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INTERVIEW
'Ideals of bespoke condensed, purveyors of hand crafted timeless requisites,' Magnus & Novus.
When you step into Magnus & Novus' showroom, it's clear you're going to be in good hands. The perfect addition to every gentlemen's wardrobe, the classic luxury menswear and lifestyle British brand set its base in Hong Kong to raise awareness of a global appreciation for the fine craft. The history of suits in menswear can be dated back to as early as the 19th century and each of Magnus & Novus' timeless pieces is handcrafted in honour of that rich heritage. In each intricate seam, refined detailing and iconic designs reflect the tailors' fine craftsmanship and the brand's timeless aesthetics. Magnus & Novus offers a classic look for ready-to-wear, made-to-order and bespoke experiences with private consultations in Lane Crawford and Sheung Wan to capture the eternal aesthetics of an age-old craft.
The world of Magnus & Novus is a rich heritage of history, craft and much more...
This article is also available to read in Chinese (HK).
1. What does Magnus & Novus hope to bring to the men’s fashion industry in Hong Kong, and the world?
Magnus & Novus is a purveyor of investment requisites that are intended to last a lifetime. Each piece incorporates four key pillars of the brand philosophy, timeless iconic designs, intricate heritage handcraft, the world’s finest textiles and finally, the added opportunity for personalisation. The journey for scalable hand craft alone in the global ready to wear market is in itself a challenge, which the brand seeks to raise awareness for, and in doing so, elevating the art of craftsmanship within the global retail offering.
2. What do you look for in artisans of Magnus & Novus?
Around the world, there is vast and often unseen beauty in local crafts and trade. These artisans are specialists at what they do and often, have been doing so according to both tradition and teachings passed on to them. At Magnus & Novus, we are constantly seeking to retain and evolve heritage arts and craft to a new standard of both functional and aesthetic beauty. Artisans that are open minded and who are willing to evolve or innovate can often make a significant contribution to elevating and raising awareness of the diminishing global skilled craft trade.
'At Magnus & Novus, we are constantly seeking to retain and evolve heritage arts and craft to a new standard of both functional and aesthetic beauty.'
3. How do you train the young talents in your workshops?
Our in-house artisans and couturiers globally lay the foundations for knowledge sharing, for a greater cause, one that is centred on the preservation and development of skilled artisans for generations to come. This mindset is key in developing young talents to enable renewed interest in aged-old crafts within a more contemporary setting, and in encouraging the next generation to realise a sustainable career and their true passions through a meaningful and worthy endeavour.
4. How do your garments reflect the rich heritage of the in-house craftsmanship at Magnus & Novus?
At Magnus & Novus, each garment is intended to become a lifelong companion. It is very much about encapsulating the ideals of bespoke heritage and traditions with attentiveness whilst conducting rigorous product development and research that evolves garments to become iconic pieces. These iconic pieces are continually refined and considered and over time become timeless staples that will forever remain within the capsule collection.
On craftsmanship, whether ready to wear or made to measure, each piece is intricately hand-sewn and made in the same way as bespoke. As such, each piece is provided with a lifetime service of complimentary alterations. As the customer's body changes over the years, a key benefit of a hand-sewn garment allows for a much broader spectrum of alterations (i.e. to cater for client weight fluctuations).
5. As a luxury brand, how does Magnus & Novus intend to redefine the global perspective on ‘made in China’ luxury?
If we look at the global luxury ready-to-wear market as a whole, more often than not, handmade production is extremely limited, let alone hand-sewn production. There are simply not enough resources or access to scalable fine craft production, particularly as traditional crafts have seen continual challenges in retaining and attracting new and younger talents. Over the years, we have seen this significantly improve as there has been a renewed interest in the wonderful artisans all over the world sharing their works on media, inspiring a new generation of followers that appreciate such rarities. At Magnus & Novus, we work with artisans all over the world, encapsulating their specialised product know how, whether this be shoes, perfume or accessories.
When it comes to the needle and intricate hand embroidery, it is often forgotten that this beautiful art form had developed in China over the past millennia, its prestige and usage in imperial courts, particularly in the Qing dynasty, was unparalleled and the awe of the world. Revitalising and maintaining artistic history is key, regardless of Made in China, England, France or Italy is the key challenge for the industry in redefining the ever-changing perspective of consumers. As consumer markets become more developed and more attention is placed on heritage and history, we believe the appreciation of the art of the craft can only grow and prosper.
'As consumer markets become more developed and more attention is placed on heritage and history, we believe the appreciation in the art of the craft can only grow and prosper.'
6. You’ve partnered with Bentley in the flagship Mulsanne & the Continental GT, Save the Children Hong Kong to empower youths of China, Made in France Corthay shoe made-to-order experience and you’re collaborating with Loro Piana textiles for your ready-to-wear collection. What do you look for in your collaborations projects?
As a lifestyle brand, we enjoy exploring collaborations with like-minded partners with respect to their specialism, craft and designs and sharing these with our clients. Often these collaborations are with heritage brands that have been able to elevate their craft globally. For each collaboration, we aim to encapsulate the artisans' craft with the house design aesthetic of Magnus & Novus. Indeed, we work with numerous artisans big or small, but who remain at the forefront of their craft and product niche.
7. What do you hope customers take away from your bespoke experience?
With over 5,000 hand stitches and 50 hours of hand work, each bespoke experience naturally requires an investment in time by the client. Yet we aim to bring time to our clients' side, the most precious and finite resource, by enabling them to bring distinct clarity between abundance and choice, whether in life or simply in building their complete wardrobe, this is what we wish for our clients to aspire towards.
8. How does the bespoke experience at Magnus & Novus reflect the brand’s vision?
On the surface, the bespoke experience is about the elevation of the gentleman’s wardrobe, from formal wear to weekend and leisure wear. Combined with access to the world’s finest raw materials, and timeless design elements, the making of a lifelong companion becomes ever closer for the discerning man. Yet as many of our clients become fully aware, behind every growing bespoke wardrobe is the brand's journey towards scalable fine craft globally. A vision for the industry as a whole towards defying the perennial limitations of heritage arts and crafts to a broader audience and one which we believe technology can never truly replace.
9. What's next for your brand and what can we look forward to?
As we are in a position to organically scale up fine craft production of our ready-to-wear pieces, we would like for our products to be more accessible through both physical and online channels. At the same time, we are working with our retail partners around the world to establish touch-down points for allowing consumers to enjoy personalised menswear that is not limited to what is available on the rack. This made-to-order and made-to-measure service will be refreshing for clients who are willing to invest time in building an enduring and timeless wardrobe.
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All imagery is provided by Magnus & Novus.
Locations: Lane Crawford, IFC Mall: 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong | Lane Crawford, Times Square: 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong | Lane Crawford, Canton Road: 3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong | Website: magnusandnovus.com | Phone: +852 2118 2288 | Email: customer@magnusandnovus.com | Instagram: @magnusandnovus | Facebook: @magnusnovus | Linkedin: @magnus-&-novus
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