Designer Alex Daye wants you to wear canary yellow and cobalt blue to the office

The mustachioed upper lip of Alex Daye, owner of eponymous made-to-order fashion label j. a. daye, curls into a grin as he contemplates the city that inspires his designs for men’s suits.

“Hong Kong has a cool retro 1960s vibe that we are very into,” Daye said. “The way people dress, the way the city looks, a lot of the landmarks … it has a vintage feel to it, but it is definitely reinterpreted for the time we are in. People identify with [vintage].”

With Hong Kong as a backdrop, Daye creates retro-preppy looks often with attention-seeking colors and prints.

The j. a. daye label began when Daye couldn’t get what he wanted from Hong Kong’s tailors, legendary for their craftsmanship but blah for everything else.

“Hong Kong’s tailor shops all have the same fabrics and the same pinstripe suits,” Daye says. “Hong Kong is a fashion capital. It may not have the glamour of Paris and New York. But there’s an amazing level of craft here and that should be celebrated.”

Walk into j. a. daye and choose one of their designs, then get your measurements taken and return a couple of days later to pick up your suit. The shop marries the trends of ready-to-wear with the luxury of made-to-measure.

Return to the Streets of Your City topic page.