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Mark doing what he
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Profile of Mark Marengo
 
Mark Stephen Marengo was born in London, and there followed an interesting childhood living between New York and Paris.
The influences of these three great cities have given him a cosmopolitan outlook on life, and a real passion for quality and design.
 
Mark commenced his career somewhat unusually with an Economics degree in London, but decided to follow his artistic streak into the fashion business, where he worked for three years with a famous English tie maker before branching out on his own.
 
In 1990 he opened his showroom in Paris, simultaneously launching his own first tailoring and neckwear collections under the MARK STEPHEN MARENGO label,at Sehm - the menswear Pret-a-porter show. Other shows followed, such as Pitti Uomo in Florence and The Designer Collective in New York.
 
Within a few years the collection was selling to leading retailers worldwide, including Beams and Tomorrowland in Tokyo, Le Bon Marche in Paris, Barneys in New York, and Harrods and Fenwick in London.
 
In 1996 Mark opened his first menswear shop in The Quadrant Arcade just off Regent Street, with the help of his brother Neil.  Their success was immediate. Another five shops followed in quick succession in the City, Docklands, West End and Fulham. Everything was and is designed by Mark himself with the main specialisations being tailoring, shirts, ties, accessories, and more recently, hand-made shoes.

 

Mark's fast early progress was slowed significantly by prevailing family commitments, but nevertheless quietly over the subsequent years, the London shops have been steadily building a growing and loyal following, by word of mouth and returning customer satisfaction. 

 

In late 2006 whilst undertaking a challenging 2 month sailing voyage; a renaissance occurred in Mark's vision for his 16 year old English clothing brand, together with a real passion and determination to move his business forward. This renewed focus he hopes has been the turning point with a move upmarket for the
rebranded shortened MARK MARENGO line, and the introduction of a Limited Edition label offering completely handmade items.

 

The opening in June 2008 of 31 Savile Row has symbolised the new move forward.

Here in reflection of the great historical tradition of this prestigious street, MARK MARENGO is offering a fully bespoke tailoring service.
Moreover, the customer will actually be able to view his suits being made on the premises, as its Mark's desire that his clients be more actively involved in the making process.

Alongside suits and jackets and coats, 31 Savile Row offers bespoke shirts, featuring completely hand-stitched buttonholes and armholes, and bespoke shoes, where the customer's foot lasts will be taken.

 

Mark Marengo's design ethos is neatly summarised in his own words as:

DIFFERENT IN THE DETAIL, CLASSIC WITH A TWIST.
Everything in the line is sophisticated but modern with an extraordinary attention to design detail .
Contemporarily bridging the gulf that lies between old style Savile Row traditionalism and modernist show-biz gimmickry with clothes that are simply beautiful, and absolutely wearable.
The highest emphasis is placed on cut and quality, and although Pret-a-porter is at the core of the main collection, a strong bespoke element runs through the entire range of clothing; and contrary to many others, all alterations are made by his own in-house tailors.

 

MARK MARENGO Suits are sharp cut and versatile and are traditionally hand-finished, feature real opening cuffs, corruzo buttons and hand-stitched armholes. Fabrics in fine wools, cashmere, mohair and linen are sourced from prestigious mills such as Vitale Barberis Canonico, Guabello, and Tollegno . 

 

MARK MARENGO Shirts are beautifully fitted and are single-needle stitched throughout , made with the finest cotton and linen fabrics from the highest level producers Thomas Mason, Cotonificio Albini ,Testa and SicTess.

 

MARK MARENGO Ties are hand-made by artisans in Southern Italy using silks exclusively designed by Mark with many of the fabrics being woven for him by the prestigious English silk weaver Vanners.

 

MARK MARENGO Shoes are again all hand-made by traditional shoe makers using the finest hand burnished leathers and with the greatest emphasis placed on comfort . Mark also offers alongside the refined City styles,  his own unique range of practical and modern leather sport shoes .
 
The company's growth is entirely organic without recourse to outside finance. It is this freedom which has always formed the basis of Mark Marengo's success; there being no compromise on quality for the sake of the bottom line. He is continually searching for perfection and always concentrating on the customer, whilst refusing to play to the whims of the fashion industry.

 

Always listening to customers, the launch of the interactive web-site will enable those in foreign lands, and others who simply do not have the time to personally shop, to buy into the collections.

 

Mark Marengo has always believed that elegance and good taste should be the prerogative of all , hence his desire to offer elegant and modern clothing to those discerning, but maybe of more limited means. This has become possible with the launch of the MARK STEPHEN diffusion concept, which is designed by Mark but completely separate from MARK MARENGO , with its own stand alone shops and website.    

 

Future plans for the company this year include the opening of another MARK MARENGO shop in the City, and next year a first shop for New York.
 
MARK STEPHEN MARENGO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED