Naples · October 2026
Modello Bespoke at the Trofeo Arbiter
In October, Modello Bespoke was invited to compete in Naples. Here's what we made, and what we brought home.
In October, Modello Bespoke was one of 24 tailoring houses invited to the sixth Milano su Misura, Trofeo Arbiter. The competition is run by Arbiter, Italy's first magazine dedicated to men's style. Six were Italian and eighteen came from abroad. We were the only one from Canada.
Arbiter was founded in 1935 and takes its name from Petronius Arbiter, the judge of elegance at Nero's court. For nearly a century it has championed Italian tailoring, so an invitation from them carries real weight.
Every place in the competition comes by invitation. For a business I started in 2013 by driving to clients' homes after my 9 to 5, fabric swatches on the passenger seat, that invitation meant a great deal.
The competition began in Milan. This year it moved to Naples for the first time, a city with one of the deepest tailoring traditions in the world. It felt like walking into the home of the craft.
The themeThe brief
Everyone works to the same theme. In 2027, Naples will host the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sailing. So this year's brief was Style on Board and Dockside: the clothes men have worn on boats and along the harbour, and the naval dress that shaped so much of classic menswear.
The brief asks each tailor to choose a cloth and a silhouette that answer the theme, then build one complete look around them.
The lookWhat we made
We kept the outside simple. A six-by-two double-breasted jacket in a deep sea-blue herringbone, with a spalla camicia (the soft Neapolitan shoulder) and no padding, wide peak lapels, a barchetta chest pocket, patch pockets and mother-of-pearl buttons. Inside, a half lining in steel blue.
This garment is crafted with Summertime fabric made in Italy by Loro Piana. The cloth is a 240g blend of wool, silk and linen, light enough for warm days by the water.
The trousers are a heavy 500g ivory linen, cut high with double forward pleats, an extended waistband with side adjusters, and 2-inch turn-ups.
The idea was a jacket you could wear stepping off a boat in the Bay of Naples. Clean lines, nothing forced, and a palette taken from the sea.
A brief about the water, answered with the water I come from.
The one detail you can't see from the outside sits on the lining: a one-of-one embroidered label of the five rivers of Punjab. Four are stitched in charcoal. The fifth, in saffron, is the Sutlej, the river closest to where my family comes from, carried unbroken from its source to the sea.
FridayDay one: the jury
The first morning, each of us dressed our look on a mannequin in the halls of Villa Doria d'Angri. Then came the part every tailor in the room was thinking about: the jury.
The panel included some of the most respected names in Italian tailoring, among them Massimiliano Attolini and Luca Rubinacci. They moved slowly through the room, and when they reached ours, they picked the jacket up and looked it over properly. Having people whose work I've studied for years examine something we made is a feeling I won't forget.
Later that day, I spoke with TG2, Italy's national RAI news, about Modello Bespoke and what brought us from Vancouver to Naples.
That evening, the tailors gathered for a welcome dinner at a historic private villa above the Bay of Naples. By the end of the night, a room full of strangers felt a lot smaller.
SaturdayDay two: the runway
On the second day, the looks came off the mannequins and we wore them. One by one, we walked down the steps of Villa Doria d'Angri while an announcer introduced each of us to the jury and guests, sharing who we are and the story behind our piece.
It was a proud moment to represent Vancouver, Canada and my Punjabi heritage on that stage.
Saturday nightThe gala
The weekend closed with a black-tie dinner at the Circolo Nazionale dell'Unione. Each of the 24 tailors was named an Arbiter ambassador and given a medal.
The top prize went to Javin of Common Suits in Singapore. We'd first met at Pitti Uomo in June, and seeing him lift that trophy, close to tears, was the best moment of the weekend. A Golden Needle award, chosen by a junior jury, went to a young Italian tailor.
After NaplesWhat we brought home
The medal is a nice thing to hold. What matters more is the people. Tailors from across Europe, Asia and the Americas who started the week as names on a list and ended it as friends.
I went to Naples proud of what we've built. I came home with a clearer sense of how much further we can take it.
Every Modello Bespoke garment starts with a pattern drafted from scratch for one person. Two days among people who share that obsession raised the bar for our own work, and that's what I'm carrying forward.
Thank you to Arbiter for having us, and to every tailor who made a newcomer feel welcome.
