How was the sartorial finn born?

Welcome to my first blog post. I thought I’d take some time to write a short introduction about myself and how I ended up in classic menswear. Some of you might already be familiar with my story, others maybe not.

My name is Johan, not Finn as some mistakenly think based on my IG handle @sartorial_finn (The Sartorial Finn). The Finn part of the handle refers to my nationality, I’m Finnish and live in Helsinki, Finland. Also contrary to what many think, I don’t work within the clothing or fashion industry. I work with data and analytics which traditionally is not seen as an industry where people dress in suits and ties. However I have always been interested in style and fashion. My own style used to be much more fashion and trend driven compared to what it is today.

My journey into classic menswear and content creation started late in 2019 when i started my Instagram page @sartorial_finn. But let’s first wind back a couple of months into the early spring of 2019 to get a bit of background as to why I ended up starting an Instagram page.

At the time I was working in a law firm, it’s maybe one of the few remaining industries where many still wear suits on a daily basis, at least in Finland. I always liked the classic look of a well fitting suit paired together with elegant shoes and a nice tie. But I always felt that I’d be a bit out of place if I wore a suit or sport jacket if it was outside of an event that had a dress code. Anyway, at the time I needed a new suit and a friend of mine said I should try Made to Measure (MTM) when getting my next suit.

I didn’t really know what MTM was so I started reading up on the subject and quickly got sucked into the rabbit hole of classic menswear. I was intrigued because I had also been thinking about how I could create a more sustainable wardrobe for myself where my clothes wouldn’t go out of style so quickly. Classic menswear was the answer I thought, as it aims for timeless elegance. This in turn means that I could build a wardrobe consisting of staple pieces that I could wear for years to come.

After a while I decided to try out MTM and booked an appointment to commission a new suit. I won’t go into the details but I made a lot of mistakes with my choices, the fabric had a really bold pattern, the trousers ended up too slim and short and so forth. Also the tailor was not very good, I asked for side tabs, he also put belt loops with the side adjusters, the jacket measurements were no good, the jacket was way too long and too big.

My first MTM suit commissioned in the spring of 2019

My second MTM suit commissioned in the summer of 2019

Rather than becoming discouraged from my not so successful first commission I wanted to try again, address the issues with the first suit and come up with an end result I was happy with. Also when venturing into classic menswear, or fashion for that matter, it takes some time to find your own style and preferences, so from that point of view I thought about this as a journey of learning (a pretty expensive one though).

My next suit was a big improvement over the first one, still some mistakes were made, and the house style of Suitsupply where I got my second MTM suit was too slim for my liking, but as I was still very new to MTM I didn’t have the confidence or enough understanding about measurements to be able to suggest adjustments to the measurements that were recommended to me. However in the end I was quite pleased with the end result at the time. Coming from wearing skinny jeans just a while before jumping into more generously cut trousers and jackets would have been too big of a leap to take and I would most likely have felt uncomfortable.

My third commission was from a Swedish brand called Blugiallo, their house style was very much in line with the styles that inspired me, and with the expert guidance of them the suit became great, and I still have it today, where as the two previous suits I’ve gotten rid of already as they’re too far away from my current preferences.

But back to the story of why I created my IG page. I noticed that on my private IG account I no longer saw the posts of my friends as I’ve started following a lot of menswear account to draw inspiration from. My feed was drowning in suits, jackets, ties, loafers and the lot. Also I was thinking about documenting the outfits I was wearing for myself, so I could look back at which of my outfit combos I liked, and which I didn’t. Hence I started a new IG account for gathering inspiration from others and documenting my own journey.

I didn’t really intend for the account to grow or become anything other than a style diary for myself. Actually in the beginning I didn’t tell anyone about my newly founded IG profile, and I took headless selfies so I would be less recognisable. At some point however my account started growing, and a couple of friends of mine also managed to recognise me based on the furniture in the apartment. At that point I thought I might as well reveal my face.

As I started posting full body images I also wanted to have higher quality images that are visually appealing and look good. I had some background in photography so running my account on IG was a great way to combine two hobbies, photography and classic menswear.

My thirds MTM suit commission in fall of 2019

This single breasted navy suit in Vitale Barberis Canonico traveller wool is a suit I still wear quite frequently. Thanks to the professional advice and service I got at Blugiallo where I commissioned the suit from I got a timeless and very well proportioned suit.

If I had gotten it my way then the suit would have been too slim and I probably would no longer wear it as my style has evolved a lot from what it was when I started exploring classic menswear.

Fast forward into 2023 and I can say that it’s been a fun journey so far. I’ve learned a lot about tailoring, fabrics, proportions, colour and pattern matching. I’ve learned a lot about my own preferences and measurements. I’ve also improved as a photographer and started exploring videography more.

Still the driving force behind my interest for classic menswear is the pursuit of timelessness and sustainability. Being able to have a fixed wardrobe that works well from one season to the other, from one year to the next. Of course occasionally expanding my wardrobe with a new jacket, suit or pair of trousers, but not because my old stuff has gone out of style, rather because the new commissions will compliment my existing wardrobe. And obviously every now and then I might have to replace a shirt when it’s become too worn out.

Now you have some background into how and why the Sartorial Finn was born. I think my blog posts wont be too frequent, maybe a new one every month or every few weeks, just to set the expectations right. My next blog post will most likely be about Pitti Uomo from the perspective of first timer and second timer attending the fair.

Until then, enjoy the summer and for more frequent posts tune into my IG page!