Zane Barläs may have started his career as a finance professional at a Toronto mutual funds company, but his passion for suiting has brought him from Bay Street to the runway. Today, the Saudi Arabia-born and Toronto-based designer is exclusively focused on his love of sumptuous fabrics and flawless tailoring.

Real Style chatted with Barläs backstage at Toronto Men’s Fashion Week, where the business-minded and sharply dressed style setter shared his views on fashion. Barläs spoke to us about his favourite materials, his love of the classic pocket square and his label’s latest tech-savvy venture.

Real Style: What are your thoughts on your new menswear collection being embraced by women, for an androgynous look?

Zane: In the intro video that we used, there was a girl wearing our clothing. I haven’t really focused on that yet, but it’s definitely doable. I think it looks fantastic.

Real Style: What inspired you to pursue fashion as a career?

Zane: I’ve always been into the whole fashion scene. I started off in the financial industry, I was a banker. I’ve always worn custom made suits, and I’ve always had that tailor who has worked for me. The difficult part was to create a viable business out of it. We were able to attack that challenge.

Real Style: Do you have a favourite fabric that you like to work with?

Zane: I think wool is the most versatile one, because it adapts to all temperatures. This season, I’ve loved working with wool-silk linen. It’s a beautiful blend.

Real Style: What are some of the biggest challenges of being an emerging Canadian designer?

Zane: In Toronto, there is a bit of a challenge because the market is not as big as the U.S. I’m a little different from your standard Toronto-based designer, because I have a website, so I market globally. A lot of my clients are from the Middle East as well. I do quite a bit of trunk shows all around the world.

Real Style: How did you develop an international following for your label?

Zane: All my family lives back home. When I go travel, I arrange a trunk show. I have a PR over there, I have a PR over here. We’re interconnected, and it just works out.

Real Style: How can women adopt menswear pieces and accessories (like the tie) for Fall 2016?

Zane: At our last show, at first we decided to give ties to our guests. I later changed it to pocket squares, because I thought women in the front row would be able to tie them on their purses. For womenswear, you can definitely wear silk. There’s even wool, you can make a nice jacket out of it. I’ve made a few for my mom.

Real Style: Which upcoming fashion initiatives are you working on next?

Zane: My next project that we are working on is more geared toward technology, the way that people order our suits, because we are custom made. I want to focus more on the way that people place their orders, whether it’s online or through an app. We’re working on an app that will measure the customer using the front-facing camera.

Photo 1: Zane Barläs

Photo 2: Che Rosales