Dubbed London’s most dapper dude, 28-year-old Cypriot Matthew Zorpas has carved a name for himself for style with a blog that commands 55,000 unique views a month and has brands lining up to lend him clothes.Founded in June 2012, The Gentleman Blogger within three days of going live attracted commercial attention from Armani Exchange and two weeks later Tommy Hilfiger. Since then Zorpas has never looked back. It is no disadvantage that he is good looking, charming, passionate about clothes and blessed with a strong visual sense. Success means he can now have suits and shoes handmade to order and live a lifestyle commensurate with the character he has created through his imagery and self presentation.
In reality, he is far less formal and serious than his carefully constructed online persona suggests, more boyish and animated. From Nicosia, Zorpas moved to London to study PR at the London College of Communication and acquired an MA in Global Media and Communications from the LSE. London transformed him. "Cyprus is very fixed and unified in terms of visual identity – everybody has to fit into a box", he explains.
“When I came to London, I was exposed to such a variety of styles that I would not have taken the same path in life as I have now”. From hanging around London Fashion Week watching what young fashion graduates were doing in menswear, he started experimenting himself – at one stage even sporting a pink suit.
That was the start of what he calls his style journey, finding out what suited his body shape, what looked and felt good and telling everybody about it. At London Fashion Week "as an observer" looking sharp in a Vivienne Westwood suit and tie, he attracted photographers including one from Esquire magazine.
This led to the magazine voting him the second best-dressed man in England in 2010 followed by GQ naming him as an "influencer" to watch. "That along with the encouragement of friends gave me the confidence to start the blog", says this latter day Beau Brummell.
The morning we meet he is dressed in a soft black leather jacket and wool trousers from John Varvatos (the US designer), a printed silk scarf by Berluti, boots by Sandro, a black hat from Reiss and an IWC watch, the whole rigout costing a small fortune. “The blog has trained me to know what works for the camera and the importance of background.
“Cheap products don’t shoot well,” he says. He doesn’t feel comfortable in jeans but swears by a good white shirt and Acne blazers. “I never study trends. I know instantly what suits me and my body shape. I don’t need anyone to guide me”, he says in a matter-of- fact way.
A beacon for impressionable young guys insecure about their style, he advises them against trying too hard: "You don't need to wear crazy colours or ties with funky prints or cartoons" and encourages more experimentation. Well organised, well groomed and orderly, he loves ironing, keeps his suits in suit bags and his shoes in shoe trees. Style heroes include model David Gandy, Tom Ford and Federico Fellini "and that whole era".
Success has brought material rewards and business opportunities and when quizzed about product placement (key income for bloggers where brands pay for them to wear their clothes), he insists that he is selective. He provides two editorial stories for his blog every week, has an Instagram following of 97,000 and four full-time employees.
Next year he will launch his own range of grooming products and there are plans for accessories. “The fashion industry has not managed to communicate style to the ordinary guy in the street. I and other bloggers in an open space are communicating something personal in real time that is free and accessible – and alternatives to street wear.”
Matthew Zorpas shot on location in Kildare. Photographs: Conor Clinch, conorclinch.com. All products available at Kildare Village. See kildarevillage.com
