铺沥青的机器:男人要有品位 不要赶时髦 Drakes Co-Founder: 'Men Should Be Stylish, Not Fashionable'

Drakes London
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977年，当迈克尔•德雷克（Michael Drake）与两个合伙人成立Drakes London时，它还仅仅是一家简陋的围巾制作批发企业。
但是现在，这家公司已经成为英国最大的男士领带独立生产商。该公司为川久保玲（Comme Des Garcons）、J. Crew等时尚品牌生产领带，同时还通过自己的网站和最近在伦敦萨维尔街（Savile Row）附近开设的实体店铺销售领带。
德雷克本人是通过英国知名奢侈品企业雅格狮丹（Aquascutum）进入这一行的，去年，他以一个未公开的价格将公司卖给了香港男装零售商Armoury。他带出来的团队依然保留着，但是他本人的任职合同到7月底就到期了。
Drakes London
迈克尔•德雷克
德雷克在伦敦的家里接受了《华尔街日报》的采访，谈及了淡紫色袜子、男士的衣着品位以及他本人未来的计划。
我的第一个雇主是雅格狮丹。当时，我是他们的管理培训生，被安排参加一个老派的培训课程，周六到各家店铺和伦敦城外的工厂工作。在为期几个月的时间里，我学习了出口销售和面料的相关知识，拿到了很多订单。现在，这（种培训）实际上已经不再搞了。
目前，领带越来越成为人们无需必须佩戴的东西。当你必须佩戴的时候，其实你内心里就会有抵触了。但是，在我们经营的这个领域里，销售还是不错的。我曾看到有人以95英镑（约155美元）一条的价格一次性地从我们的网上店铺买走13条领带。
我们一直是私人控股的。（在设计方案方面）我有最后拍板的权力。即使方案能赚钱，但是如果我不想做，我就会把它否决掉。我一直尽力坚持高标准，如果做不好，我就不去做。在这方面，我是很不好说话的。
我不喜欢看上去有光泽的材料。我喜欢那些看起来旧旧的、比较柔软的手工做出来的东西。机器做出来的东西平整单调，而手工做出来的东西是立体的、鲜活的。你肯定不想让自己看上去像是刚从那不勒斯的船上下来的。不管怎么说，那里的上流人士可都在竭力效仿英国的穿着风格。
对于男人来说，时尚是小孩子们的事情。我一直认为，查尔斯王子（Prince Charles）是一个穿衣服很有品位的人。很多英国人认为他太过老派，但我的意大利朋友们赞同我的看法。男人应该有品位，但不应赶时髦。
我只有一双真皮皮鞋，其他都是绒面革材质的。我经常穿紫色袜子，这有点与众不同。我喜欢用没有花纹但很精致的淡紫色袜子来搭配淡紫色的羊绒衫。这没有什么复杂的原因，只是因为好看。
拉尔夫•劳伦（Ralph Lauren）是一个很有才华的人。大部分服装广告都是由设计师设计的，深谙搭配之道的人可以从中挑出错来。但是在拉尔夫•劳伦的广告当中，翻领、袖扣和领带的搭配是那么地完美。很高兴能看到有人没有忽视所有这些细节。我很佩服他。
我喜欢巴黎。在我创业之初，曾经想，要是能让一款产品在巴黎或米兰热卖，那就太理想了。如果你打开了这两个市场，那么就能打开其他任何市场。
那不勒斯有一点点破败的感觉，我很喜欢。但实际上不是这样的。从外表看，那些建筑物看上去就像要塌掉一样，但是走到里面，都是坚实牢固的宫殿。走出大门，跳入游船，45分钟后就可以抵达卡普里岛（Capri）。哦，还有，那里的美食非常不错。
我最喜欢的餐厅之一是圣约翰餐厅（St. John）。这家餐厅就在我的办公室附近。老板费格斯•亨德森（Fergus Henderson）为食客推介了一种简单的用餐理念。如今餐饮界人人都在效仿意式或法式风格。他的餐厅能给你英国的感觉。
实际上，我并没有退休，只是卖掉了公司。我在考虑好几个项目，也许会做一点咨询工作，甚至在某个阶段写一本书。谁也说不好不久的将来会发生什么事。
When Michael Drake started Drakes London with two partners in 1977, it was a humble scarf-making wholesaler.
Today, the company is England's largest independent producer of men's ties. It makes them for fashion brands like Comme Des Garcons and J. Crew, alongside selling them on its website and its recently opened store, which is located just off London's Savile Row.
Last year, Mr. Drake, who learned the trade at British luxury label Aquascutum, sold the company for an undisclosed price to the Armoury, a Hong Kong menswear retailer. The team he trained remains, but his contract expired at the end of July.
Mr. Drake spoke to The Wall Street Journal from his home in London about lilac socks, well-dressed men and his plans for the future.
My first job was with Aquascutum. I was a management trainee and was put through an old-fashioned training course. I worked in the shops on Saturdays and the factory outside London for a few months. I learnt about export sales, fabric and made lots of contacts. This [type of training] doesn't really exist anymore.
Fewer and fewer people are wearing ties because they have to. When you have to, you don't want to. But within our niche area, our business is holding up. I've seen people buying 13 ties at a time from our online store at £95 ($155) a pop.
We've always been privately owned. I'm the one with the final say [over designs]. I've turned down things that might make money if I didn't want to do them. I've tried to keep to a high standard all the time, so if I can't do it, I won't. I'm very fussy and particular.
I don't like the shiny look. I like something that's more worn, softer and handmade. When things are made by machine, they're flat. When they're made by hand, they're three-dimensional. You don't want to look like you just got off the boat from Naples. Anyway, the high-class dressers there want to look English.
For men, fashion is for kids. I always thought Prince Charles was a stylish dresser. Lots of Englishmen think he's old-fashioned, but my Italian friends agree with me. Men should be stylish, not fashionable.
I only have one pair of leather shoes. Everything else is made from suede. I always wear purple socks, which is a bit unusual. I like to match a lilac cashmere sweater with plain but nice lilac socks. It's not rocket science, but it's a look.
Ralph Lauren is very talented. Most advertisements are styled by stylists, so anyone who knows anything can find faults. In Ralph Lauren ads, the lapels, cufflinks and ties are [styled to] perfection. It's great to see someone not overlooking things. I take my hat off to him.
I love Paris. When I first started, I thought that if I could sell a look in Paris and Milan, that'd be ideal. If you can crack those markets, you can succeed anywhere.
I like the fact that Naples is slightly crumbling. But it's not what it seems. Outside, buildings look like they're falling down but inside, they are palaces. When you walk out of the front door, you can hop into a boat and Capri is 45 minutes away. And oh, the food is great.
One of my favorite restaurants is St. John. It's near my office. Fergus Henderson introduced a simple way of eating. Everyone's trying to be Italian or French. With him, you know it's English.
I am not actually retiring. It's just that I have sold the company. I have a few projects in mind, perhaps a bit of consultancy and even a book at some stage. You never know what's around the corner.
Kristiano Ang