It was the night of the RREC event at the royal Kensington Palace in London, 9th December, 2016. We had a steady flow of guests passing by, observing and praising the vibrant smoking jacket that we created for the event.
One guest was particularly amused by the masterpiece that we created. So much so that he decided to put us to a test with a fruitful end. Jon Olafur Magnusson is a professional adventurer. He will take you on an expedition to the best locations in Iceland, Greenland, North Pole and Antartica. He put us an offer on the table –
You have 4 days. Four days to create a suit for me which I could wear even if I chose to fly to New York for a meeting the day after Antartica. Do you accept?
Challenge accepted. Here at WAEL. we have never really said no to any challenge that has been put forward to us. What’s the worst that could happen?
Within minutes we started to take measurements of Jon on a crumpled piece of paper, which to our surprise really pleased Jon. I guess it was in it’s rawest form. Once completed, we shook hands and later that evening exchanged delivery details.
Early next morning I made the important phone call to Anil our master tailor. Sending him a snap of the measurements via WhatsApp and obtaining photos of the available fabric options too, we made the decision within 45 minutes and work began on Jon’s suit.
The decision was to complete the elementary requirements of the suit (top pocket, flap pockets on both fronts, including the lapels as well as basic construction of the sleeves). The rest was to be completed after Wael arrived in Dubai early next morning on the 11th.
After landing, we added the final touches of the suit (top collar of the suit + finer details on sleeves and inside jacket). By about 7pm on the 12th of December we had the suit ready however we also realised that we needed to have a UAE flag and a flag with the WAEL. logo to represent our Country and Company at one of the worlds most uninhabited places, the South Pole.
One way or another at the very last time before the couriers would accept a package (roughly 8:30pm on the 13th of December), we succeeded in sending off the delivery. It was a joyous moment and one that promises to be very fruitful as it arrived well in time for Jon to pack it with him and take it to the South Pole in Antartica.
It is an honour that he will be celebrating New Years Eve of 2016 wearing our suit and we are longing to see the pictures he has promised for us.
An achievement that will go down in history with us. Perhaps one of the first ever suits to be worn at the South Pole custom made by tailors in Dubai.
