The Bespoken Word

Michael Fenici is a native of Lebanon, but spent most of his life in Sweden. Today, he designs bespoke suits for select clients around the world —but he chooses to refer to them as his friends.

“Retail is for virtual people, a target group. When they go to buy a suit, they don’t know who made it, and whoever made it doesn’t know who will wear it,” he says.

Mr. Fenici’s suits are both personalized and identity based - measurements are simply the beginning. The designer sits down with every ‘friend’ and takes time to get to know them as individuals; he did with each businessman-cum- model who walked in his AW/13 runway show last week.

With bespoke suiting, he says the devil is in the detail. The person’s work, what they do for fun, their personalities must be taken into consideration, as well as the tangible components of eye and skin color, the occasion, and their individual style.

“All details are combined into the design to match the wearer’s full identity,” says Mr. Fenici.

“If he doesn’t feel like himself, it doesn’t matter how nice the suit is. It won’t work if the suit doesn’t suit.”

Fenici’s studio is small, and he wants to keep it that way. Each suit is not only handmade, but heavily overseen and worked on by Fenici himself.

“Each suit takes forty hours and 72,000 stitches,” he explains proudly. “I am an artist, not a business man.”

Fenici’s friends have usually done their homework when selecting a bespoke designer. That’s why they wind up going to him. Fenici compares creating custom suits to composing a symphony: “All the elements come together and are a joy to behold.”

Whether made from velvet, wool, or cashmere, Fenici’s suits are made to be a second skin for their owners.

“My suits create an image of up to date class,” he says. “They make my friends feel unique and confident.”