British High Commissioner at Hameedias on Men’s Sartorial Elegance

British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka His Excellency Dr. Peter Hayes recently took time off his busy diplomatic schedule to spend time with the senior management of Hameedia, invited Sri Lankan corporates and the media, to share with them his ideas on a range of concepts from ‘The Art of Bespoke Tailoring’ and the ‘Power of Men’s Clothing’ to ‘How to adopt Power Dressing during Times of Crisis’ and ‘The Impact of Menswear in the 21st Century’.

Joining him at the friendly and informal tete-a-tete was Managing Director Hameedia and Sri Lanka’s leading men’s wear specialist Fouzul Hameed.

The High Commissioner spoke in detail about the importance of proper planning when choosing and wearing one’s clothes whether in a family, work or social environment etc. “One needs to give oneself time to think to choose wisely about what one wants to wear. This planning is very important. Dress with care so it looks less contrived, effortless and makes you look at ease. Take yourself seriously. Take time to think how you will dress. Clothes don’t wear you – you wear your clothes !”, he pointed out.

The discussion then moved to the concept of “Bespoke Tailoring”. 'Bespoke' is a term dating from the 17th century, when tailors held the full lengths of cloth in their premises. When a customer chose a length of material, it was said to have “been spoken for”. Hence a tailor who makes one’s clothes individually, to one’s specific personal requirements, is called "bespoke". Bespoke is thus different from “made-to-measure”, which simply uses a basic, pre-existing template pattern, which is then adjusted to roughly one’s individual measurements. The distinguishing points of bespoke tailoring are the buyer's total control over the fabric used, the features and fit, and the way the garment should be made. More generally, bespoke describes a high degree of customisation, and involvement of the end-user.

Commenting on “Bespoke Tailoring”, Dr. Hayes said that a Bespoke suit gives a sense of perfect fit, self assurance and a subtle intangible feeling of ease. “Since Bespoke is not to fit the body, but rather to fit the person, clothes can be thus made to totally cater to the wearer and suit his individuality to perfection”.

Managing Director Hameedia, Fouzul Hameed said that he planned to open a “Men’s School of Grooming” in the near future at the Hameedia Flagship Store at Wellawatte. “We plan to transform the rooftop of this store into a space with total solutions for the Sri Lankan man. Over the years, Hameedia has been responsible for changing the way in which Sri Lankan men dress. We’re taking this a step further to provide special customised attention and further elevate the current level of grooming”, he added.