We took our new collection of Buffery-Flex Uniforms for a preview event at the NPC North Americans Pro Bodybuilding competition and at it we were approached by an IFBB Pro who loved what we were doing and wanted to work with us. He definitely had a honed sense of style and enjoyed fashion, and we thought he had a great look so agreed that we would love to work with him too. On our drive home I was thinking about the kinds of looks I would want to photograph him in (cream dinner jacket!) but then started thinking about what special things I would design especially for him.
When he showed up at our booth he had a cool pair of shoes on, a red hoodie, and a bandanna, things that seemed to feature prominently in his instagram feed. Sometimes, when making clothes for people, I am trying to fill a particular gap in their wardrobe. Other times I try to design something that fits seamlessly into what they currently own. In this case I decided to come up with stuff that would work with what he already has.
It is said that Michael Jordan requested the addition of patent leather to one of the first generations of Air Jordans so that they would look good worn with a suit. (I wonder if this is mentioned in the 72 pages of pearl-clutching in the Styleforum thread on wearing sneakers with tailoring?) In this case I came up with some tailored pieces that would fit well with the shoes. Obviously not business suits or things to be worn to more serious occasions, but one of those times when going out at night and something more eye-catching is required. I went to one of my favorite shops in Montreal that have shelves loaded with odds and ends, random trimmings and stuff to jazz up sewing projects, the kinds of things you definitely won’t find on Amazon or JoAnn, and found exactly what I was looking for. A ribbon with a jersey-mesh insert that was probably used to manufacture basketball jerseys, in just the exact right colorway. I bought everything they had in stock, which wasn’t much, and haven’t been able to find any more of it anywhere so these will be very limited-edition runs.
