On different sides of the world, two men with a similar idea. An independent menswear store where guys could meet, talk, gain advice, discover stuff and buy clothes that make them feel good. Run by approachable, knowledgeable staff, and stocked with brands that you couldn’t find elsewhere.
Fifteen years later, Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, and Mats Klingberg, the founder of Trunk Clothiers, have created distinctive – but in many ways complementary – retail identities by focusing on a curation of labels that they wear themselves. And in the process they’ve become two of the most respected, and well-dressed, flagbearers for contemporary-classic men’s style.
Mark Cho established The Armoury in Hong Kong in 2010 with his then business partner Alan See (who has since left), driven by a passion for tailoring and a commitment to showcasing exquisite craftsmanship from hand-picked suppliers across the world. Brands include Alden, Cohérence, Frank Clegg and Ring Jacket.
A committed watch collector, Cho has expanded into notable watch collaborations with Swiss mavericks H. Moser & Cie., the Japanese independent Naoya Hida & Co. and the Scotland-based Paulin. The Armoury’s own line includes shoes, sports chinos, polo shirts and much else. There are now two Armoury stores in New York, and one in Hong Kong’s Peddar Arcade, which includes a cigar lounge.
Mats Klingberg’s Trunk Clothiers, with locations first in London and then a second in Zurich, focuses on bringing in brands from Italy and Japan that become genuine wardrobe staples. Like The Armoury, Trunk has its own label, which includes cashmere knitwear, Oxford shirts, overcoats and tote bags. Trunk now stocks brands from around the world, including orSlow, Fedeli, Kaptain Sunshine and Caruso.
We brought the two founders together in Hong Kong recently. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Congratulations on 15 years. What have you learnt about men and how they dress in that time?
Mats Klingberg: I started Trunk because I wanted to demystify menswear. I think lots of men get quite confused about all the conflicting information out there. There are so many rules. The fashion press always wants to come up with what’s new, what’s in, what’s out. Trunk has played a part in being above the fray and giving clear advice that’s always relevant.
Men need to listen to themselves, see what works, and what they feel comfortable in. Once they find their style, the trick is to not let what goes on in the outside world distract you too much.
When men first come in, do they know what they’re looking for or do you advise them?
MK: Some know exactly what they want. Many don’t. Even though it’s only clothing, it’s a very important part of a person’s identity. If you’re not sure what you’re wearing is right, it can impact your self-esteem. But I don’t want people to get distracted by clothing. Focus on what’s really important in life: work, love, family and so on. I know that lots of guys can get very stressed if they go in for a trip that includes both holiday and business, for example, not knowing what to pack. I want to keep it as simple as possible, where you can mix and match and dress up and down.
Early on, many guys came in saying, “I’ll come back on Saturday with my partner,” because they didn’t trust their own judgment. Over time, our customers really came to trust our advice because we believe in honest opinions. It’s all about the long term. Everything we’ve advised them to buy, their partners have liked. We’re like partner-approved retailers.
Mark Cho: I couldn’t agree more. It’s always about how to guide men, how to be pragmatic. Those are good retail tenets. People want to be comfortable; they want to figure out what they need to wear – because, like you said, it’s the way the world sees you. They see your clothes before they hear your voice so you have to look how you want the world to see you.
You don’t have to oversell or change everything every season. People don’t change that fast, which is why we’ve had customers for 15 years. They enjoy our way of looking at clothes, and it suits them.
MK: What’s the age bracket of your clients, Mark? Ours is roughly 35 to 55, but the big spenders are probably 55 to 65. I usually say I am my customer, but this wasn’t always the case. When I was in my 20s, I was much more experimental: I shaved my hair off; went platinum blonde; went through a sort of hippie phase that maybe lasted for two months. I tried it all. My style now is very similar to how I dressed as a teenager.
MC: Our demographic has probably aged upwards along with our customers; we have a lot of who’ve been there for so long. We focus on serving the customer that we grew up with, rather than adjusting the business to draw in a new client.
We do get young guys, though, figuring out what the hell they should wear. How does this whole ‘getting dressed’ work? We get more cultural differences in New York, actually. We don’t get it so much here in Hong Kong. If you’re wealthy enough as a young person, you’ve probably got some of your parents’ money to buy clothing. Whereas in New York, I think young people who are well-paid and professional want to start building their wardrobe with us.
As well as selling many unexpected and interesting brands, you both have a custom component to what you offer.
MC: The nice thing about having the custom programme is that you can really dig into the nuances of the fabric and how that’s important and appropriate for your wardrobe. I like the idea of having certain clothing for certain occasions. Something that’s so versatile you could wear year-round isn’t really for me. I like having a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe. Within those wardrobes, I prefer having certain types of clothing for particular occasions. If you have a special occasion and special clothes for that occasion, it makes it feel more memorable, more important to you.
MK: When we started we didn’t do it because I thought, “We’re in London, several brands do custom very well.” But over time I think the business developed; now it’s a small but growing part of our business. It has always been more for people like me – with very long arms, normal sizes just don’t fit me.
What gives you the most satisfaction?
MK: Satisfaction for me is always just seeing the customer reactions, seeing them really find themselves and feel confident in how they want to dress. You can see it in their eyes, their body language, and posture. That gives me joy.
MC: I agree. You meet fantastic customers, and you feel grateful to them, and they’re grateful to you. That kind of makes the whole thing worth it. I think for both of our businesses, customers are kind of self selected. We don’t get that many bozos walking in here.
I’ll add one more thing: the watch collabs we’ve done is something that I’m quite proud of. Watch development projects are pretty long: two, three years. Watches have very specific aesthetics, brands have very specific design languages, and the fact that they let me mess around with that, and we then make something that was very representative of both partners, is a wonderful thing.
Finally, is there a typical Trunk man? Or Armoury man?
MK: It’s people with a global mindset, they travel, they’re generally well educated, they care about things, they’re curious, they’re good people.
MC: Speaking of attracting good people, you’ve had a lot of staff for a long time.
MK: Yes. I wonder, maybe I’m too good to them! I have several that have been with me over ten years.
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MC: And it’s important to have customers who don’t burn your staff out too, because you can really only take on so many bozos…!
trunkclothiers.com thearmoury.com