How did you start your career in men’s couture?
I am a self-taught person who has made his passion his profession. It is a passion that has been with me since I was a child and that has been enriched by many encounters with wonderful people that fate has put in my path. After spending 18 years in many national and international companies, particularly in the fields of sales, marketing and customer relations, I decided to make my dream come true and release my passion as it should be. I worked as a Personal Development Coach, a profession that helped me a lot to take this step that changed my career. We change everyday, whether we like it or not. We must therefore make this change positive, conscious and realistic. Three years ago, my fashion house was founded under the name “Bespoke by J Benzekri”.
What do you think of the male clothing style in Morocco? What does it need to develop?
In Morocco, we have a kind of universal “style”. What the Moroccan wears is the same as the Western man, especially since in Morocco we are very close geographically to Europe. What needs to be improved is the choice of cuts and colors. We have neither the same morphology nor the same skin color, two important elements in choosing a suit. What bothers me personally most is the choice of accessories and the way the shoes are combined with the belt and shirt, and in particular the tie knot, which are essential to give the suit and the wearer great value.
Why did you choose tailor-made clothing instead of ready-to-wear?
High-end men’s clothing is a very noble profession. The tailor does everything possible to meet the customer’s requirements and makes tailor-made clothing according to his expectations and aspirations. For example, it can propose, adapt or create another model. In addition to being meticulous, he must remain attentive to his client and have a keen sense of aesthetics and organization, in addition to patience. I always say that every man is actually a modeling project. Custom-made clothing meets certain requirements that the ready-to-wear does not meet, either in terms of cut quality or final touch-ups.
What are your sources of inspiration?
There are three important schools for me, English, French and Italian. Each of them has its own characteristics. The Italians, for example, are innovative in terms of cutting. In my opinion, the combination of the three schools can produce good results.
I am inspired by great fashion designers such as Samalto and Siphonelli, but I am introducing my personal touch, which may be Moroccan, why not?
As a brand, we take care to advise our customers, particularly with regard to the quality of the fabric and the product. Advice is very important to us because we want every customer to know which costume is right for which event or occasion, or for which shape or color of skin.
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