Drake’s. And my Visit to Dosan.
Tailoring has taken another turn. From the sharp, structured, and loud silhouettes of the 90’s, Armani-esque era, to the slim, dainty, and quiet lapels and legs of today. However, in recent times, suits have gotten a bad rap and have been ultimately abandoned or swapped out for streetwear, gorp-wear, and other eccentric style trends. In seeking individuality, the mass production of generic mall-brand navy blue suits has harmed tailoring. Moreover, with the increasing need for comfort, as homes have overtaken office cubicles and workplaces have dropped dress codes, suits have become a hassle and a thing of the past. Where does one even buy a nice suit nowadays? Even high-end department stores carry the same polyester, stretch, and skinny fits. Drake’s exemplifies why wearing suits is fun again, as tailoring’s new, however familiar face of slouchy, stylish, and unorthodox becomes the new norm.
Drake’s Dominance (and it’s start)
Drake’s began in 1977 with just silk ties and scarves, all designed, sold, and crafted by Michael J. Drake and his business partners. (In case you didn’t know, that’s where the name Drake’s London comes from.) Michael J. Drake hired London-based designers and craftsmen to achieve a level of quality and craftsmanship that few cared enough to replicate. Alongside his colleagues from Aquascutum, another British tailoring brand, they laid the foundation for the ideals of well-made goods, foreshadowing developments that would come almost three decades later. However, the haberdashery didn’t remain small, cozy, or confined to Savile Row in England as the brand expanded into retailers like SHIPS department store in Ginza and even Barney’s New York on Madison Ave. It sought after expansion and reputation for well-built staples in many people’s wardrobes. Drake’s was positioned in the highest echelons of emporiums and wardrobes, yet its distinctive style was unparalleled.
Michael Hill, Creative Director of Drake’s London, courtesy of Esquire
Michael Hill was about to change all of this. Once a student at the London College of Fashion, working weekends on Savile Row, Hill was the son of Michael Drake's business partner. At age 23, he joined the board of operations and eventually became the creative director, leading Drake’s and pioneering the slouchy suit aesthetic. Although it wasn’t expected that Hill would inherit the family business, the brand’s vision resonated with him deeply. According to his interview with The Armoury Hill’s first memory sheds light on why history unfolded as it did.
The very first time Michael Hill saw Michael Drake, his mind was blown. The soft-shouldered, distinctive character and slouch of the now famed look were exactly how Michael Drake dressed. In the weird mix of traditional British, Italian, or wherever it may be, combined with his own style that didn’t adhere to many formalities, this stood out to Hill. “He’d wander around in his Solito jacket with his shirt collar flying out. Those were just things he took on and made into his own style.” It was cool. It hit him at a time when suiting and its cohorts were unremarkable. And that’s exactly the first thought of many youngsters who come across Drake’s Diary Instagram page and their collaboration with popular content creators.
Drake’s Distinctiveness
I was one of Drake’s Diary fanboys. Drake’s campaign has always been and always will be simple; it relies on their distinctive style. But recently, along with this flair and awe the brand has maintained, it brought content creators storming the menswear platform. For example, Nolan Daniel White and Throwing Fits were models, posing in various tweedy, hefty wool-blend suits to garment-dyed cotton jackets. They’re already doing something different. Instead of having starved, visible-cheekboned high-end models, you see faces you associate with style—personal names at that. Nolan was the first content creator I encountered during the “two-week” hiatus from school, where I faced unending boredom but a thirst for consumption. He taught me everything about the Cartier Tank and its other squeamish cousins with various French names or how to paste your Patagonia shorts pattern onto some cheap corduroy fabric to make your own pair of shorts. I mean, I spent hundreds if not thousands of hours scrolling through his various fits, breakdowns, and day-in-the-life posts. That level of personal connection hooked me onto Drake’s movement.
Back to the reason tailoring is most definitely here to stay. Suiting had become stiff, unsuitable (unintended pun), and boring, but this is exactly why Drake’s has captured the hearts and minds of well-dressed fancy pants all across the internet. Returning to the interview, Michael Drake’s first impression was that he wore something informal but functional in terms of style and flair. I mean, who in their right mind would just let their shirt collar be unbuttoned and out in the wind, on top of that an unorthodox Italian jacket when he’s in the capital of British tailoring? Michael’s style philosophy translates to the Drake’s Diary inspirations: the pairing of sherpa fleece vests with Japanese selvedge denim in Ecru, all over a button-down and gabardine tie, finished with a brown suede Chukka boot. The weirdest bunch of garments; it shouldn’t work, but it works and looks good on the guy wearing it because it’s his personal style. It’s also a careful mix of the unusual, as the brand blends Shetland sweaters sheared, knit, and combed in Scotland, with button-downs built tough but fancy in Somerset, and Japanese denim hand-dyed by some old master craftsman.
I actually remember a quote from somebody, somewhere on TikTok, and it goes like this: “You could get any article of clothing from Drake’s wardrobe, put it together, and it’d be stylish every single time.” That simmers down to one more thing to add to the various components of Drake’s specialty: its feeling. However corny or cheesy it may be to say something has a vibe, it’s true with Drake’s. As Creative Director Michael Hill puts it, they fixate on a “relaxed elegance.” Their style mixes elegance and class with slouch and ease, breaking traditions and barriers by sourcing style and garments from different cities. This is why you can pull one thing out of their wardrobe and another and make it work, as it mixes around elegant designs with relaxed ones.
Looks from the advertisement campaign, courtesy of @ Drake’s Diary
It’s sometimes fun to break the unwritten rules of tailoring. An example of how Drake’s breaks these unwritten laws is the mixing of patterns. The average Joe in the office could spice things up on a Friday by wearing chinos, a dress shirt, and (wait for it)... a striped tie. That’s how personal suiting was perceived by the masses before Drake’s and the turn suiting took in the early 21st century. Drake’s ethos integrates streetwear elements seamlessly with tailoring. Pairing a tweed suit and pants with a striped button-down and a paisley green tie, all under a puffer and cap, might seem appalling to traditionalists, but the fashionable would agree that it’s tasteful and Drake-esque. A lookbook example of the individuality that fits under the umbrella of Drake’s is designer and stylist Aaron Levine and his part in the lookbook. Aaron Levine is one of the most influential designers who brought streetwear to life, reviving Abercrombie and Fitch and boosting Aimé Leon Dore’s fame. His personal style consists of vintage Levi’s, odd assortments of caps and vintage blazers, and achieving the dad/airport fit aesthetic, far from the slouchy tailoring Drake’s achieves. However, they managed to include him in the lookbook, preserving his style but adding their own touches of the brand’s image. With the ruggedness of the garment-dyed cotton suit mimicking the Levi’s he usually sticks to, paired with his vintage t-shirt, tactical nylon military belt, and Danner hiking boots, this outfit is Aaron Levine but also Drake’s Diary. Brandon Mahler of Aimé Leon Dore is part of the looks in the same campaign but dons a western workwear appeal, all under a navy wool blazer paired with a vintage New York Yankees hat and dressy loafers. Both of these well-known pioneers of style have distinctive looks yet fall under the same lookbook and similar aesthetic and styles Drake’s has curated, which is the addition of slouchy tailoring.
Giving credit where credit is due, Michael Drake’s vision, followed by Creative Director Hill’s initiative with advertisement and the growth of the distinctive style, led the company to where it is today; the place where people look towards for tailoring style.
Aaron Levine, Designer and Style Icon
Brandon Mahler of Aime Leon Dore
Drake’s Dosan
front of the Drake’s Dosan store
inside of the Drake’s Dosan store
My last minute family trip to Seoul, resulted in me frantically searching up as many stores I could go to. My stay was confined to Gangnam, specifically Apgujeong-ro, a wealthy and elite neighborhood with high end boutiques and luxury department stores. Think of it as South Korea’s version of Ginza or SoHo, a perfect setting for a store which has assortments ranging from silk scarves to wool raglan coats that cost well over $2000. And that’s when I found out that Drake’s, along with their flagship in London and Canal St. New York shop, had it’s foothold in Seoul as well. Before heading to the store, I had my eyes set on the new ALD x Drake’s London release, with jazzy anecdotes and sporty styles, and one of my most coveted Drake’s grail (grail- an item of clothing/sneaker/bag that is 1) hard to come by and 2) has appreciated in value since it came out - GQ) as of today which is the ALD collab, jazz green silk tie and sherpa vest, all from the ‘23 FW collection. This Drake’s collection is no doubt one of the best collobrations I’ve witnessed from two brands revolutionizing street styles with elegance.
drakes & ald ‘23
Drake’s Dosan was surrounded by several, but not nearly as important, shops such as the South Korean optical brand Gentle Monster, a locally popular menswear supplier by the name of San Francisco Market, and streetwear giant Supreme. On a snowy, wet, and slippery morning, I trekked to the location and finally saw the sign: Drake’s London. What I saw were racks of cashmere sportcoats and fleece sherpa jackets; it was a sight to see.
The employee looked like he was straight out of a lookbook, with his striped Drake’s shirt and paisley tie, wrapped by scarfs and a merino wool beanie. Just like the guy right next to this —->
I browsed the shelves over and over again, rediscovering the clothes repeatedly with the same awe-struck facial expressions. For me, this was an opportunity of a lifetime—to feel the insanely soft-to-the-touch fabrics woven in Italy, England, and Japan, and not just look and drool at them through the screen of my phone. Not only are the fabrics in different beautiful patterns, but the textures are a feat of their own.
After my trip, I was eager to own one of my own Drake’s piece, which led me to pull the trigger on this forest green, geometric, woven silk tie, all for 30 bucks on a Japanese auction site that took a month to arrive. This is my go to tie, my everyday, my shining diamond and the epitome of great ties. What makes this such a great tie? A great tie has 3 things: elegance but also robustness, flair and the joy good ties give you when you’re tying them.
First, my tie is built tough, but it isn’t something from the Salvation Army constructed out of thick and cheap worsted wool. Nope, it’s all fine English silk, so I’m guaranteed it won’t fail me and will be smooth on my fingers. Next up is the style of it. I’m leaning towards slouchy Italian and Drake-esque tailoring, so it’s the cherry on top when I pair this with a cotton unstructured suit and a striped button-down linen dress shirt. But most importantly, when you tie a tie, it should move almost seamlessly. It should tie exactly the way you envision in your head and shouldn’t make you hate the process, which is often perceived as tough to do. Trust me, I’m not some crazy guy who can speak to ties, but the feeling this random used tie from a Japanese secondhand store in a small suburb gave me makes me love tying this tie. The knots on this one are also SO versatile. From four-in-hands to half-Windsors, it does everything I need it to do.
If talking about Drake’s vast history and its dominance in menswear today wasn’t enough, this tie that was made decades ago stands as solid proof of the company’s relaxed elegance campaign and craftsmanship. The turn tailoring took changed the way I and several other enthusiasts out there dress, and I bet you this summer and the next few seasonal rotations will be inspired by the Drake’s Diary Instagram page.
