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Off the Cuff Informed by a background in city planning, Magnus & Novus founder Ethan Rye brings an astute perspective to contemporary menswear

For Ethan Rye, founder of Hong Kong-based contemporary menswear brand and winner of Lane Crawford’s The Next New 2016 programme, Magnus & Novus, time-honoured artisanal traditions are the cornerstone of sartorial style. Having turned his back on a career in city planning to follow his passion, Rye placed a strong focus on the preservation and development of skilled artisans with the intention of creating a platform to showcase their expertise. “Our design ethos stems from an enduring pursuit for timelessness. Our aim is to bring the ideals of bespoke traditions in both aesthetic and functional craft to the discerning man’s wardrobe,” he says.

Rye’s design ethos is strongly reflected in his cufflink designs, which hark back to the age of the classic dandy. “The design inspiration for our cufflink collection is reminiscent of fine cufflink jewels that were commonplace in the late 19th or early 20th century: double-sided decoration with timeless sculptured knots, natural stones and pearls.” In Magnus & Novus each piece has shorter links with no moving parts that better accommodate bespoke shirting, and subtle elegant lines that are intended to be worn with both dress or leisure shirts.

Despite leaving the world of city planning behind to launch Magnus & Novus, Rye draws on his former career to help shape his approach to menswear design. “City planning, at its finest, can transcend a city. It is a balancing act of accommodating the needs of an entire community,” he says. “There is never a ‘one size fits all’, but there are fundamentals that we can learn from that will enable a city to flourish. Similarly, we believe there are codes and ideals of the discerning man’s wardrobe. Similar to city planning, our design process is very much a curation of the wardrobe in its entirety from head to toe, through to the finishing touches and finer details such as cufflinks.”

Much as he does with his designs, Rye brings a classic feel to his Christmas celebrations. It is the time of year, he says, that he most often goes to visit his family in England, where he usually enjoys a traditional British Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. “With family you can truly be yourself and feel at ease,” he says.

2016-10-26 00:11:00.0