MY STYLE

Sunil Shah, retail brand manager for Tommy Hilfiger and other labels describes his style

DESCRIBE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING The jacket is from the Tommy Hilfiger tailoring collection and the jeans and white T-shirt from Pepe. My sweater, a cashmere/cotton mix, is also Hilfiger and the Bally shoes I bought in Zurich. The pocket handkerchief is from Hackett's - I buy all my handkerchiefs from Hackett's.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN FASHION? My family has been involved in the textile industry for years and from my schooling days I worked in the family business in Kenya before I moved to London. In 1981, I moved to Ireland and got involved with Pepe jeans.

ARE YOU A SHOPPER? I am an absolute shopaholic because I travel so much and no matter where I am I always like to look at local shops in Paris, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf and Barcelona. Usually you see the same, but there is always a local player that stands out. I am a late-night shopper in Hong Kong.

FAVOURITE SHOPS? One in Spain that really caught my eye was Adolfo Dominguez and in London I like Paul Smith. I also love the classic gents' tailoring of Hackett. Outside of that I like to mix what I wear with completely unknown labels - you see something and you just want to buy it.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE? I've been influenced by classic American cool and timeless pieces. I would never wear edgy products - never. If you follow trends you become very edgy and I travel a lot so I need something very versatile. I love jeans and they look elegant with a nice blazer and a tailored shirt, so I can sit at a boardroom table or be on the shopfloor or meeting a customer.

WHAT ABOUT COLOUR? I love black. I don't wear bright colours.

IRISH MEN'S STYLE? It has become a little more adventurous in the past six years. You realise that when you see stores like Reiss and the new menswear area in Brown Thomas, with global brands now accessible for Irish customers.

DO YOU WATCH WHAT PEOPLE WEAR? Having been in the apparel industry for 26 years, I am always conscious of what labels, what trends Irish consumers are following, what brand of jeans are being worn and what dictates men's and women's taste.

DO YOU WEAR JEWELLERY? I am wearing a gold wedding ring from Kenya, where I got married, and a gold and diamond ring given to me for our 25th wedding anniversary by my wife Jay. My watch is a 22-year-old Cartier tank that I bought in Hong Kong. It just doesn't stop! My glasses are by Alain Mikhli bought in Hong Kong.

WHAT'S THE MOST YOU'VE EVER SPENT ON CLOTHES? I walked into the Bally store [ on Grafton Street] about 10 years ago and bought two pairs of shoes in 10 minutes for £600. One in black I wore out. The others, in bright burgundy, I wore three times and each time my wife threatened to walk on the other side of the street!