Today I speak to Chalith Hemachandra who is championing the brand Gentleman Street. They have been amazing to work with, especially on Date with Danu, as they provide the wardrobe.

I have always found suits to be comfort clothing as it gives a lot of confidence, and also put you in a place where you feel you can win over the world. Suits have always evolved with time from their simplicity of cuts to their remarkable detailing.

With Gentlemen Street, I have always experimented with colours and it’s nice when you live in a country that’s sunny and nice. You can find their work online and they also provide home visits for the perfect measurements. 

1. What made you start this brand called Gentleman Street and how has it been?
The main mentor and the true inspiration to start this brand actually came to me from my father as he was in the tailoring industry. Moreover, since I studied in Australia for a while, I had come across lots of International brands, so I made visits to the clothing stores at least twice a month or randomly.

I always had the urge to do something more than my father in order to add value to the industry that my father has been working on.

As I mentioned earlier, my visits to the clothing stores in Australia, gave me extra mileage to start up a solid brand on my own.

Another solid factor which motivated me to start up my own brand was when I realized there are very few branded suits for gents in Sri Lanka.

Starting up this brand back in the day was very challenging, but somehow with my limitless efforts and the support from my loved ones I am able to reach the place that I am in today within three years.
Overall this journey with the Gentleman Street brand has been an interesting journey, this industry evolves with new trends every day, especially we have to test fabrics. We have to stay in touch with the trends and fabric trends. At the moment, as we are facing an economic crisis, it is quite a challenge yet I work hard towards bringing the best out of the brand in any situation and face the challenge with confidence.
 
2. What are the looks you have featured on me today?
When it comes to looks, I am quite happy to say Gentleman Street takes pleasure in featuring looks on Danu. When it comes to looks that I have featured on Danu so far it has been quite a variety of fancy styles, formal styles, party suits and eveningwear suits. We are quite happy to cater to his style and we have optimized all our gear to bring out the perfect look in Danu.
 
3. The cut is what makes a suit stand out, how do you ensure that you get the perfect fit? And how do you pick your fabrics?
Gentleman Street is a brand, which is still established in Sri Lanka catering to lots of Sri Lankans. As I am into the tailoring industry, we all know the perfect fit only brings out the best of an individual. The biggest challenge in ensuring the perfect fit for Sri Lankans is we have a variety of body types in Sri Lankans. It is best to use customized tailor-made suits to cater for requirements in the market and we need to pay attention to every little detail in order to ensure the perfect fit for individuals.

When we cater to an individual we have to screen the body shape and understand the look, which he is looking for along with the fit he requires, it may be slim fit or regular. We always ensure to bring out the best look in our customers so we give them recommendations according to their requirements working closely with our customers. Our aim is to cater to all our customers and to ensure that they get a wow look in their fit on; as Gentleman Street believes, delightful customers are the key to great heights.

When we pick our fabrics, we always look into the body shape of our client and we make sure that our client loves the texture of the fabric and whether the fabric suits his budget. I always make sure to give recommendations to our clients to bring out the best look in them. At Gentleman Street, we make sure to provide a wide range of fabrics with different textures, prints and colours to ensure our client receives the perfect look, which he requires.
 
4. How would you describe your personal style?
When it comes to myself, I always like to evolve with the current trends and dress accordingly. I like to go with two-tone colour suits most of the time and I love to wear formal wear for morning functions when it comes to evening functions and casual gatherings with a floral touch casual shirt and a jacket. I think I am privileged to bring life to the personal style that  I have in my mind, moreover, I take personal pleasure in making my clients happy and making their moments memorable with the perfect suit.
 
5. What are the customisable features that you provide with your suit and jackets?
This is one of the most important areas to look into. As I believe, the cut of the suit is the blueprint of the suit where the buttons, stitches and fabric texture along with the finishing give the perfect look. I always give my best to customize the suit to the very little detail as per the request of our client. There’s s a wide array of customizing options when we look at a suit which we will be able to feature our clients' looks with two buttons /one button suits and another important thing is the collar, the pocket hankies, tie fabrics/style, pockets and trousers. Nowadays double breasted suit is very popular. I take pleasure in featuring my clients with the Perfect look in Gentleman Street suits.
 
6. Who has been your biggest inspiration when it comes to fashion?
The biggest inspiration that I have when it comes to fashion comes to me from International brands. I always do a lot of research and market analysis when it comes to fashion and the tailoring industry. Luxury brands like Dolce Gabbana inspire me a lot when it comes to fashion. I study how International brands are being established, their journeys and the challenges they meet, and especially how these well-established luxury brands rejuvenate their brand in order to move into the future fashion phases. I also closely monitor the product launches, marketing ++campaigns, and social media insights of these luxury brands.

 
7. What is the process of your made-to-measure stitching? 
The process to measure stitching is an interesting story. I truly believe every suit has its own story. When a customer reaches us to get a tailor-made suit, at first we have a conversation on his likes, colours and the occasion together with the client’s budget. When the client briefs us about the style he requires we also add our inputs to it, in order to bring out the best look of our client as he features in Gentleman Street suit. Sometimes we have come across clients who request suits, which does not the perfect fit for them in those scenarios we give our recommendations and explain to the client what will be the best fit for him because I always want the best for my client. We are very feasible in catering to our clients in their fit on schedules; it varies from client to client.
 
8. What according to you is your favourite part of being In this industry? And What's next for the brand?
When I think of it, I first think like this, I got the inspiration to step into this industry because of my father and my burning passion for fashion and my continuous commitment to achieve the set goal has driven me and my brand so far. When it comes to my favourite part of this industry it’s the weddings, I adore the ambience of weddings and I am very happy to cater to a special occasion like a wedding so I will be able to make my client happy on their special day. As I mentioned earlier I believe every suit has its own special story and I am happy to be a part of it.

When it comes to what I have planned for the brand I am hoping to take out Gentleman Street to foreign markets and level my brand to an international brand. It seems to be a long journey but I am quite hopeful that I'll be able to drive the brand to the next level despite the challenges. Also, I am planning to add another product to my brand that’s introducing Men’s shoes. I think it will be a good fit for my brand.
 
9. How many fittings are needed before you finalise?
Fitting is an important part when it comes to suits. At Gentleman Street, we require only one fit-on before we finalise and in some cases, it might slightly vary.

10. What are the trends in Australia, especially as you finished your studies in fashion there?
Well, when it comes to trends in Australia, I have noticed Australians wear black suits occasionally and most of the time they wear two-tone suits, check jackets for office days and casual jackets for evening functions. They also use varieties of two-tone colours winter jackets in their suits. Since they have different seasons the trends have been evolving day by day.