profile
Stephen F
JADAN HORYN & OLGA SOKOLOVA BY JADAN HORYN What is the secret to a well-dressed man? SF: The secret is to know what works for you as an individual. The right balance in a look is very important. I’m talking about the balance between fabric, pattern, fit, and color. How should men hone their sartorial skills? Given that most women learn at a young age how to dress, while most men seem to continually make common mistakes (fit, length, collar, sleeve length, etc) I think it’s all about education. Men in general need to be more informed of what works for them as an individual. If you as a client have difficulty, we at Stephen F help you to find your perfect individual style. We want to make sure that each person finds the right fit for him but also make sure that each individual wears the right outfit at the right time. That’s the service we giving all our clients and that’s one of the main reasons why we have been in the Meatpacking District since we arrived in New York back in 2015 How would you describe the NYC Man? SF: The NYC-man is brave and open, that’s why 62 | MetMagNY.com | 25AMagazine.com
he isn’t afraid of trying new things. This braveness and that he’s trying new things have made him a better-dressed man. He is open to better ideas about how he should dress. This modern mix of tailored and off the rack is a distinctive mark of your line, do you believe this is the future of men’s fashion? Tailored for some garments and ready to wear for others? With some form of mix and match? SF: What we do at Stephen F is ready to wear. What makes the brand unique is that we are extremely strong in sizes and we do free alterations for all our clients. This makes every single customer looking 110% wearing our clothing. Limited quantities in certain styles and that we are working with the best mills in the world makes us very interesting and competitive as a brand. Another thing that I want to highlight is our fit and we understand that all our clients aren’t 20 years old nor have a fashion model body. It’s also important to mention that my family has been in the fashion business as both tailors, furriers, retailers, and in design for more than 50 years. Where do you see menswear going in 2021?
SF: I’m answering in a bigger perspective and I think all brands no matter if you are a fashion brand or a brand in another branch of industry continually going towards a more e-com and digitally-based approach. For us at Stephen F is all about keeping the old school communication as well by meeting the clients and press in person. That personal service and feel aren’t possible to give digitally. Stephen F is not only about selling beautifully designed clothing. It’s also about communicating a feeling, a frame of mind but we do that through our clothing and the story behind a certain collection. Stephen F cares about the environment and to step up for racial matters or LGBT-questions is something we have been doing involuntarily since the brand was born as a passionate project 10 years ago. The digital tools and the physical meetings in harmony I think are a perfect match for menswear going in 2021 no matter if you want to sell beautiful design clothing or spread an important message.
