GEOFF
The Refiner
“Suiting should be as cool and comfortable, as it is refined.”
Statement
“Restraint in pursuit of refinement is not a denial of expression, rather a disciplined manipulation of line, space, texture and color, creating and balancing aesthetic and functional composition using beautiful fabric as my medium and canvas, shaped and tailored into a clean silhouette with form and flow, designed to be “archt” I call suiting. Cleanliness is next to Godliness; refinement is spiritual, aesthetically speaking.”
Story
Geoff Duran’s first summer job was selling suits, displaying his natural instinct for color coordination and feel for fabric. After graduating with degrees in Advertising and Fine Art, and launching a T-shirt brand, Geoff turned his passion for creativity into a fashion career. Returning to retail as a stylist, it was under the mentorship of Master Tailor & Designer, Vito Chiechi, that he earned his tape measure, and began to articulate his attitude toward men’s suiting.
Not always able to find the fit and fabric he meticulously imagined, in 2005 Geoff launched GEOFF DURAN Custom Clothing to design suiting men couldn’t find in stores. Designing for executives and entertainers, Geoff observed first-hand the shared and persistent gap in how men dressed- either traditionally in a suit & tie or comfortably in leisurewear. His desire to solve this overdressed-underdressed conundrum led him to redefine appropriateness with an unconventional, unlimited, tieless point of view.
In 2018, guided by the premise that every dude needs a white formal shirt that doesn’t require a tie, Geoff introduced his iconic M5K™ (Mandarin 5000) All-White Series. This was more than turning a wardrobe staple into a statement of refined cool, it was a social protest and the foundation for Geoff delivering sartorial freedom. To complete his informal-formal look, Geoff designed the METROPOLIS cardigan blazer and HOLLYWOOD HIPSTER™ pant to pair with his M5K™ shirt, calling the ensemble, The Luxury Trio. His single objective- create the “best feeling, most versatile suiting that solves the cognitive dissonance between conformity and individuality.
Influenced by hip-hop and modern dandyism, Geoff wrote his manifesto, “No Ties with the Suits”, as an ode to replacing neck-ties with sneakers, and a literal severance of ties with “the suits”, gaining the following of modern executives with a spirit of tailored rebellion. Torn between his belief in dress codes and advocacy for sartorial freedom, Geoff, through his artistic vision and meticulous innovation designed the multi-style freestyle suiting concept, owning the position of hip luxury tailoring, refining the culture of cool.