Oscar Udeshi
A tailor of two cities
Oscar Udeshi is a fusion of things that really shouldn’t go together, but do to make something unique. Born to Austrian and Zanzibari parents, he was educated in London and Hong Kong before working in London as a banker for many years. One car accident and a decade later, Udeshi, the men’s tailoring brand he founded, sits high on the list of must-wear bespoke suits. He has boutiques in Mayfair and Milan. In 2008 was elected the youngest chairman of the British menswear guild.
“I woke up one day and discovered I had several hundred shirts, 50 suits and 80 ties,” says Oscar of his vocation. “I either needed therapy or to make this my profession. So I did the latter.”
Oscar specialises in the details. His suits, shirts and even cufflinks combine older materials with advanced label-cutting techniques from NASA. Traditional charcoal, three-piece suits hide violent purple paisley linings.
He assigns this love of both the practical and the flamboyant to his parents. “From my Austrian side, an appreciation of Bauhaus and good design. From Zanzibar, the exotic, the extreme and the colourful such as our re-coloured vintage paisley designs.”
His followers aren’t merely the residents of Mayfair buoyed by bonuses. He has clients from all over the world, from 16 to 60 years old, and all of a similar mindset. They want to wear something different, even if it’s only evident to them. Bespoke tailoring is the ultimate in dressing for yourself.
“Good clothing is like a second skin, wearing it should be effortless,” says Oscar. But has mass-produced fashion harmed the trade?
“There are fewer skilled people to make the suits, but there’s a strong interest two generations down, in the 25 to 40 age bracket, who are starting to experience having clothes made for them.”
Once measured, made and fitted, Udeshi’s clients can never return to their former ways.
“Being well dressed promotes an aura of power and confidence. I love seeing the transformation within the client. How he starts to stand more erect, looks and acts more confident, and just admiring the shape, how everything is where it is supposed to be, the flattering silhouette, the fall of the sleeve… it’s like listening to a perfect symphony.”
Oscar’s training in functional banking, along with an education in philosophy and a love of forms and shapes, means that even with the basic building blocks of a suit, he is able to continually remake clothing in a way that’s classic but contemporary.
“Men’s fashion doesn’t change the way women’s does. The basic shape hasn’t changed in 100 years. There’s a constant evolution, but the jump isn’t as big between the original Wright brothers plane and an airbus A380. You make it modern by playing with the elements – the fabric, its weave, weight, colour, its construction, the jacket lining, the pockets… For example, traditionally shirts had small colours and were loose but modern shirts are more fitted and have larger collars and are more exciting, so we play with the details to make something new.”
Again it’s this obsession with getting the smallest components right that has led to his success in Milan where he opened a store in April 2009.
“Milan is the centre for Italian fashion and for men’s fashion. It’s important to have a store there in terms of influence and there was a gap in the market – no one else was doing British-tailored, bespoke clothing at the high-end level that we go to.”
Popular with the Italians who are nostalgic for London’s heyday in the 1960s, Oscar understands that the men of the Med wear the cut of their suit slightly differently.
“Italians prefer narrower trousers, they have a smaller waist and a slimmer fit. They also use more colours in their wardrobe, so the belt will match the shoes,” he explains. “As it’s hotter, they don’t wear cufflinks, so we offer shirts with one button cuffs so they sleeves can be rolled up. It makes fashion different and interesting.”
Oscar visits Milan every month or so to stock up on silks and fabrics only available there, to attend trade shows and to visit the lakes,
“There are so many beautiful places to escape to at the weekends, Lake Como is only 40 minutes away – well, it is the way I drive!”
He’s currently busy expanding, with more flagship stores and duty-free concessions, working on new collections to present at fashion week. But what we really want to know, can all men look good in a suit?
“In a well-fitting suit made properly, yes, they would look good,” he says. “But you can’t put a monkey into suit and expect him to look better, if all he wants to do is swing from the trees!”
London: 8 Davies Street, W1K 3DW, +44 (0)20 7495 1333. Milan: Via Monte di Pietà 1a, +39 02 3966 3501. www.udeshi.co.uk
OSCAR’S TOP PLACES IN MILAN
For Pasta: Paper Moon Via Bagutta 1, +39 02 7602 2229
For Pizza: Geppo Via Morgagni 37, +39 02 951 4862
For Sushi: Da Claudio Via Ponte Vetero 16, +39 02 805 6857
March 8th, 2010 at 6:31 am
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