Rajani Bespoke is a luxury clothing brand specializing in bespoke and custom garments for men and women. The company does not believe in the practice of made-to-measure. Everything from the fabrics, piping, lapel style, and fit, is designed for each individual client they serve. Despite the lavish and luxuriousness of their one-of-a-kind suits, their promise is to offer quality pieces at affordable rates. Their suits range from approximately $2,000 and can exceed $10,000, if a special or very exclusive fabric is chosen.
Rajani Bespoke recently announced its move from New Westminster, BC to Vancouver’s Downtown Core. The company launched in May 2023 and is led by former high-level real estate executive Zahir Rajani. Zahir Rajani left his posts at large North American real estate corporations to follow his passion and revisit his family roots in the world of luxury fashion.
The company has forged relationships with some of the world’s top fabric mills and uses fabrics typically found only on Saville Row in London and Milano, Italy. Some of these fabric mills include Zegna, Loro Piana, Dormeuil, Scabal, Holland & Sherry, and Fox Brothers. As a result, Rajani Bespoke has become a highly coveted brand in Canada over a short period of time. It has also made its entrance into the US market.
Creative Director and Founder Zahir Rajani sat down with me to share details about his journey, recent move and trip to Pitti Uomo in Italy, and the company’s future plans.
Launching A Bespoke Fashion Company
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): How does a high-level real-estate executive leave the corporate world to launch a bespoke fashion company? What was it like to pull the trigger? Tell us about the journey and your background.
Rajani Bespoke (Zahir): My early years were instrumental to my career. It’s safe to say my upbringing is the true catalyst for Rajani Bespoke. Little did I know back then that the countless days spent at my parents’ clothing store, which they opened in 1984, and trips overseas with my grandfather, who was a highly respected tailor, would come full circle and lead me, decades later, to launching Rajani Bespoke.
Unfortunately, my parents closed the family business in 2010. However, having been immersed in the fashion world so early on, it became a part of my identity. It wasn’t until later in my corporate real estate career that I had the idea to branch off and create something of my own.
Looking back, it all makes sense. Early on, I was very intrigued by the particulars of fashion design and the specifics of tailoring. The nuances and details of each garment, the handwork, and so on.
Prior to realizing that the world of luxury fashion is where I belonged, I spent nearly two decades in corporate real estate, including time as Director of Leasing Operations at Redstone and Senior VP of commercial property at the Onni Group of Companies. I played a lead role in extremely high-level, and global, contract negotiations and was responsible for over nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in annual revenue. I loved this industry and still do. I had great success during my time in it, but ultimately, I knew I wanted to get back into the world of fashion.
I hit a point in my career where my excitement was starting to wane. It was during this period that I started to feel a pull for something new. I really felt an inner shift, and from this place, the idea for Rajani Bespoke came about. Immediately an excitement built inside me, and I simply knew that I needed to pursue this path.
The 360-degree turnaround that’s taken place both internally and externally since realizing my true path is what’s propelled our growth. After several months of R&D and meeting with fabric mills and suppliers around the world, I decided to re-open the family business and rebrand it as Rajani Bespoke. This decision gave me a new purpose that stemmed from my roots and had sentimental value. I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
I’m so thrilled with how far we’ve come in the last year. Our move from New Westminster to Vancouver’s Downtown core is a testament to our business model, which I believe is unique and really differentiates us from the other bespoke garment companies out there.
Moving To Vancouver
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): Congratulations on your move to Downtown Vancouver! What does this move for mean for the company and where will your atelier be located? Are most of your customers in Vancouver?
Rajani Bespoke (Zahir): We’ve had great success operating out of New Westminster, but due to the immense growth we are experiencing, our need to scale has come. As we continue to establish our brand and grow our client base, having a location in the heart of Vancouver has become very important for us. I expect this step to act as a catalyst for future growth as we become a household brand in Vancouver. I’m very proud of this milestone, and we, as a company, are excited to see how our second year of operations plays out. While this is something I had expected for the business in the future, making this move after only our first year in business makes me proud of what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.
Our atelier is now situated on West Pender Street (at Homer Street) and we’re looking forward to being in the heart of downtown, where a good majority of our client base is located.
Since Rajani Bespoke is based in Vancouver, Vancouver’s lower mainland is our primary market. However, we serve clients all across North America. We intend to continue expanding into key cities across the US and Canada as there is a tremendous demand for quality custom garments and a broader market we wish to be more a part of.
I’m also continuously making appearances globally at fashion events and hosting trunk shows. Most recently, this past June, we attended Pitti Uomo, which is the world’s largest conference for men’s fashion in Florence, Italy. These events help us strengthen ties with customers, partners, fabric mills and keep us well-connected to the industry as a whole. It’s incredible to be able to be among 20,000 other sartorialists and colleagues from the industry in one city, and, oftentimes, in the same space all together.
Future Brand Plans
Pulse 2.0 (Amit): What can expect to see from the brand over the next year?
Rajani Bespoke (Zahir): We believe that we offer the best when it comes to custom and bespoke suiting in Vancouver. There’s no suit that fits like a Rajani Bespoke suit, and having said that, it’s especially important for us to continue to ensure that what we currently have is indeed the absolute best that you can find. We’re working on increasing our collections and offerings, which consist of new designs, patterns, and styles. Then, we are looking at adding to our collection of fabrics. We have a new shipment of fabric samples coming in from England and Italy for our relocation, and we’re excited to share them with our clients. We are also working on some collaborations that should bring a new and exclusive element of suiting and the custom suiting experience to the Vancouver market. Lastly, more trunk shows, more traveling to our customers around the world, and general growth. We’re excited to continue to grow our brand here in Vancouver, Canada and around the world… There’s still lots more to come, we’re just getting started!
