Hems of a man
Father of three Peter Thewlis has held posts at some of the world’s biggest fashion houses. Yet, he shows no sign of slowing down as he aims to bring the best clothes to Asian men.
The secret to a successful menswear business is to keep the merchandise relevant to customer needs. This translates into how ‘suitable’ the fabric is, how fashionable, stylish or practical. To achieve this we need to understand the lifestyle of our customer and match his expectations. Then we endeavour to create an environment where the customer feels comfortable and at the same time inspired, excited and energised into choosing something which makes him look and feel great! Ermenegildo Zegna has over 100 years of history and has many reference points to look back on. However, we thrive on our ability to create. We are constantly introducing technical innovations to our menswear fabrics, and even our made-to-measure never stands still.
In South East Asia, I’ve seen tremendous growth in the level of interest that men have in what they wear and how they wear it. There has probably never been a better time in history to be a male and interested in looking your best! The variety of styles available on the high street or online satisfies all tastes.
In my downtime, I enjoy playing guitar, taking photographs, creating collages and listening to all types of music. I recently bought a new turntable and my vinyl collection has come back to life. There’s a lot more conscious effort in choosing which side of an album to play rather than letting an app make the choice for you.
Some of my essentials while travelling are noise-cancelling headphones, a Zegna pocket handkerchief and a copy of Robb Report!
I have always enjoyed doing business in Asia. A combination of the fast pace, the challenge, the change, it all comes together against a fascinating cultural and geographical backdrop. Then add the food, the music, the people and it’s not difficult to understand how what was supposed to be a five-year stint in Asia (he arrived in the region in 1983) has been prolonged!
The most important article of clothing I own is my father’s 1960s worsted wool suit, which he handed down to me. It survived numerous outings when punk was at its peak, and now has regentrified itself into classic evening wear.
