Toronto Men’s Fashion Week
Interview with Tom Caldwell of Thomas Henry Made by
Michael.j.Murka
FM: Why did you decide to become a Fashion Designer?
PD:I’ve always enjoyed design, though I come to fashion later
than most. I think I’m clearly different from most designers in that I didn’t
always know I wanted to be in fashion, and it’s been a journey towards a real
love for tailored clothing, and a well-made suit.The short story is when I
first started out in the corporate world (I’m self-taught in fashion), I never
wanted to be a “suit” and was more reserved about showing my personality. Over
time, and as I slowly tried out new things - in particular custom suiting, I
really started enjoying wearing a suit to work every day. That got me into
trying...a lot of stuff. Off-the-rack, made-to-measure, bespoke, high-end,
low-end, you name it, I tried it.
Eventually that was all I could think about, and one day
while I was sitting in my office in New York looking down 5th Avenue dreaming
of my summer suit designs (again…), and realized I needed to follow my passion.
FM: What is
your favorite part of being a Fashion designer?
PD: The opportunity to put together a cohesive collection and
tell a story gets me going. My design is all about subtle details, and I love
being able to create a scene through textures, patterns and silhouettes. It’s
what I would be doing for fun anyway, and being able to get up every day and do
what I love is a blessing.
FM: What
were your inspirations for the designs you created?
PD:The theme for the collection is the Cote d’Azur and the
French Riviera. Think of all of the beauty of the Hotel Negresco in Nice, the
red carpet in Cannes and the elegance of the Casino de Monte-Carlo and you’ve
got the idea.
FM: How
would you describe your style or aesthetic?
PD: Thomas Henry is made for a sophisticated, urbane man who
is an experienced menswear customer and appreciates the importance of the twin
combination of proper fit and quality fabric. The Thomas Henry man is
confident, stylish and appreciates subtle, tasteful details.
FM: What
differentiates your line from others? Are there any problems you noticed with
other products that you tried to do differently?
PD: Firstly, fit. Fit is absolutely the most important thing
with suiting, and you can’t do anything if you don’t nail that. We have a
great, tasteful cuts that are a proper European silhouette - meaning it is cut
closer to the body, rather than being too boxy or too slim fit and trendy.
Otherwise, even though there are a lot of other options out there to buy a
suit, I found that there wasn’t really one go-to option for great fit, quality
fabric, excellent construction and genuine customer service. I kept looking for
something that was the right mix of everything and I never really found an
option that was on point – and add in that important little detail of finding
all of that at the right price (it’s not the sexiest thing to think about, but
it matters at the end of the day).
Instead of continuing to search for myself, selfishly, I
decided to offer the product and experience I thought was missing, and I that’s
what I’m trying to do with Thomas Henry.
FM: What are
your plans for the future?
PD: Staying focused. I am going to make sure to continue to do
what Thomas Henry is good at, which is well-fitted, high quality tailored suits
and shirts. There is a master plan of course, and in five years from now I’m
sure you will see Thomas Henry continue to develop. I’m just not going to lose
the emphasis on ensuring I keep all of my clients happy, and continue to grow
and build with them to develop a long-term relationship.
In the meantime you can follow us on social media at
https://twitter.com/thomashenrymade, https://instagram.com/thomashenrymade/ and
https://www.facebook.com/ThomasHenryMade. We also do private fittings for full
custom suits and shirts here in Toronto and in New York City, so check out
www.THmade.com.
FM: What was
it like being part of Toronto Men's Fashion Week?
PD: It was a great experience. It was my first runway show,
and I think it went extremely well. It was definitely a crowd pleaser, and it
was amazing to see a set of looks I’ve spent so much time putting together,
finessing all the details and agonizing over to make perfect really come to
life. The show also was really helpful in terms of being a learning experience,
in terms of getting a better sense of what I need to do to really nail the
collection. From the way the crowd reacted to the show, I definitely think I’m
on to something with my particular aesthetic – but I care about the details and
making it perfect, I’m going to focus on starting from first principles again,
going back to the drawing board and making sure my next collection isn’t just
great…it’s perfect.
Tom Caldwell
of Thomas Henry Made has recently been a part of:
World MasterCard Press & Buyers Breakfast F/W \
Toronto Men’s fashion week TOM*FW SS16
Fashion on Yonge
World MasterCard Press & Buyers Breakfast S/S16
Photos by Shayne Gray
