WILLIAM mALCOLM: "Man of style & substance"
By Ebony Nicole
Mixing style with substance is a mantra that local designer William Malcolm lives by. His impeccable eye for style and design has led him to start his own fashion label and, in addition, he also makes his mark by impacting the community in a big way.
William became interested in fashion in his teens after his mother expressed to him that he was not dressing
appropriately. She subscribed him to the Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine, a publication whose primary focus is men's style and trends. This sparked a fascination with fashion; he became extremely interested in impeccable style and tailoring.
It was in his teen years that he began sketching his own designs, influenced by various art forms, and he says, "Fashion when done correctly is an art form as well."
Although fashion was William's passion, like many others he chose what he perceived to be "the safe route" as far as his career goes. Prior to beginning his own fashion label he graduated from Western Michigan University and went on to build a successful career in the financial services industry. William says, "Although I was good at it I could never be great because it was not what I was called to do."
Being a student of men's fashion for many years it was only natural for William to pursue a career designing for men. Inspired by the dapper appearance and details of the 1930's and mid 20th century tailoring of suits, he set out to reinvent this classic attire and made it his mission to once again "restore the double breasted suit as an option for today's sophisticated gentleman."
In May of 2009, William's Luxe Collection of men's suits was launched. William says, "My goal when designing a bespoken suit for a client is to give him an experience." All of William's appointments are one on one, and all suits are hand-delivered unless they are ordered from out of state, in which case they are gift wrapped and shipped to the client.
To add to this experience, all suits all come accompanied with their own soundtrack, and yes, I do mean each suit is delivered with a custom music compact disc for the client to listen to while getting dressed.
In addition to fashion, William has also made his mark as a philanthropist. He believes that, "Style without substance is pointless." He has started three non-profit initiatives that directly benefit the citizens of Michigan. "The Suit Project" is his mentor program for young men. "The Man of Style & Substance Scholarship Contest," is a way to highlight young men making a contribution to our community. And "The Blue Tie Project" is a Prostate Cancer Awareness Initiative.
Click here to check out William Malcolm's Luxe Collection!
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