AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDERS
ARCHITECTS GREATNESS BY JACK NEWBERRY
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Jack Newberry sits down and listens to the
3 FOUNDERS
describe how they persevered to get to where they are In anticipation of my meet- tion the period in which they today. ing with the founders, I found myself making comparisons to the garment industry in New York and tailoring businesses of Saville Row in London. I tried to imagine how these three long term partners and friends came to build a tailoring empire that would stretch over 35 years to this day with over 200 staff, three boutiques as well as a fabric trading company specialising in bespoke and made-tomeasure tailoring. It is very natural to look at the achievements of successful people and ask ourselves ‘what is different about them?’ Too often we look in the wrong direction. We pay too much attention to their personalities and less on the idiosyncratic nature of their up-bringing and culture they were raised in, not to men-
came into their own. Prior to my arrival at the textile workshop headquarter, I was only familiar with the Wardrobe boutique in the plush settings of Bangsar. But as soon as I arrived I was warmly greeted by Mr. Lim, father to Wardrobe CEO Fang Heng, who offers me a cup of Chinese tea whilst we wait for the photographer to arrive. We are given a guided tour of the workshop where I get to meet some of the employees who have been with them from the start. Eventually, we make our way back to the reception and settle down in a conference room in front of the three founders, all dressed in their own style but with one noticeable constant between them. This is, naturally, the quality of their cloths.
The interview begins.
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Photographs by Azrul Kevin Abdullah
A.F. CHAI
The Crafstman
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J.J. LIM
The Marketer
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K.C. PHUAN
The Money Man
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Thank you very much for taking the time to meet me. I want to find out how you got started. How did you guys first meet? K.C. PHUAN: We met in London in 1972, attended the same tailoring school which was Tailor and Cutter Academy in Welsh Street and later at London College of Fashion. We were classmates there, we got along very well and our friendship brought us to where we are today.
Major highlights behind the creation of the company.
Did you ever imagine having such a big company 35 years later? J.J. LIM: When we first started, we just needed to make sure that we could survive. But as the years went by, we climbed up the ladder to a certain level and we started to see that the market was there for us to grow even bigger. Then we fine tuned the business to suit the market needs. That’s when we expanded. You could say that it was by luck and not intentional. But along the way, we could see certain things and from there we put the effort in. In the beginning we only wanted to survive, I’m sure it’s that way for many other companies.
We feel very honoured to have a local brand being recognised in this way
A.F. CHAI
So what are your roles in the company? K.C. PHUAN: When we began our partnership in 1978, we identified which were the main areas of the business. Mr. Lim took charge of marketing, Mr. Chai is in charge of the craftsmanship and I direct the administration and finance and to this day our roles have remained pretty much the same. Do your roles ever cross over? K.C. PHUAN: I would say that we complement each other and support each other well. How does the relationship between the partners work on a professional level? K.C. PHUAN: Well, of course. You see I always used to tell my late wife that a business partnership is more difficult than marriage. Really. You will have your quarrels and all that. But you see, what actually kept us together are our values and principles. Firstly, we don’t take advantage of one another. Secondly, we’ve got to be honest with each other. Thirdly, whatever we argue about, there’s no right or wrong. It’s just a different opinion. And when it’s finished, we don’t keep it to heart. We just move on. Sometimes you can be too passionate about what you do, but you know what? Life goes on. So you have to take a different view of life. During our time in London, we thought; what do we do after we’re qualified? So that’s how the plan came about to come back and start the shop. We began in 1978. 38
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1. London In 1972 London, a great friendship was forged between J.J. Lim, K.C. Phuan and A.F. Chai during their time at the Tailor and Cutter Academy. 2. Effort The trio learned the delicate skill of hand tailoring from the experts at Savile Row and brought their knowledge to Malaysia. 3. Success 1978 was a year of celebration as their first boutique, Spark Manshop was established in Sungei Wang Plaza.
And how did things progress from there? How did you get the title, Spark Manshop? K.C. PHUAN: Basically, the idea of the spark is what happens when you wear clothes tailored by us, there should be a sparkle there. While we were in London, I also used to learn how to window display by watching the professionals at Take 6, a high-street brand on Oxford Street. After the semester, I stood outside their window to watch them do their window displays. I stood outside and observed for almost one week. Soon, the man from the shop invited me in and I found out he was the Chief Display Manager.
J.J LIM: Of course, definitely. We’re very much in touch with the overseas men’s garment leaders. We have a connection with them and we get information from there. We also subscribe to men’s magazines and Mr. Chai reads about a lot of new things in the market. With our strategic investment in tailoring technology and machineries, relentless R&D for consistent product enhancement and commitment to human resource development, we are more than fully equipped to support the activities of businesses. Occasionally, we also get professionals from overseas to come here and train us and vice versa.
Fabrics play a key role in every suit you make. Where do you source your fabrics from? A.F. CHAI: Mainly we source our fabrics from Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany. Interlining mainly comes from Germany and Italy. In terms of the collar fusing, the fabric must be high-quality, light-weight, and soft. As for the thread, we use a very fine cotton thread, highly twisted, firm and stretchable. We pay attention to the fine details because it’s the small details that go a long way. We use a lot of French and English techniques in the products we produce. We are not just a normal tailor shop. We have set up a workshop with about 200 staff and million dollars worth of machinery. What do you love about your work? J.J. LIM: It’s the satisfaction of the job at the end of the day. When we work with our customers, we recommend the right things, we cut the right measurements and we put detail into the styling and the image that we built for the person. So when the garment is ready and we see him or her walking away with the end product, it makes us feel very happy.
I understand that when you first started, you had your work cut out for you. A.F. CHAI: In those days we had to survive. When I worked in Yow Chuan Plaza, we started at 9am and would reach home at 10pm. Even back then the KL jam was terrible. By the time I reached home, I had my dinner and went to bed at 11pm. The next morning, I wake up and it starts all over again. Every morning I had to do the button holes for shirts, trousers and jackets. I had to be hands on. When we first started, we didn’t have a big team. We hired two assistants to help us. There were only five of us. When I was in London, I studied there and worked there
for four and a half years, and didn’t even celebrate CNY. I had to work to survive. If you want to do it, you can do it. It all depends on how hungry you are. Why are experts at Saville Row using your services? A.F. CHAI: Because they recognise our workmanship. We’re on par with international standards. We feel very honoured to have a local brand being recognised in this way. Can you see the importance for innovation, new technology and new styles when it comes to making suits?
Do you have any advice for young tailors who aspire to achieve what you have achieved so far? J.J. LIM: First of all, they must have passion for their work and love the industry. Then only you can melt into the trade. If there is an opportunity to go overseas, by all means please do, because when it comes to men’s clothing the leading countries are still in Europe, such as Italy and London. So you have to go and open up your eyes and learn more and study more and get exposed to what is out there. Have a different viewpoint. Understand the history of the trade. If you just stay in this part of the world, your perspective will be narrow. No matter how much you learn you must also go to the Mecca. JANUARY
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