I first met Anne Marie NG last year when we chatted about her ambitions to start a high-quality men's shirt brand. She has now done that, so I caught up with her recently to talk about her new label, Wearfore. Knowing how keen I am for brands to use older men to sell their products, she kindly asked me to be photographed in some of her lovely shirts. We had a fascinating morning with outstanding photographer, David Newby, more of whose work can be found at David Newby.
The quality of the shirt fabric and manufacture is very high; they felt comfortable and soft to wear. For more information, visit Wearfore.
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| Wearfore - image by David Newby |
Tell us about the business.
The name Wearfore is a play on the word “wherefore” - for what reason you are wearing your clothes?
We're a London-based, high-end menswear label that combines timeless designs with understated luxury, beautiful fabrics and considered details. The business has initially started with just capsule ranges of shirts, trans-seasonal styles crafted by specialist manufacturers in Europe, with more products being added over time.
Alongside each collection is the Wearfore Creatives Series, an ongoing photography project featuring emerging and established creatives people wearing Wearfore, with a little insight into where and how they work.
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| Wearfore cotton collared shirt - image David Newby |
How did you get started?
I’ve designed luxury menswear for two Savile Row brands, Kilgour and Gieves & Hawkes, where I was their first female Global Head of Design and creating super luxury collections for the China market. I was constantly travelling between Asia and Europe, observing how men dressed for their busy lives in different climates and I’d been thinking for a long time about setting up my own brand of menswear that is more relevant to modern lifestyles.
I started Wearfore last April and having been fortunate to work with many of the best mills and factories, I already knew exactly whom I wanted to work with. We produced eight spring-summer shirt samples that were photographed by David Newby for the first Wearfore Creatives Series and featured four British artists. I showed my shirts and images to James Sleaford, Fashion Director at GQ France and he suggested contacting the British Fashion Council. So after just nine months of starting the business, Wearfore launched at LC:M in January 2014 with a capsule collection of trans-seasonal and autumn-winter shirts.
Where are your shirts made?
Wearfore shirts are currently made by two amazing, specialist shirt factories in Italy. They have the expertise, knowhow and all the capabilities I need. Plus, as most of my shirt fabrics and trims are Italian too, it makes sense to keep everything as close together as possible.
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| Wearfore white collarless cotton shirt - image David Newby |
Who and where are your main markets? How would you like to see these develop?
I design smart-casual wear for international creative and discerning men who are self-assured and care about details, quality and provenance.
Aside from establishing Wearfore in the UK, my main target market overseas is Asia, especially China as I’ve witnessed first-hand the huge potential for menswear brands over there. I’d love Wearfore to have lifestyle stores there one day.
What have been the particular challenges?
Finding a decent British shirt manufacturer who can do small production runs, garment washing and dyeing has been particularly challenging. Sadly, there are just not many specialist shirt factories and dye-wash houses left in England now.
Another challenge has been getting in front of British buyers as they’re inundated with brands. In contrast, I met several buyers in Hong Kong who run very cool shops and are open to finding out about new labels. It’s a very exciting market out there.
What inspires you in driving the business?
I’m inspired by the fact that more men around the world are becoming interested in clothes and how to style themselves. Technology and social media, however disruptive, has really helped the growth of menswear and I’m now working on how to sell Wearfore online. This is all new to me so it’s a huge learning curve, but a positive one!
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| Wearfore white cotton collared shirt - image David Newby |
What are you favourite moments in running the business?
It’s been great to start a menswear label from scratch and be able to take it in any direction creatively. It’s also always exciting when my shirt samples arrive back from the factories - I can’t wait to see them come to life on people, not just in a shiny packet or on a hanger.
My other favourite moments are when we photograph Creatives for the Wearfore Creatives Series and meeting lots of new people in the fashion industry, particularly other designers and the press.
Any further thoughts?
I’m currently working on my first collaboration on “Wearfore Art Thou” T-shirts with an emerging British artist, DRB, whose work is in the permanent collection at the V&A.
Follow on Twitter:
Shirts - @Wearfore
Photographer - @DavidNewbyPhoto
Model - David Evans @GreyFoxBlog
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