Who knew that an ad for a drummer would bring two families together to form a menswear brand that mixes British craftsmanship with a bit of rock and roll flair. But that’s exactly what happened. Paulo Goncalves was in search of a drummer for his band and Liam Fayed’s brother Sam auditioned for the spot. As Paulo puts it, “one creative outlet turned into another creative outlet” and the rest was history. Liam earned his stripes at the family business, Turnbull & Asser. Paulo was in advertising. The two sets of brothers joined forces to found Bespoken in 2008.
Our workspace is… A slice of Downtown in Midtown Manhattan. An open, creative space that has a feel of being vintage, a bit of our individual personalities coming though, along with our gatherings from our travels.
Each day we try to… Eat lunch.
On display… A brick taken from the building of our first office down the street. We’ve grown a lot since then and it’s a nice reminder.
On our desks… Fabric swatches, family pictures, Portugal soccer ball, an espresso cup (from earlier), tie bar prototypes, headphones and an iPod, to name a few.
Bar in the office…? It’s an old piece of furniture we secured from Holland & Holland (the bespoke rifle shop that used to exist here). The widows and shelves in it were to display actual guns and rifles. We thought it would make for a perfect bar, as we like to entertain.
Summer collection… It’s a collection that can be easily mixed and matched. Our Soft Tailoring continues to be a growing category for us, with items including the Shacket and the Chaplin, blurring the lines of a tailored blazer and a relaxed, sporty jacket. Knitwear also has a strong presence, with a range of color-blocked t-shirts, henleys, striped polos, and contrasting cardigans that are both graphic and youthful.
Recent inspiration… We love collecting books, and we have recently come across of book about Gypsies that we all became fascinated with. The journeys and the eclectic flair of the modern day nomad served as the inspiration for our Spring 2013 collection.
Artist crush… Jack White. He’s always one to push the boundaries and is continuously reinventing himself through his music.
Every guy should own… A lightweight Canvas Blazer–it allows you to look smart without coming across as stiff. A well crafted shirt, preferably an Oxford. A good pair of Derbys or Brogue shoes.
Dream office would have… A room for playing live music. It could mimic one of the late night shows where we’d ask our guests to join in on a jam session.
What inspires you? Pin items on Pinterest and Tweet @Saks with a link to your board!