The Australian fashion industry has always been a tough place to succeed in, and 2020’s only made that more true. The fashion industry globally has been one of the most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, which has affected everything from supply lines and fashion showings to consumer confidence.
While Australia has faired much better than most countries this year, we’re not out of the woods yet, and the economy is still suffering. Business owners and investors are naturally very cautious at the moment – which is why it’s so surprising that one Sydney tailoring outfit (pardon the pun) has decided to double down and open a new luxury suiting boutique at a time when many businesses are downsizing or closing their doors.
Eastern Sydney locals Miles Wharton and Rami Mikhael, two of the country’s leading menswear authorities and the brains behind The Bespoke Corner, have opened a stylish new boutique on Glenmore Road, right in the heart of bohemian Paddington. This comes off the back of the successful launch of their South Yarra boutique in Melbourne over two years ago, as well as their industry-leading online presence.
It’s a ballsy move and a very positive sign for the Australian fashion industry. To quote the SAS’ motto, ‘who dares wins’ – The Bespoke Corner has already started to taste success with their new Sydney boutique, hosting plenty of customers and even an event with Italian beer brand Peroni, the first of many more to come.
DMARGE had the chance to chat with founder Miles Wharton about the new boutique, and what inspired him to defy conventional wisdom in such a big way.
“We’re going against the market [with this new boutique] because there’s a massive demand for quality. Household income is up, and people are willing to spend a bit more on a suit, especially because they can’t travel.”
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Wharton relates that the boutique is “a modern take on the tailoring industry,” offering a luxury experience that’s quite unlike anything else in the city. The boutique includes a members-only cigar bar leading onto an Italian-style lounge courtyard, echoing the business’ proud Tuscan manufacturing roots. Aged whisky, luxury perfumes and fine robustos are all part of the experience.
“People sometimes don’t understand what the term ‘bespoke’ really means,” Wharton relates.
“It’s all about you; it’s a bespoke experience… We don’t try and push a style on anyone. We just make the perfect suit for you.”
We chatted with Wharton earlier in the year about the future prospects of men’s suits in Australia, with 2020’s ‘work from home’ revolution (necessitated by The Pandemic) threatening the future of formalwear. He had this to say:
“There has been a lot of talk over the years of the ‘suit being dead’ and heralding the smart casual or casual office look, [but] if you consider the various menswear categories outside of activewear, the sartorial or tailored wear category is one of the only categories growing year on year. Why is that? Do the media have it wrong? The answer is YES – completely and utterly wrong.”
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The Bespoke Corner’s Sydney boutique can be found at 223 Glenmore Road, Paddington – less than 10min from the CBD. Alternatively, you can visit their Melbourne boutique at 24 Toorak Road, South Yarra. For our readers in the Northern Hemisphere, don’t fret: they’ve also got plans to open a Dubai boutique in the near future.
Stay sharp…