A bespoke experience in the heart of Singapore leaves Elena Koshy with a taste of couture and a sense of style
“WHAT in the world is bespoke?” I recall asking when I first got wind of the word.
My question was met with an incredulous chuckle. “You don’t know what bespoke is?” my editor asked me, both eyebrows raised.
I shrugged my shoulders. It’s a wonder she didn’t choke on her coffee.
Suffice to say, I’m no connoisseur of fashion. The word bespoke, once understood, both intimidated and intrigued me. The terms “custom made”, “couture” and “designer clothes” were bandied about when the name Kevin Seah was mentioned.
A craftsman of sorts, Seah has made his name in the world of fashion and custom-made tailoring, and his exclusive made-to-order services form part of the experience offered by five-star luxury hotel, St Regis Singapore.
I was about to interview one of the finest bespoke tailors in the Lion City, and it was just as well. The quest in shopping for clothes that fit me has always posed problems. Discovering there are still tailors who make clothes that actually fit reminds me of the past when my mother used to drag me off to a neighbourhood tailor. The tailor would whip up something which fitted but with materials that left me looking like the victim of a bargain bin.
GENTLEMAN’S CLUB
Myearlymemoriesofthatneighbourhood tailor in her small shop where the smell of fabric permeated the air, and rolls of patterned and plain textiles haphazardly piled all around her Singer sewing machine come to mind when I step into Seah’s atelier at Boat Quay by the Singapore River.
The ubiquitous yet discreet Rabbit logo, representing his birth year in the Chinese zodiac, greets me as I enter the tailor’s “kingdom”. A juxtaposition of a gentleman’s club and an atelier, Seah has created a space for men (and women) that’s both comfortable and inspired.
Unfortunately, I don’t get a chance to peek into his smoking parlour where I’m told he has a respectable selection of cigars and fine single malt whiskeys. His clients probably become friends over a smoke and a sip before before making their selections.
I tell Seah ab out my t a i lor reminiscences and the dapper tailor/ designer laughs. “There’s a culture in Europe where tailoring is a tradition that has been upheld for generations,” he shares. “The men followed their fathers and grandfathers to the tailor when they were young. I have European customers who tell me that this place reminds them of trips to the tailor with their fathers in the past. The atmosphere, the smell of fabric excites them as they realise they’re now doing the same. After all, every man aspires to be like his father, no matter the relationship he has with his dad.”
CHILDHOOD DREAMS
His father, confides Seah, didn’t approve of his fashion ambitions initially. “It was too expensive and my parents weren’t in favour of an unconventional career like fashion.” Nevertheless, it was a childhood dream that began at the tender age of 14.
“My parents used to leave my brother and me in a bookshop while they shopped,” he recollects. “It was then that I stumbled upon a Japanese fashion magazine and found myself completely bowled over by the daring revolutionary fashions by couture mavens like Issey Miyake. I told myself I could do that so I bought the magazine and took to drawing my own designs!”
It grew into a passion he could never shake off. “It excited me to discover the world of fashion,” he adds, chuckling. “My high school friends can attest to my text books being adorned with sketches!”
With fashion schools being out of the question, Seah set off to work instead and took to learning fashion the laborious way. He trained as an apprentice seamstress in woman’s tailoring at 17. “I was the quintessential old-fashioned apprentice you read and hear about.
“I swept floors, made tea, ran errands and hung out at the workshop talking to other seamstresses and cutters. Typical old school, but it was the best way to learn.”
He bemoans the quality of present day graduate designers, saying: “After 600 days in school and spending all that money, some of them can’t even sew a button!”
He’s in favour of the traditional way of learning a skill. “You learn a lot when you’re actually on the ground doing the work. Where I started, we were doing clothes for tai-tais (Chinese colloquial term for a wealthy married woman who doesn’t work) and socialites. They’d find me busy sewing buttons or hemming, and would often ask me what a ‘small boy’ was doing in a place like this. I’d tell them this was something I love to do.” And his passion has never waned. “It still gives me great satisfaction to see customers wear my clothes and be happy.”
STYLE MAVERICK
We somehow get around to talking about pocket squares, a classic menswear detail that appears to have made a comeback in a huge way. Seah has a pretty nonchalant method of folding pocket squares. “Just put it in and fluff it up — and voila! You have it!” he declares, grinning.
“Where’s the style in that?” I ask. Smiling, Seah replies: “Style to me is essentially simple. Think Sprezzatura, an Italian term for the art of studied carelessness. So don’t try too hard. All a well-dressed man needs are well-fitted jacket and pants, a nice shirt and a good pair of shoes! It’s not about a particular fold. It’s the complete look. And pocket squares aren’t rocket science. Put it in, fluff it up and you’re stylish!”
Relaxing back into his leather arm chair, legs crossed, he adds: “Fashion is an expression of who you are. There’s really no right or wrong.”
It was time to get measured for my bespoke shirt by Seah and he takes all the measurements himself. I try to hold my stomach in, cognisant of the fact that I’m no fashion model whom I imagine Seah would be used to the likes of.
He immediately sets me at ease, asking me a little bit about myself and what I want in a shirt. He explains: “Creating something for someone entails you taking the trouble to try to understand the client’s needs. That’s what bespoke service is about. We have conversations, get some insights and then we create something that’s exclusively yours.”
He takes the measurements, performs the fittings and the finishing works on all jackets and trousers, which includes the hand stitching and the buttonholes. Garments are crafted based on the client’s morphology and preferences. “We’re extremely open to suggestions but of course I’m at hand to bring a client down to earth when needed. I’m thankful I’m blessed with persuasive skills!” he says, laughing. “Still, it’s the trust that they have in you. After all, coming to you already means that they have some level of trust in your judgement as a designer.”
FASHION FORWARD
That he has come a long way is an understatement. As Seah confides: “I started from zero. I didn’t come from a privileged background. My father was a cab driver. There were difficult days when I started out but bad times make you resilient. If every day is a good day, you get complacent.”
As for up-and-coming designers, Seah says bluntly: “Do the hard work. Your diplomas and degrees mean nothing if you can’t sew a stitch. Be prepared to start from scratch but believe in what you’re doing. Don’t give up.”
Fast-forward a month later, I receive a parcel from Seah containing my bespoke shirt. With the unmistakable rabbit logo emblazoned on the box, I open it eagerly and see a crisp white shirt with a personalised note from the designer.
I’ve always wanted a crisp white shirt that fitted well and although it never cropped up during my conversation with Seah, it seems he has uncanny insight into my psyche. My shirt is a perfect fit on my imperfect body. It’s couture and it’s exclusively mine — bespoke tailoring in its truest form.