February 7, 2022
Meet Robert Barakett, owner and designer of his eponymous menswear collection, and discover how he became a men's fashion designer and where he finds inspiration.
What’s your favorite part of the business?
“I love the whole design process. I realize I’m not looking for a cure for cancer, but I like looking at fabric swatches, choosing colors, and designing the fabric and the garment. I get a kick out of seeing something I’ve put into work come together. Then a few months later you get a sample back and sometimes it’s not what you expect, sometimes it is and sometimes it exceeds your expectations.”
Who are your influences?
“Armani for his simple styles and second to none fabrics and subtle coloration and designs.”
What type of man are you designing for?
“He’s reasonably affluent to pay for a premium product, confident and discerning. He’s able to recognize the value of the product for himself, it’s not the ad that will sway him or the billboard or whatever, he can see it for himself. He knows he’ll look good and feel good and that’s more important to him than being noticed two blocks away.”
Are you living a dream?
“Yes absolutely. I realize now how very lucky I am that I stumbled on it. It was a total fluke. I visited a Concordia University classmate’s family clothing manufacturing business while I was studying at the time in finance and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. That one glimpse changed everything. I wouldn’t have known or gone in this direction at all. Seeing the whole garment fabrication process from the raw materials to the finished product really interested me. I was drawn by the aesthetics, the hand feels, everything about the industry just resonated with me.”
What did your family think at the time going from finance to fashion?
“They thought I was crazy. Anybody who was in the garment industry said the last thing you want to do is get into the garment industry. It’s a tough business but fortunately it’s worked out for me.”