BOLD CHOICES
MATCHESFASHION’s Head of Menswear, Damien Paul, on investing in luxury for the long-term
What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? I like to start my day in a fresh, positive way with a green juice. I’ll then check my work emails and respond to anything urgent that may have come through overnight from the different global territories we operate in. If I’m in London I’ll then head to the gym, if in the country, I’ll head outside for a morning run. Once I’m back, I choose my outfit for the day so I’m ready to start work between 8:00 – 8:30am.
What drove you to work in the fashion and retail industry? Menswear is all I’ve ever done and aspired to careerwise. Both of my parents have always been interested in fashion and I grew up in a creative household. I have always been fascinated by designers presenting challenging and innovative collections and as a result, my first job as a student was in a luxury store and upon graduating, I secured an internship with another luxury department store. I then spent three years in the Middle East working my way up in the menswear buying industry at a large luxury group before moving to MATCHESFASHION where I am now Head of Menswear.
What does your role as Head of Menswear entail? Being in tune with emerging trends and seasonal shifts is a vital aspect of my role. We constantly evolve our buy, meaning I attend regular meetings with designers both in market and virtually, to look for those whose design aesthetic we want to champion and to uncover new and inspiring pieces to excite our customer each season.
What are the key investments for FW21 that will stand the test of time? Historically, there has always been a trend for embracing fashion following times of uncertainty and the idea of dressing up is a mood lifter. We’ve seen a huge uplift in pieces that speak to craftsmanship, with a focus on tactile fabrications, bright colours and prints, with an emphasis on the finishing touches, whether it’s more discreet to complement the look of our modern purist, or by making a bold statement for the dressed-up bohemian. Alongside this optimism is a continued mood for the comfort we have grown to appreciate over the past year. Fine jewellery has also prevailed. Fine jewellery or a watch instantly elevates an outfit and our customers are looking to these as investment purchases. Whether a piece of jewellery is timeless and discreet or makes a bold statement, men with different tastes and styles are experimenting with jewellery, confident that they will wear it far beyond a season or two and that is the mood for now. Our customer quickly connected with specialist pieces, and as a result we have introduced fine jewellery designers including Bleue Burnham, Spinelli Kilcollin and Tom Wood to our edit.
What are a gentleman’s key wardrobe investments? The shirt remains a staple in every man’s wardrobe, largely due to its versatility. Depending on the fabrication and design construction, the classic shirt, by design houses including Bourrienne Paris X and Charvet, can be styled both for milestone life events, or worn day-to-day casually over a vest or loosely buttoned for enjoying the longer summer evenings. A relaxed leg trouser is a great example of minimalist ease – clean lines and a loose structure create a flattering and timeless silhouette. Look to brands such as Brunello Cucinelli, E. Tautz and Jil Sander.
Can you describe your approach to daily dressing? I tend to look to high-low dressing – interspersing casual comfort with statement hero pieces to create a relaxed yet chic uniform. High-low style is the amalgamation of dressing to both look and feel great, teaming luxe separates from the likes of Lemaire and Edward Crutchley with more casual, comfortable pieces by Another Aspect or Raey.
How do you stay a step ahead of the curve as a business in such a competitive market? Having a personal approach and listening to our customers has always been very important to us. MATCHESFASHION was founded over 30-years ago as a brick-and-mortar concept with physical stores in London, but we have been able to grow as a digital luxury business integrating this point of view into everything we do. Customers can keep up to date with the latest trends from our expert team of journalists and fashion editors and we work closely with our network of designers to produce exclusive content for our community, we’ve some exciting projects coming up this month with our innovators so keep an eye out. We also launched five Carlos Place, our townhouse in Mayfair a few years ago – the space has brought to life our content and showcases our exclusive collaborations with designers. We host designer installations, cultural events and even private dining experiences. We want our customers to come to us to be inspired and to be able to find the best version of anything through our unique edit.
Which new brands have you introduced to the buy? Our customer comes to us for our curation of both the best established and emerging designers, we love that our customer is confident to mix both and enjoys experimenting with their personal style – pairing Tom Ford and Gucci with new, emerging designers such as Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Ahluwalia.
Are there any new brands that we can expect to see online on the platform? Championing emerging talent has always been at the heart of MATCHESFASHION, in 2020 during the pandemic we built on our existing Innovators Programme to include menswear and developed it into a programme that really helps futureproof their businesses. We’re delighted to be continuing the initiative for 2021-22 and welcome two really exciting menswear designers – Maximilian and S.S.Daley (who we will be launching exclusively). Maximilian celebrates Black history and identity through elegant tailoring and S.S.Daley challenges menswear stereotypes whilst working in an environmentally conscious and sustainable manner. A few other highlights new for the season include Auralee which offers sophisticated yet functional wardrobe staples, and ERL, recognised for presenting classic Americana with a subversive twist.
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self? I would say to take things more slowly. It’s so important to take stock of things as they happen and appreciate work and life in the moment. Working in an environment where you are constantly on the move, it’s easy to just focus on the next task, trip or deadline, without taking a moment to appreciate the most fantastic experience you have just had in amazing locations all over the globe.