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Yee-haw!

The ‘Suit of the Week’ honors goes to Brock Melnyk, B.Mgt, CFP, CIM, FCSI. 

Brock is ready to rock the Calgary Stampede in his LGFG FASHION HOUSE, bold and stunning, Rodeo jacket.

Suede accents go wonderfully with the #CalgaryStampede red color, all tied together by the rodeo liner to complete the signature look.

Brock’s Executive Clothier is Aron Klassen.

Summer season is amazing in every way. It is an especially wonderful time of year for weddings. The ‘Suit of the Week’ honors goes to Joris Lemmens (pictured in the middle) looking phenomenal for his special day in his LGFG FASHION HOUSE, Venice line electric blue suit with fine dark blue stripes and double-breasted grey vest accentuated by dark blue stripes. His Executive Clothier is Joris Croenen who is pictured in the photo (on the right – looking at the photo) looking dapper in his three-piece, Tokyo line suit. The third gentleman (on the left) is also wearing his LGFG, Venice line suit. “Wedding suits are my favorite outfit to create. Being part of that special day as the best man is even better. All three suits were designed by LGFG Fashion House, with very personal details on all of them” said Joris Croenen. Who is tying the knot this Summer season? Tag them in the comments.

NORQAIN watches launched in 2018 and is a fully independent, family-owned Swiss watch company located in Nidau (Bienne) in the heart of the Swiss watch industry. Every timepiece is handcrafted with unconditional attention to detail and inspired by the essence of a “NORQAINER”. The essence stands for authenticity, uniqueness and rebellious character trait for those who are not afraid to carve their own path in life. This essence is captured by the unique and distinctive “NORQAIN plate” which is on the left side of the case of all models which can be engraved with a personal message.

The essence of a NORQAINER is precisely what Founder, Ben Küffer built his company on. The 31-year-old has been in the watch industry since he was 19 years of age. Ben’s roots and expertise in the watch industry are intertwined with Swiss watchmaking royalty via experience, family, and connections.

Before founding NORQAIN, Ben worked for over 11 years as a Brand Manager for the legendary watch company, Breitling. From a family perspective of watch influence, Ben’s father, Marc Küffer, has more than 45 years of experience in the manufacturing of Swiss luxury watches. Marc is on the Board of Directors for NORQAIN, having before also been a member of the Board of the Swiss Watch Industry Association for more than 25 years. Shifting to connections, Ben’s ties in the watch industry only deepen as Ted Schneider, the son of the watch legend Théodore Schneider, is also on the NORQAIN Board of Directors. Théodore Schneider is the longtime former owner of Breitling. NORQAIN’s all-star board of directors also includes Mark Streit, a Swiss ice hockey legend and Stanley Cup winner.

The young generation that Ben is a part of is known for drive, passion, entrepreneurial spirit and a forward-thinking mentality. Ben is the epitome of these characteristics and success in this age group. It was in 2018 that Ben knew it was time to bring boldness and flair to reinvigorate and shake up the luxury Swiss watches industry. With his new vision and all-star team, the company set forth to undertake the tall task of earning its place as a top dog in the Swiss watch industry among the Juggernauts.

In its second year, the company is already making waves in the industry. While new and bold, the company stays true and deeply respects the pillars of Swiss watchmaking. This being, reliability, quality, and trust that have earned Swiss watches legendary status throughout all corners of the world.

Ben sat down with Clarence Paller, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Partnerships for LGFG Fashion House to tell his story.

Tell us about NORQAIN watches and what makes it so unique?

We are among the very few remaining family owned Swiss watch companies. Over the years, the industry has been changing rapidly and you will find watch companies packed on the world’s most affluent and well-known shopping streets. With the industry growing the way that it has, companies have ever increasingly become much more financial and involved with financial groups, etc. Thus, taking away from the essence of what fine watchmaking is all about. This leaves very few reputable watch companies remaining who just have that passion for watchmaking.

At NORQAIN, the main things we know are how to do produce and design watches. We have a huge passion for Swiss mechanical watches. I believe that our company is fighting back against the digital watch. We want to increase the emotional value of a mechanical watch, and allow people to personalize the watch. This is definitely something that I believe in.

In terms of product, our NORQAIN plate, which is positioned on the left side of the case allows people to personalize a watch and put essence and meaning into it. When people wear our watches, they carry with them their sentimental message wherever they go.

Describe your line up of watches and what are some special features about the watches in your line up? 

There are three collections, Adventure, Freedom, and Independence which are available for men and women. I worked on the design for each line personally. All lines are exclusively equipped with mechanical automatic movements.

As the Adventure name implies, it is a sports collection. I love sporty watches myself, so it was clear that we had to have a strong sports line up, especially with all the athletes that we are working with. The case of these watches is robust and relatively slim compared to other sports type watches. This is something we were very particular about and worked diligently to achieve and this is what makes these watches really stand out and be unique.

The Freedom collection is inspired by the 1960s.  A lot of thought went into the vintage straps, designed with the unique “NORQAIN stitches”, followed by the box type glass with its origin in the 60s and the reduced dial with hand-applied indexes. At the back of the watch is our logo which is also a Swiss mountain.

The Independence line is a limited-edition watch that we launch every year.

What inspired you to start NORQAIN and how has it grown, now its second year?

I founded NORQAIN in March of 2018. I was working for Breitling before that for 11 years. In April 2017, Breitling was sold to a private equity fund, CVC Capital Partners. I knew at that moment that I wanted to do something family-wise again. My father also had a similar experience. He was on Board of another very famous Swiss watch company, Ulysse Nardin, that also was family owned when that company got sold. We both experienced the same kind of feeling and knew we wanted to stay in the family roots of Swiss watchmaking. From that, NORQAIN was born and we are now in our second year. We had a great entry as we were a part of the NHL all-star game for the 2018/2019 season and made watches for all the players who were a part of that game. That was very good for us. This was made possible by Swiss hockey legend and Stanley Cup Champion, Mark Streit who is on the Board of Directors. He has been helping me a lot to grow the company. Mark and I flew to Toronto in November 2018. We were on a tour to convince partners to team up with us to display our brand for the start in January 2018.  That is when we connected with L’oro Jewelers, which is based in Toronto and they instantly said they would take the branding for three stores in Toronto.

How did you get involved with the NHLPA and end up making 44 watches for all the NHL all-stars for the 2019 All-Star Game?

We had a meeting with the NHLPA, thanks to Mark Streit. At the time there was actually nothing actually on the agenda but the meeting turned out great. Chris Campoli, he was one of the representatives of the NHLPA in the meeting; he played for EHC Biel, which was one of our local teams here where I live and where I am producing the watches.

Naturally, there was good chemistry at the meeting and someone just said, “Guys, how fast can you produce watches?” I was kind of being positive about it, which is what you have to do. And then he said, “Well, can you produce watches for the All-Star game?” This was mid-November in 2018. The NHLPA representative continued, “Ok, if you can, the all-star game is in January, in San Jose, and you will get the opportunity to work with all the players. From that day on, we just did everything we could to produce those 44 NHL NORQAIN watches. We personalized the plate for each one of them and delivered to the players all the watches.

One moment that really stood out for me was the Saturday of the All-Star weekend. Sidney Crosby came to me and picked up his watch and then he saw the one I was wearing, the Freedom 60 Chrono Auto – Black Dial and he said, “I love that one too.” At that moment I asked, “would you wear it? To which he responded “Yes”. Right then and there I just gave it to him without question. It is that that kind of moment when you realize what’s actually going on that future Hall of Famer, Crosby takes your watch off your wrist. So, that was very special indeed.

As for other NHL players wearing the watches, I know Sebastian Aho is always wearing the watch. I know that because Nino Niederreiter plays with him in Carolina, and I have some feedback from. Colorado Avalanche top player, Mikko Rantanen is wearing the watch. From the San Jose Sharks, Brent Burns is wearing the watch. I know Crosby is wearing the watch and he also bought a watch for Evgeniy Malkin for his 1000 points, with an engraved plate commemorating that achievement, so, that was very cool for us.

What does a fine watch say about a man, his attention to detail and why is attention to detail important for status and success?

In general, a watch is often linked to some kind of story. Especially with a mechanical watch because it is considered a luxury object. In today’s world, we all know that there are many gadgets and smartwatches that you can wear. In the era of tech, a mechanical is actually a kind of statement? It conveys the message that you appreciate the design, mechanics, and craftsmanship. It is still in my opinion, one of the very few accessories that men buy and that are visible. Some men will wear an old gold neck chain, but it’s often hidden. Then you have guys that have bracelets, but that is also rare. So that leaves the watch as really one of the very few pieces of jewelry that men have. So, when I see a mechanical watch, I tend to think that there must be a story behind that watch – perhaps, it was for a job promotion, or was it for an emotional event like a wedding? Or was it a gift?  I think that mechanical watch is a huge gift market also because it will stay with that person for a very long time, perhaps their whole life.

Describe how to pair watches with suits, wardrobe, events, and lifestyle?

I love suits. Paring a watch with a suit, in my opinion, is all about color codes. Stainless steel watches work nicely with almost every suit. Another pairing that would really stand out is a watch with brown leather straps paired with a blue suit. In general, I think it’s all about finding the right style that expresses yourself. For me, I have six or seven different suits and every morning when I choose my wardrobe, my watch will have an influence on the suit I wear that day. Watches paired with suits, the two just belong together and really convey a lot about a man. Sometimes you see a guy who just forgot to put the right watch for today’s suit, and you always notice that in a not positive way.

How do you market for both older and younger groups – answered by Brian Keene, International Marketing Manager at NORQAIN

I think in general what we are trying to do is we are trying to engage on a personal level with the audience. We are doing a lot of digital marketing and speaking with our customers over social media, like Instagram, Facebook, and also LinkedIn. Currently, we are working with this Swiss athlete, Andreas Steindl who is a mountain climber. What we’ll do this summer is we are going to organize the Matterhorn Challenge. We are trying to spread over social media this challenge where people will have an opportunity to climb the Matterhorn with this athlete. The idea is that we are a brand that wants to be known for offering experiences. We live in a world where spending time outdoors has become an actual luxury. Thus, creating experiences and connecting to adventure is what people long for. Time is the most valuable asset we have as humans. I wanted to make this the brand’s DNA and say, “Listen, freedom, adventure, independence – This is what this company lives by.”

 How do you overcome adversity and reinforce a winning mindset?

For the last ten years, I would say that I was pretty fortunate. I was working at one of the strongest watch brands in the world, Breitling. Failures would be considered as not achieving a yearly target. I felt so powerful working for an industry giant in the watch sphere. The brand you represent is always among the top three brands and has a strong presence in any fine watch store. What happens is that you associate with the brand, the power, and prestige that comes with it. This can create an elevated sense of self. This all changed when I started my own company. It was at that moment where I learned the most and gained a valuable lesson. Starting my own company and now coming to stores with nothing except an idea, a vision, a dream of bringing my watch company to the fold. I visited all the retailers before actually having a product and before having a brand name.  I wanted to find out which price range should I go for and figure out what the retailers expect. It was also at this stage in the process, that I noticed that a lot of people were giving me cynical advice. They would say, “be careful, it’s going to be extremely difficult.” It planted doubt in my mind.  At the end of the day, there were times where you go home and you are by yourself. Those doubts and cynicism can creep in. You start ruminating on the feedback and “advice” people give, the “Oh, it’s going to be tough. Are you sure? Have you really thought about it?” It was in these kinds of moments where eventually I just sat down and said to myself, whatever happens, happens. I have to stick with my decision, and I have to execute it even better than what I planned to do. That is exactly what I did. In the end, learning out of such experiences may be a tough thing, but can be overcome when you let go of fear and doubt.

What is the next step for NORQAIN to grow as a brand?

The first step is to firmly establish the brand in the market. Right now, it is about understanding sales and our demographics. That’s why I want to take every opportunity to engage with people and have them understand the motivation is for our brand and what it represents. I would like to establish NORQAIN as a brand with values and for this to resonate with people. This is a fundamental part of our DNA. Then the next step is to grow the brand to a certain size.

What is the legacy that you are trying to build?

I think that NORQAIN should always be tied to people enjoying life and challenging themselves in life, sport, and career. It should also stand for taking a moment to step back and enjoy the moment and appreciate it. I put my personal values into this brand and built it from those values. That is why I want this company to always be family owned.

As a company, our leadership team always talks about world adventure, freedom, and independence. These are the brand’s core pillars. These three words also define what I am about and what is important to me. It is these three words that I want to resonate with our customers and this is starting to come to life. I have some first pictures now coming in of people who are climbing a mountain with a hashtag #NORQAINER or just doing things outside and tagging, @norqain. I think that’s the nicest moment for me because I feel like people actually identify with what I am trying to say and with the brand. I am so excited to see the growth of the brand and all the NORQAINER experiences happening all over the world.

It is Friday and that means it is time for the “Suit of the Week” honors. 

This week belongs to Ben Tsui, Senior Specialist, Transaction Management Office at Enbridge. 

He is wearing his new LGFG FASHION HOUSE, Paris line suit. This is a lightweight summer suit with a beautiful silk/wool blend complemented by a bicycle liner.

The bicycle theme would make legendary singer, Freddie Mercury of one of the greatest bands of all time, Queen, proud. 

Cue the music, Queen’s classic hit song called Bicycle Race.

Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle.

Every Friday deserves an epic soundtrack to kick off the weekend and what better way to kick of summer season than enjoying a bike ride on a sunny day.

Ben’s Executive Clothier is Aron Klassen.

The owl is the wisest of all birds because the more it sees the less it talks. (African Proverb)

The Owl symbolizes a deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. From it’s high up perch, the mighty bird observes the landscape, always totally calm and composed. Then when the moment is right, in one swift swoop pounces on its target with its razor beak and sharp claws. 

People with the Owl personality in the corporate wild are wise through experience and know when to sit back, listen and observe. They are always analyzing information, formulating plans and strategizing their next well thought out move. These people are so valuable to organizations as they do not make rash decisions based on emotions and they are very good at reading people and the business landscape. Thus, when they make a move, present an idea, or speak up, everyone around them attentively listens. Calmness coupled with assertiveness creates an aura about them that inspires.

They are sharp in their speech, action, and behavior, always tactful and on point. These people have years of experience to draw from and are excellent visionaries. For all these reasons you will find Owl personalities perched atop the corporate hierarchy. Think Canadian business mogul, Jim Treliving.

The Suit of the Week honors goes to Thorsten Sackmann, Director at UBS in Hamburg.

He is looking dapper in his new LGFG FASHION HOUSE, Paris line suit.

Thorsten’s Executive Clothier is Raivis Ivkins.

As a Director, one must have a vision and strategy for achieving both short and long term corporate objectives. This requires creative thinking, experience, leadership qualities, and expertise.

Did you know wearing suits is directly linked with creative ability, power, and leadership?

If you want to be a big-ideas person at work, suit up. A paper in August 2015 in Social Psychological and Personality Science asked subjects to change into formal or casual clothing before cognitive tests. Wearing formal business attire increased abstract thinking—an important aspect of creativity and long-term strategizing. The experiments suggest the effect is related to feelings of power.

When you feel powerful, confident and creative then you are able to bring a dynamic to the workplace that inspires others and propels you to success.

The LGFG FASHION HOUSE suit of the week honors goes to Bernhard M. S., Vice President Corporate Hotel Operations at MSC Cruises. 

He is looking stellar in his new LGFG Tokyo line suit. 

Bernhard’s Executive Clothier is Justas Valantinas. 

It is a known fact that being well dressed helps you make a better first impression.

This concept was demonstrated by three researchers from North East London Polytechnic.

They wanted to answer a basic question:

Does clothing influence first impressions?

To answer their question, they conducted a simple yet effective study:

An experimenter would approach individuals and ask them if they were willing to help them with an advertising survey. The experimenter wore two different outfits (one smartly dressed and one untidily dressed) and tracked the number of individuals who agreed or refused based on each outfit.

What they found was incredible:

– Older men agreed 23% more to a well-dressed man.

– Older women agreed 73% more to a well-dressed man.

– Younger women agreed 98% more to a well-dressed man. 

Judd, N., Bull, R., & Gahagan, D. (1975). The effects of clothing style upon the reactions of a stranger. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 3, 225-228.

Put on your LGFG suit and make a resounding impression.

Yes – Run with the Fox. 

Run with the fox into the wind
On to the dawn of tomorrow
Run with the fox into the [corporate] wild

The Fox symbolizes many qualities that are found in the most successful leaders such as sensing opportunity, agility, cleverness, wisdom, curiosity, charm and physical and mental responsiveness.

People with the Fox personality in the corporate wild are quick to react and highly adaptable. They hurdle over any obstacles and when there is a problem they only see solutions to get around them. 

These people carry with them a certain charisma and energy into any project, task, and meeting.  They are clever in how they deal with all different kinds of people and use body language, tone of voice and tools like high-status humor to elevate themselves in the corporate hierarchy. 

These behaviors are so attuned that to others it appears effortless. This is what draws people in and compels them to follow the Foxes lead i.e to run with the fox to the tomorrow which is the same idea as the leader leading the business into each new day. 

In an ever-changing business landscape of new technologies, competition, outsourcing, etc the key to success is adaptability.

Famous Fox like personalities include Gary Vaynerchuk, Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Grant Cardone 

LGFG Bamboo Polos are landing with your Executive Clothier this week right on time for the summer season. 

“I love dress shirts, but on weekends and often when I travel, I rock my Bamboo Polo, often with a jacket over top. For the summer casual days in your firm, we specifically constructed the collars on these to fit perfectly with your blazers, so you can take your business casual game to the next level while remaining comfortable and looking sharp. 

The material is our own Bamboo/Lycra weave, for ultimate coolness, comfort and stretch, and performance. Your favorite Polo in the world has just arrived.” Dimitry Toukhcher

LGFG FASHION HOUSE Suit of the Week.

This week’s honors go to Chin Han, a Singaporean actor of stage, film, and television whose career has spanned more than 20 years.

Here he is pictured in his LGFG suit, one of 12 bespoke suits that were made for last summer’s blockbuster, Skyscraper starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

The film was produced by Legendary Entertainment, Flynn Picture Company, seven bucks productions, and distributed by Universal Pictures International Entertainment Universal Pictures.