Ascot Chang Co. Ltd., Deputy General Manager Justin Chang and General Manager Lincoln Chang affirmed their family patriarch's statement by sharing how important establishing rapport is to them. "Extremely important," Justin said. "Because I think in this business, it’s really not about what we design but about what the customer wants. First you must understand the customer, ask what are their needs so then we can give the right recommendations. The customer must also trust us to be able to give the right recommendations and also to take care of them because it’s a full-circle service."

Ascot Chang began his shirt making company at age 26, visiting customers at their offices door-to-door, and working deep into the night to turn his measurements into one of a kind creations. Mr. Chang began mastering the craft of bespoke tailoring at 14, after leaving his small Chinese farming village to apprentice under a custom shirt maker in Shanghai, then home to some of the world’s best tailors. He moved to Hong Kong twelve years later, with the equivalent of $10 American dollars and the dream of starting his own custom shirt making company. He established a loyal following through his hard work and constant pursuit of excellence, allowing him to open the first Ascot Chang store on Kimberley Road in 1953. He soon opened three more stores in Hong Kong, in the Peninsula Hotel, the Regent Hotel and Princes Building, servicing tens of thousands of devoted customers from across the globe. 

Justin explained that the first few minutes with the client is really crucial in establishing a relationship. "When clients walks into the boutique, we try to start a conversation by asking 'how can we help you today?' 'Is there anything you need?' Maybe one or two things in general and then we start to dig in deeper." Lincoln continued, "We ask questions like 'where do you need it for? Travel? Work? Which fabric do you like and you're comfortable with?' Then we find fabrics and patterns appopriate for them. If we rush things, we won't do things right."

Today, the family-run business continues to provide the same excellence in service and quality espoused by its founder, maintaining the impeccable heritage of traditional Shanghai tailoring while allowing for a contemporary edge. Distinctive, personalized expertise guarantees that every detail is carefully selected and fitted specifically for the wearer, then perfectly cut and crafted in Hong Kong. Single needle French seams, handpicked Australian mother-of-pearl buttons and 22 stitches per inch ensure durability and style, while an exclusive selection of over 4,500 of the world’s finest fabrics, including designs by Alumo, Thomas Mason, Loro Piana, Albini and Monti provides unique, luxurious options for the sophisticated, self-assured customer.

For the man who demands the same Ascot Chang craftsmanship and style from head to toe, the line has expanded to include an assortment of high quality, pure silk ties, lush cashmere sweaters in striking colors, elegant scarves, braces, socks, cufflinks and more. Shirts and suits are made in business, casual or formal styles, and all shirts, suits, robes, boxer shorts and handkerchiefs are available either ready or custom-made with the option of customized monogramming.

Ascot Chang gives reasons to men around the world to look effortlessly refined, no matter the time of day, no matter the occasion.

What’s new with Ascot Chang this year?
We have a few new products. We don’t necessarily do seasonal collections. Mainly because our customers are more classic. But we have new products for example, the safari jacket. It’s a good casual option which people can wear while travelling as its pockets are quite functional.

Speaking of travelling, give us some tips on what kinds of suit could be best worn when going outdoors, or to the office
I think for suits, we always recommend navy suits maybe with a fabric that’s a bit more high twist. This is for travel, but it works for corporate as well—that’s the beauty of it. Can be smooth but not in your traditional silky sense. It breathes better and has a bit of a natural stretch so when you move, there is more ‘give’ rather than in a rigid suit. You would also want a fabric that with a tight twist, generally with less sheen (reflection with light). So when you travel and you bring with just this navy suit, you can wear the same jacket with many other pants. If you have a fabric that is more shiny, it doesn’t go well with jeans. And it also goes well with any climate or weather.

For office wear, it really depends on your office standards. If in general, you’re a managing director type of role, you definitely should be following the standards. We always recommend dark grays, white shirt, simple pattern tie. Nothing that stands up to look more professional. Clean, nothing too slim. We tried telling our younger customers to have slimmer suits as that is the trend right now. But if they are working on a bank, they would want it to be slightly loose as they do not want to look too fashionable.

What are the common mistakes when it comes to wearing suits?
Biggest mistake nowadays is to have your suit too tight. When it is too tight, it looks more like a fashion suit, not like a business suit. When you want to wear a business suit, you want it more simple, don’t mix in too many patterns, just stick with the basics. Make sure you have about a quarter inch of shirt showing, half inch to three inches showing the collar shirt at the back. The length should cover your bottom. And standard lapel… make sure it’s not too slim, not too wide, about three and a quarter inches.

How do you take care an Ascot Chang suit?
We would always say, don’t throw it to the washing machine. Ever (laughs). Because otherwise, that’s it for the suit. There’s nothing we can do. Another thing, dry clean every twice of the year. Don’t dry clean after every use because dry cleaning actually uses a lot of chemicals that are not very good for the fabric. If it’s losing its shape a bit, maybe you have to bring it to the cleaners and press it. Don’t use the steam, use the iron press. For shirts for example after maybe a year, when their shirts’ collar start to wear, then we can replace the collars for a small fee. If we have that kind of fabric, we can replace it for resewing. If you rip the sleeves, we can replace the sleeves.

Does your brand follow fashion trends?
We have to because we need to be able to recommend to our customers. We can also try to go in the middle if the customer doesn’t want something trendy. 

What can spruce up one’s suit?
Pocket squares. They make a big difference. The suit becomes casual from corporate when you remove it. 

What are your style tips when pairing neckties and other accessories
Try not to have more than two patterns. For example, I have this stripe shirt and this floral pattern, so pocket square I keep it simple. Same with here, solid jacket and pants, and then pattern in the tie. Too many patterns make it look too busy. Secondly, in mixing patterns, you might want to have a different scale. In this shirt the stripe is closer together while in this necktie with paisley a bigger pattern. Lapel pin is nice but we always say that it’s for more formal occasions. Tie pins, always nice. Cufflinks, I personally find it more on the fussy side, like it takes more time in the morning to wear it. If you like to wear, make sure that the suit cuff is wide enough. If it gets stuck, it doesn’t look good. If you’re wearing a lot of accessories with eccentirc styles, it might look a bit too much. 

What are the legacies of your grandfather you would like to continue? And how would you like Ascot Chang to continue in the future?
I think number one, preserve and maybe improve the production processes. To make sure that we are consistently putting out really high quality products, there are three rules that we follow: the quality has to be the best, customer is always right, and products have to be satisfaction guaranteed.