Scions of Style: Last & Lapel founder Alvin Gan went from real estate to tailoring

After a decade of suiting up for a corporate environment, someone exiting the business world might be happy to leave formal dressing behind. That wasn’t the case for Alvin Gan, founder of Last & Lapel, a classic menswear store specialising in tailoring as well as ready-to-wear clothing and accessories.

On the day of our shoot, the 35-year-old father of two arrived looking camera-ready in a dark blue suit and striped shirt, complete with tie. “I’m very comfortable in a suit and can wear one the whole day without any issue,” he says with a smile. Before starting Last & Lapel, he worked in the family business for 10 years, focusing on real estate investment. He shares, “We needed to dress well and to be in a suit or at least a jacket. That was actually when I got into classic tailoring.”

Mostly from Italy, Japan and South Korea, the brands and makers Gan carries in the Last & Lapel store are his personal, tried-and-tested favourites. Even so, before he began his menswear business, he made it a point to visit a good number of master tailors at their ateliers in Italy to witness their process for himself.

(Related: Old school meets new school at Joe's Tailoring)

Sartorial Selections

Tailoring is not just for the corporate 9 to 5. From our clothing rack, Gan selected a dark green Ami shirt covered with illustrations of faces, a playful complement to the dark brown suit by Raffaniello – an Italian tailor Last & Lapel works with – that he brought along. “This is a more casual look that I would wear on Fridays and weekends,” he says.