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28/03 Thursday 11:07PM

Five tips on menswear by Jeremy Tok

By Leo Kasim

BruneiONS had the chance to sit with Kuala Lumpur based men’s bespoke designer Jeremy Tok. Here he shares his five tips on how men can look and feel their best.

Look out for Linen

When it comes to the type of fabric that suits Brunei's hot and humid, linen is the way to go.
"Not many people know about linen and its properties. It is almost like it was custom made for the climate we live in,'' Tok says. He adds that the cloth's breathability allows sweat to just wick away and that it charms through despite its creasing and wrinkling.

"I think linen is severely under-appreciated by a lot of people in the area who would usually opt for cotton or polyester," he says. So if you're looking for the best type of cloth to wear, look no further because it is linen.

Tailor-made clothes

Tok explains that there is something about bespoke clothing that ready-to-wear clothes will never be able to achieve. "
There is a place for that (mass produced clothes) but tailored clothes fit you in a way that no ready-to-wear clothes can match. People should experiment with having tailor clothes made for them," he says.

Choose good cloths

"We use cloths everyday but so much of what we wear is not always good," Tok says.

He says that tailors have access to the best cloths in the world and are used to make bespoke clothes for people.

"For some people, the really good cloths are a revelation to them. For example, there are mills in parts of the world such as Italy and Japan, that makes incredible cloths that are so fine that they feel like silk," he adds.

Learn the 'Rules'



While fashion is subjective, there are some 'rules' in regards what applies as appropriate clothing.

"These rules have existed for a long time and forms a passive understanding around the world as to what constitutes the correct way of dressing for certain occasions. It makes sense to have an idea what they are and they are out there to find out more about," Tok says.

"If you find yourself asking what do you wear to such an occasion, it means that you don’t know the rules because normally you don’t have to guess," he says.

He also believes that menswear is a lot more regimented as compared to women's wear where there is more room for self-expression. 

Wear good shoes

Go out and get yourself a good pair of handmade and high-quality shoes. not mass marketed replicas of the original.
"Most of the mass marketed shoes are replicas of the original thing. If you want to look instantly better, the one thing you should do is get really good shoes. The good ones lasts forever,'' Tok says.


 

(images are from Foter)

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