You don’t always see them, these lords of creation doing their jobs at some desk in some office. And you certainly didn’t see them when working from home became compulsory. Now, though, collaboration is possible again – even if at least part-time work from home has become the norm in many places.
That has consequences for the morning’s choice of outfit. HR managers have probably realised that productive work can perfectly well be done in pyjamas – how else to explain the relaxing of dress codes? Even senior board members of well-known brands show up relaxed, a jumper under the jacket, jeans and trainers instead of brogues. But does that suit a businessman’s image? Confusion reigns – an expert is needed: Dominik Bachmann, a man who breathes style.
Seriously Dressed
Bachmann welcomes us to his atelier in a deep-red, calf-length gown – a piece that suits him remarkably well. The latest thing? «Society is much freer today», he explains. «I wanted to try out what a dress for a man might look like, and I have to say I feel extraordinarily comfortable.» Besides, a gown like this happily hides a few extra pounds around the middle, Bachmann jokes.
Men’s clothing is, figuratively speaking, his passion: he most enjoys dressing men to measure – and a few women who have him make them a suit, too. You don’t end up at his atelier by chance. Here, in Basel’s up-and-coming Dreispitz industrial district, above Kraft E.L.S. AG, he has served clients by appointment since July 2020; before that, he ran a shop in Zurich’s District 4.
Fine Fabrics
What counts as a trend right now, and can you give general advice on style and dress code? «I’m reluctant to proclaim do’s and don’ts», says Bachmann. Until now, a businessman was only seen as serious if he wore a suit, shirt and tie. Full stop. A fundamentally wrong idea, he says, that only holds people back.
«Men need far more style advice than women, who usually know what suits them», the expert surprises us. Men are often out of their depth: they know how to configure a car, which extras and technical features to choose – but they founder on their own outfit and fall back on the tried and tested. And that’s not a bad thing at all: «The classic jacket is always the right choice. It has become lighter today; we no longer work with so much interlining.»
There are new high-tech fabrics, very handy when travelling – one is even called «Turbo Travel», because it contains a stretch element, is water-repellent and yet breathable. Bachmann proceeds step by step: «We determine whether the client wants a lining in the jacket, whether he prefers a notch or peak lapel, how many buttons.» For the undecided: a peak lapel and a two-button jacket are as timeless as a Mercedes 300 SL. Bachmann himself, by the way, drives a branded Renault Koleos – enough room for man, fabrics and dog.
No Two Men Alike
The fabric is a matter of taste; every season brings new colours and patterns. Bachmann works with Scabal, a Belgian textile company with a weaving mill in Yorkshire and its own made-to-measure production facility, TailorHoff, in Saarbrücken.
Kenner does made-to-measure from existing blocks, adjusted individually. Bachmann takes no fewer than 40 measurements on the man. «There are powerhouses who need an enormous amount of fabric at the shoulders, but less at the waist», he says from experience. And conversely those who have to dress a sizeable midriff. Every body is different – very few have the figure for an off-the-peg jacket.
He Was Right
Bachmann learned it all in passing; he has sewn his own clothes since he was 14. His parents thought little of their son’s sartorial ambitions and, after grammar school, pushed him towards a «proper» training. So he studied law, took a liking to the scholarly world and would gladly have sat the entrance exam for the diplomatic service.
But needle and thread won out. He entered his own creations in fashion prizes such as the Prix Bolero and sewed for himself and for friends. The fridge still had to be filled, so he worked part-time as a lawyer for the Swiss Aids Federation, campaigned as a lobbyist with Network Gay Leadership and took a pattern-cutting course on the side. For a while, he and his partner ran the Gewandhaus Bern.
A Lasting Business Idea
The ever-impeccably-dressed Bachmann was constantly asked to act as a style adviser – and it became clear to him that the only right path was that of the classic gentlemen’s outfitter. «At first I had things made to measure in Bangkok», recalls the now 53-year-old, «but the quality soon stopped being enough for me.» On a nine-month trip around the world, the final business idea took shape; he has been dressing men since 2014.
His clients are lovers of classic, elegant fashion – connoisseurs, «Kenner», in fact. Today, 80 per cent of production is wedding suits. «These are suits for life», Bachmann explains. «Here, no one is got up as a prince or a circus ringmaster.»
The Basic Wardrobe
That leaves the question of what to wear with the jacket. Here, too, Kenner helps: made-to-measure shirts, trousers, accessories. It isn’t cheap, and fabric prices have risen sharply too. Better to start with one piece and assemble trousers and shirts so that the shirts also work with jeans and the trousers with T-shirts or roll-necks.
In this way a genuine basic wardrobe gradually takes shape, one that keeps you well dressed at all times – online and off. Bachmann doesn’t debate trends; he finds them too fleeting. His creations outlast every fashion.
Tie Off
One garment, however, has bowed out of everyday life: the tie. «Many see it as a symbol of the patriarchy», Bachmann laments. «They reject it – even though it’s the one garment that lets you stand out from the rest of the uniformed crowd.» The tie sang its quiet swansong the day a private bank announced it could be dispensed with in future.
To the fashion-conscious, the stylist recommends uncompromising individuality – with a tie or, say, a scarf, in summer as in winter. And there is still the pocket square to show some style. In short: there is no fashion diktat, no trend you simply must follow. There is only an awareness of style – and anyone who lacks it may turn without embarrassment to a stylist like Dominik Bachmann. He simply dresses men well. And that’s all we (women) really want. knnr.ch
This article appeared in MEN issue 1/23 (June 2023).
