Featured Business
Self-Made Couture; Looking presentable is not enough
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
I have been a little discouraged by the fashion that I see, especially the styles being worn by our young people. Yes, I realize that I am a little older, and fashion has gone through some changes, but I have been looking for a bounce back to a time when style was much deeper than articles of clothing. There was a time when black men had a unique relationship with fashion, and this relationship can be linked back to the 17th and 18th centuries. I have always seen style and fashion as a representation of what you have to offer the world, and some people struggle with this type of representation. Some of us are not taught growing up the importance of image, and this would explain why we end up representing ourselves in unfavourable ways.
I want to present to you an amazing opportunity, and this one was specifically selected for my Caribbean men. With the holidays around the corner, there are going to be a million and one events that you need to go to, and my question to you is are you ready? Do you have the type of wardrobe suitable to represent your best self? I would like to present to you Aimé Kamana, Brandon Chestnut, and Sydney Chestnut the team behind the freshest, custom suit design brand Self-Made Couture.
“Men with the intent of rising higher in the world need to look in sync with the trends while making their own signature style statement”.
What makes this feature extra special is that Self-Made Couture has just set up their studio here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 1 University Ave. November 1st was their opening date. I had a chance to sit down and dialogue with Sydney Chestnut (Corporate Manager) to learn more about Self-Made, and their decision to expand their company into Canada.
Self-Made Couture first launched in 2015 under the original name Self-Made Custom Menswear. The main objective was to create specially designed, high-end suits for men that are not only personalized, but also affordable. The garments are digitally laser cut and had sewn using exceptional fabrics sourced globally.
They start the process by making a digital pattern of your body, and then the measurements are converted into a pattern that are form fitted to your body. The fabric is cut on a digital laser cutting machine; your custom pattern is saved so that the next time you need a suit or blazer (hoping you haven’t gained/lost a few pounds) your suit, shirt, or blazer will be cut exactly the same. As an added bonus, a style expert will meet with you to go over your customization options, and you can decide on the fabrics you like for your next: suit, tuxedo, shirt, trousers, blazer or coat.
“We are not going to do this; you are going to get a job!”
Sydney Chestnut
Sydney Chestnut is the Brand Manager at Self-Made Couture. Sydney is married to Brandon (Co-founder), and during our talk she brings me through their journey together. Sydney and Brandon met when they both attended Purdue University, a public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana. Their bond grew as they both pledged for popular Greek letter organizations; Sydney with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Brandon with Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. The couple both decided to expand their cultural boundaries, and they went to study in China; this is how Aimé and Brandon first connected. “Brandon’s time away was a lot more productive, then mine was,” Sydney tells me laughing, “Aimè (Co-founder), and Brandon actually met their first day there, playing basketball. Brandon was a Marketing and Business Development Intern at Dragon Group Asia, and Aimè was doing a Bachelor’s Degree in the Field of International Business at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.
While they were there, they were introduced to the hand made suits made in China, and they were impressed by the different pattern styles: pinstripe, chalk stripes, plaid and much more to fit whatever suit or blazer they choose. When they came back to North America, people took notice and began to ask them about their suits. This is when Aimé and Brandon knew they were on to something; Self-Made’s genesis would change both of their lives forever.
Sydney admits to being against it at first; entrepreneurship is a long, arduous process, and without the right support many fail. This was going to have to be something that was taken on independently. Brandon came from a large family, so he would turn to them for the emotional support, not so much the financial support.
Although at first doubtful, Sydney respected Aimé and Brandon’s dedication to this project, so she turned to her family for some support. Her mother was unable to support her because she suffers with mental health issues, and Sydney has a strained relationship with her father. They had a discussion about investor opportunities, but nothing really panned out.
This is why Self-Made became the brand it is; everything that they have achieved, has been due to their tireless efforts to provide value to their community, and they have done it on their own. Sydney believed in the brand so much that she invested $25,000 of her own into the project, and left her life of
9–5 behind. Aimé and Brandon focused on narrowing their market, finding suitable investors, travelling to China to check out different manufacturers, and establishing studios in Cleveland at Tower City, (Second Floor, Terminal Tower), and now in Toronto at 1 University Ave. Aimé was working in Alberta, then moved to Toronto, to work on the expansion, and Brandon and Sydney have recently moved to Toronto to complete the final steps of establishing the brand here.
It would be nice to see our men dressed to impress and have the ability to afford it. It is easy to become a self-made man; all you have to do is visit https://selfmadecouture.com/. You can also check out their instagram page @ selfmade.couture