With his sharp silhouette and precise gaze, Travis Ng thinks of clothing as a second skin... An interview with a measured mind.
Travis, you co-founded COLLARO with the idea of making made-to-measure more accessible, without abandoning the demands of the tailor. What was the initial spark?
The initial spark came from a group of high school friends that I used to hang out with. They dressed well, and more importantly they enjoyed experimenting with men’s clothing in terms of fit, colour and patterns. Inspired by them, I took on a few part-time jobs in various clothing companies over the years.
This includes an internship with a renowned tailor in Singapore, and this was the first time I was exposed to tailored clothing. I remember how happy I was when I received my first set of tailored clothes - that's because I’ve always struggled to find well-fitting clothes due to my slim build. Seeing this first set of tailored clothes gave me a boost of confidence.
It also planted the seed for me to start Collaro as I wanted to recreate that feeling for the customers which I will serve in the future.
Your approach to clothing is very precise, almost architectural. Where does this taste for elegance and restraint come from?
As my interest for menswear grew, I sought out specific information via blogs and books.
My earliest inspiration came from The Sartorialist, a style blogger from the US. He featured well-dressed men such as Simone Righi and Alessandro Squarzi in his blog, and I s'll have his first book in my store. Over the years, other key influences developed an eye for design and restraint.
You travel a lot between Asia, Europe and the United States... What is it today that feeds your way of thinking about silhouettes?
While I see different silhouettes as I travel, I believe in one principle that "balance" is critical. The silhouette must be thought of with the customer's body and their preferences in mind, and this principle holds true for all our customers regardless of where they are from.
What works for a slim and tall customer will not work for a short and wide customer, so it's important that we recommend a suitable silhouette for each customer.
We do not force a specific silhouettee on our customers - they need to like what they wear and they need to believe that the silhouette we are recommending looks good on them. Only then will they enjoy wearing the clothes that is made for them.
When you discovered the SERICA Ref. 1174 'Parade', was there a particular detail that caught your eye?
Many details caught my eye, but two stood out: the stepped case that leads into the sunray dial. It’s an architectural piece.
If you had to sum up the soul of your 'Parade' in two words borrowed from the vocabulary of men's dressing, which would you choose?
Balance and Precision.
