Essentials: Rav Matharu of Clothsurgeon

Following a short yet noble career as a professional footballer, Rav Matharu decided to take his passion for fashion and turn it into a calling. He enrolled in the Leeds College of Art and Design where he eventually graduated with a First Class Honours degree in BA Fashion and Technology. His post academia life landed him at bespoke streetwear brand House of Billiam where he immediately became Head Designer for the emerging clothier. Spending nearly four years with the London-based label, Rav was able to quickly develop his tailoring skills as well as gain a clearer understanding of the fashion industry and its inner workings. After this stint at Billiam, Rav took on the alter ego of Clothsurgeon and launched a brand under the same moniker. The 30-year-old designer defines Clothsurgeon as a “couture practitioner qualified to perform surgical like skills on cloth.” His focus on quality-sourced fabrics and UK-made clothing allows him to blur the slowly disappearing boundary that theoretically separates streetwear and high-end menswear. This, combined with his loves for vintage Americana and a ‘less is more’ approach has pushed the London couturier to produce chic garments for the modern man — garments that are both unique and suitable to the client’s needs and personality. Since his brand’s inception in early 2012, his bespoke clients already include some of hip-hop’s brightest young stars, such as A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean.

Taking time to link with the HYPEBEAST team to advance our Essentials series, Clothsurgeon lays out a few tools that are necessary to his trade as well as some personal must-haves for us all to gawk over. There are some obvious essentials in this assortment such as the Pattern Master, measuring tape, a scalpel, scissors, tailor’s chalk, and a pencil. Amongst this all are the books Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and Dieter Rams’ Less and More, both of which supplied inspiration for the neo-street tailor’s SS13 collection. In addition to a slew of luxury gems, Clothsurgeon also totes a few namesake goods that can be purchased through our webstore. Props to the swag doctor for what many will appreciate as a true display of Essentials.