knit woolen jumpers regulate the perspiration and prevent excessive fluctuations of temperature on the pitch. So I always have a jacket or light sweater with me. Naturally, I have my own shirts too. 

What was the first thing that brought you into menswear and how would you start building your wardrobe, any advice or secrets?

I worked in hospitality for many years and saw all sorts of men traveling, in all social and income classes, from all countries. I wanted to have shirts that were good for traveling and also unique in style and quality. I have never been very interested in brands per se. There are some companies that produce remarkable goods and have famous names. However, I am more interested in the making than marketing. So most of what I have comes from people and places that I know personally. That is how I learned to distinguish between my own needs and preferences and those of others. There is an anecdote about the French shirtmaker Charvet– I do not know if it is true, but it coincides a bit with my own philosophy. First, it is said that they have hundreds of shades of white because their clientele was predominantly the class of men for whom a white shirt was de rigeur. Second, John F. Kennedy was supposed to have ordered all his shirts from Charvet. However, as President of the United States, he could not be seen wearing French shirts– hence they were always delivered without a label or maybe with some fantasy label to conceal their origin. Why do I mention this? Kennedy and not only his wife was considered very well dressed persons in their day– but there was no talk of brands or names. People just learned to know what they liked and what fit them. This is a lifelong process. There are no magic formulae. It is all part of maturity– like the quality of the fine teas from the country of my birth.

How have these crazy times affected you? Any positive sides?

I appreciate the time and the reduced speed that has resulted. I come from a country with a hot climate– there is no virtue in doing things too fast,

Although I am not sure the word “crazy” does justice to the conditions we have now had for over a year. Panic will solve nothing. I have never been one inclined to panic. These times may simply exhaust those for whom panic business has been a way of life. Then we can start again to listen patiently to each other.  The deceased German chancellor Helmut Schmidt was often heard saying in moments of apparently grave uncertainty– “abwarten, Tee trinken”– in other words, wait, keep sipping one’s tea. As a native of Sri Lanka– where so much fine tea comes– this reaction comes naturally.