York menswear store Master Debonair has tweed suits and velvet jackets for dapper chaps

It all began after November 2015, when founder Simon Whitaker lost his father, Bob, and wanted to look his best for the funeral. “My dad always dressed really well,” says Simon, 51. “I wanted something different and stylish to go with my black suit – a tie pin, lapel pin, or pocket square – but I couldn’t find anything in Newcastle I liked. Afterwards, I bought some samples of accessories in, and started building a website, and Master Debonair was born. Dad would be the biggest brand ambassador. He would think it was amazing and unbelievable. He’s still a huge influence.

“I listen to podcasts and read books by founders of businesses and a lot of the time there is some form of trigger that gets them started.”

Simon explains that after studying for an engineering degree, he worked as a process engineer but then moved into sales and marketing aged 29, which gave him a good background to draw on. In February 2016, three months after launching the website, Master Debonair (MD) had a good social media following. “I was just sharing inspiration about looks that I liked.”

He went to a trade show in Birmingham and found shoe, shirt and suit brands. “I had a particular style I loved and still do. It’s that gentleman’s look with a contrasting waistcoat to the blazer, quite tweedy.

“In my last sales job I’d wear the likes of tweed blazers and waistcoats with a pair of chinos or jeans. I really liked Barker shoes in tan leather with a blue suede insert.

“Back then I was very smartly dressed in a very formal environment where my colleagues wore grey suits, but they liked how I dressed. Covid has changed that office environment hugely, so it is often more casual. The look now in the City of London is very different.”

Simon was fulfilling online orders, but it was when people started asking whether there was a shop that he realised it was time to open one. “I literally invited people round to the house for a suit fitting in my dining room in East Boldon [near Sunderland], before we opened the first shop in the village, now the flagship store. I’d never even worked in a shop as I went straight into an apprenticeship when I was 16.”

In July 2023, he opened Master Debonair in Lendal, York. Beating a path to the door are people across generations as MD specialises in outfits for occasions, such as weddings, proms, graduations, balls, award ceremonies and race meetings. There are also casual chinos and jeans that can be dressed up with blazers and shirts for everyday wear.

“We approach peak season in January for wedding parties coming in, which is always a happy occasion,” says Simon. MD stocks matching boys’ suits for the children in the party, too.

Smart business attire has not been abandoned and MD has launched an office uniform service. “Over the years we have worked with many hotels, restaurants, bars and even offices on outfits but now we have packaged this as a service,” adds Simon.

Master Debonair has always been more about the look than stocking well-known brands that other high street retailers sell. It costs typically around £280 for a three-piece suit. “We have our own in-house tailors so you can buy your suit off-the-peg, and have it tailored so that it fits perfectly. We have a one-to-one personal styling service with appointments out of hours. A lot of men struggle with their style sometimes and their partners are a big influence on what they wear. We have female sales staff as well as male, as they can offer a different point of view. I think it can be less intimidating sometimes to have a woman to advise and help.”

A concierge service will visit homes. “We did this recently with Paul Collingwood, the ex- England cricket captain, and gave him the black-tie look, but with a contrasting navy velvet dinner jacket. Our stylist looked at several outfits at his home. He’s a great ambassador for us.”

Another service is custom tailoring, rather than tailoring off-the-peg suits. “You can literally choose your design, fabric, buttons, finishes. You can spend up to £1,500 on a suit you have designed yourself. Women have used this service too for their own outfits – we can tailor down for any size.”

Although tweeds are often stocked only for the winter by some retailers, tweed fabrics are his biggest sellers all-year round. Popular colours are beige, olive, tan and brown. “We are about to launch our own brand suits, so we have gone very sharp with these in clean, light fabrics, with wider lapels and saddle stitching. We are seeing more dinner jackets and tuxes for weddings – overall sharper suits.”

Yet another launch for the new year is wedding suit hire. “Although we always advise groomsmen how they can wear their outfits after the weddings, we know some guys won’t to do that.” Hire is around £150.

Footwear has had a makeover too with brogues and boots sporting floral or tweed panels or tattooed colour, alongside more traditional and formal dress shoes. Coats, hats, ties, socks and gloves have been curated to complete and complement outfits.

“Where I get the most enjoyment is seeing how confident guys can be once they get a great outfit and how it makes them feel,” adds Simon. “I’ve seen people walk in with their heads down and once they have been styled, they are a different person. We’ve been told that we change lives.”

Master Debonair at Lendal, York, and East Boldon are open Tuesday to Sundays and orders are taken online too at masterdebonair.co.