The TV character Cleaver Greene in the Australian TV series Rake, played by Richard Roxborough, has worn one of your suits, and you are currently designing another for the upcoming season. Greene has a really strong personality; how do you go about designing a suit to match that? I worked with the Rake designer, Damir, and we had a clear brief. I knew who the character was and how he wears his garments. Greene is a bit rough, and he enjoys a drink – he is a bit crazy in that sense. To match this, I went for more of a relaxed look using a wool and linen blend with a little bit of silk in it. It allowed him to have a very deconstructed look. I can imagine Greene is the kind of guy who takes his jacket off and throws it on the couch, rather than putting it on a hanger. He is not worried about creasing it up a bit. I would describe it as a sports jacket suit: it’s relaxed. But when Greene drinks with his tie off, he still looks sharp. How does a person’s profession influence their style of suit? Typically, professionals in politics, law and such steer away from the relaxed cloth and have a more structured suit. Someone who works in a less formal profession, such as real estate, can add more personality. Then you have to think, ‘will they be wearing this suit all day, and will they be in and out of a car, or will they be sitting in an office? Will they be taking the jacket on and off?’ That’s a key part of it. For guys who wear their outfit all day, then they will need a fabric that breathes, and softer breathes better. A double-woven cloth will breathe a lot better with a silk, linen and wool blend. Natural fibres all breathe better than synthetic fibres. In terms of wool, Merino is my preference. Different blends and weaves of wool breathe differently, and they also crease differently. For someone who needs something more structured, and is looking for a fabric that breathes well, while still offering a more course texture that doesn’t crease, I recommend a mohair blend. The more mohair involved, the less it will crease and the more course and structured the suit will be. It is useful for guys that are out all day, such as lawyers, who need to stay crisp and proper. John-piere, you look incredibly dapper in the grey suit you’re wearing in these photos. In your opinion, what makes a good suit? There’s no question that the foundation for a good suit is how well it fits. Each individual person has a unique combination of size, shape and posture that requires a suit to be custom made to achieve a good fit for them. You can wear a beautifully made suit from luxurious cloth with a stunning design, but if the fit is not right you’re going to look horrible. What is popular right now, from both an industry and punter perspective? People want individual style and are therefore looking to create their own unique suit. Guys are coming in having done their research. They are inspired by what they’ve been seeing on social media and the trends they have observed overseas. With all this in mind, they are looking to step up the individuality of their own style. We are seeing guys wearing three-piece suits in windowpane and old English styles with tweed, or nice flannel — they are playing with the texture of fabric. And they are experimenting with jacket and trouser separates a lot more, as it allows them to introduce a casual element without losing formality. At the same time, everyone has a staple piece, as I like to call it, which is a timeless suit in a classic colour: navy, black, charcoal or grey. Perfect foundation pieces should be present in every man’s wardrobe and can be worn until they wear out. If you have a fashion- forward suit, you will wear it for a season and you probably won’t wear it again for a while, so people generally invest in these once they’ve built their foundation pieces. T Tailor & Co founder John-pierre Georges never thought he would end up in Parramatta when he established his business in his local community, Bella Vista, three years ago. As he spoke to Mercedes-Benz Parramatta, John- pierre had just re-located his head quarters to Parramatta to make the inner west the focus of his tailoring business. How did this happen? “People are not particularly wanting to travel into the city,” says John-pierre. “They’re looking for coolthingsintheirownbackyard;newdiscoveries of emerging retailers with a fresh perspective, and Parramatta is shedding its old stigma – it is being cleaned up, there are new bars and restaurants popping up, and it is starting to create a new image.” AndhavingaboutiquetailorhiddenonWentworth Street is certainly the type of thing that is helping Parramatta build its new image. Behind a nondescript door is a showroom with a comfortable and creative vibe; an exclusive space, but not overly pretentious. Guests are to feel comfortable as they take in the photos, fabric books, magazines and display garments. It is all an effort to make the suit-building process effortlessly cool and fun for Tailor & Co clients. And it has worked. The accessibility of Parramatta is also playing in its favour. “Even our clientele living in other areas, such as Marrickville, Five Dock and Burwood, would rather come to Parramatta than to travel into the city,” adds John-pierre. TheFashionDesignStudiograduatehaspreviously worked with a number of designers and tailors across Sydney. He saw there was a market for tailor-made and made-to-measure suiting in the metropolis and has come out with his own private showroom where he is making a name for himself as one of a few remaining high quality suit makers in Sydney. Guys are coming in having done their research. They are inspired by what they’ve been seeing on social media and the trends they have observed overseas PEOPLE 29