William Sani, President and Chairman of Hong Kong Custom Grand Tailoring, is a master tailor who custom-fits some of the most powerful executives in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. with elegant suits.
By Rick Weinberg, Editor, California Business Journal
William Sani, President and Chairman of Hong Kong Custom Grand Tailoring. AS U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY AND U.S. DIPLOMAT MARK RINCON WALK DOWN A WIDE AND OPULENT HALLWAY IN THE U.S. EMBASSY IN AMMAN, JORDAN, Kerry turns to Rincon and says, “Mark, that is some kind of suit you’re wearing.”
Rincon didn’t know what to say except “thank you.” By now, Rincon is used to people commenting about his exquisite taste in suits, shirts and ties. He gets it all the time – in London, France, Israel … wherever he is.
“It can be quite embarrassing at times,” he says.
Of course, Rincon must look “great” wherever he goes around the world when representing the U.S. in Europe, South America and the Mediterranean. But the suits he wears take “looking great” to a new level.
Rincon’s suits are made by William Sani, one of the finest tailors in the world. Sani, in fact, travels throughout the country to custom fit his clients with the most spectacular custom-designed suits on the market. Sani, chairman and owner of Hong Kong Grand Custom Clothes, travels primarily to New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to meet customers in exclusive hotel suites with spectacular views.
On this day, Sani is at the fashionable Newport Beach Marriott in Newport Beach, Calif., measuring Rincon for his next round of elegant Italian and English suits and shirts. As you walk into the private suite, there is a full bar and snacks for customers. Suits, slacks, shirts and vests are neatly hung in various areas of the suite. On a huge oak table near the bar sits several books – War and Peace size books – of fabrics, colors and styles.
“I prefer coming to William far more than going to a department store,” says Rincon, who has been with Sani for 10 years. “It’s just so convenient and private. I love it. There is no substitute for something like this, especially with my [unorthodox] body shape.
“Most of all, the quality of William’s work and his clothing line is impeccable.”
“The most important part for someone like Mark is that he could not find anything in a department store that fit him properly,” Sani says.
“It’s true,” Rincon responds. “Even when it got tailored, it still didn’t fit me well. It hung off my body.”
Now he gets glowing comments from the highest-ranking politicians from D.C. to Paris and London.
“William is incredible,” Rincon says. “He’s a real master of craft. His 35 years in this business shows. He’s so meticulous.”
No one loves the way Rincon looks more than his wife, Edie.
“It’s like night and day,” she says, comparing her husband’s previous wardrobe to the Mark Rincon of today.
Edie measures her comments carefully – she does not want to “embarrass” any of her husband’s colleagues by raving about his wardrobe. Yet it is quite clear Rincon is easily among the best dressed of everyone from the Prime Minster of England, David Cameron, to the President of Columbia, Juan Manual Santos.
Thanks to Sani, that is.
“Being so well-dressed makes all the difference,” his wife adds. “Mark looks amazing in everything William makes for him. It brings an air of elegance to him and his profession. Honestly, tailored cloths make all the difference. Men who wear tailored cloths feel more confident. It brings a higher level of respect. An untailored suit hangs on you. It doesn’t have that special fit.”
Sani is a third generation tailor. He grew up in India, watching his father and uncles measure the wealthiest people in the land as well as high-ranking political officials. Sani knew from an early age that he wanted to follow in his father’s shadow and take over the family business and bring it to America. At the age of 17, his career as a tailor began.
Today, he has more than 22,000 customers, including 5,000 in Southern California. He is the tailor for some of the most prominent executives on Wall Street and in Hollywood. He meticulously plans trips to New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. six months in advance, letting his clients know when he is going to be in town.
“There’s no other way to do it,” says Jon W. McClintock, President of Marina Arches Insurance Services, an ultra-high-net-worth financial services company in Orange County, Calif. “Bill makes it so convenient and cost effective. He’s the best I’ve ever come across in this industry. His attention to detail is off the charts. He cares so much about the way you look. He takes it personally.”
Sani is always impeccably dressed himself. On this day, he is wearing a gray pinstriped vest and elegant English and Swiss Pima light blue cotton shirt that perfectly hugs his tall and slender frame. His gold cufflinks sparkle from the spectacular California sun shining through the huge hotel window featuring a majestic view of the Pacific Ocean.
“I can’t express how much I love what I do,” Sani says as he waits for his next customer, a high-powered Orange County attorney. “I’m a born salesman. I love to sell and make people look good. It’s in my DNA.”
Why should executives choose Sani over others? That’s easy.
“It’s the most convenient way for busy executives to shop,” says Tony Vicari, a financial and investment professional in Southern California. “Bill matches everything so you won’t have to waste your time. To get your proper size in a store is impossible — and then you’re dealing with a different sales person every time. This way you deal with one person for the rest of your life.”
Matsen Voorhees Mintz LLP, just went through the “William Sani Experience” for the first time – and it was memorable for him.
“I liked it much more than shopping at a store,” Mintz says. “I always felt the jackets, slacks and shirts I bought off the rack fit me well. But Bill’s clothes fit me so much better. It’s night and day.”
Additionally, the ability to pick out his own fabric and having it cut specific for him “makes the experience that much better,” Mintz says. “I’ll be getting my business attire from Bill from now on.”
So will Shahin Vosough, the general manager of the Center Club in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Like Mintz, Vosough was a first-time customer of Sani’s recently. And like Mintz, Vosough relished the seamless experience. In fact, after Vosough received his first suit from Sani just a few weeks ago, he was so blown away by the quality, the fit and the look that he immediately phoned Sani and ordered three more .
“The quality and service Bill provides is clearly superior to what is at the stores, even the most exclusive stores,” Vosough says. “He offers a great value and a great product. And it’s so convenient. Now I don’t have to run around to different stores trying to find a suit that will fit me correctly.”
Vosough was “skeptical” at first. “Bill measured me so quickly and at the same time we were talking up a storm,” he says. “But Bill showed what a masterful tailor and perfectionist he is. When I got the [first] suit, it was a perfect fit. I was genuinely stunned when I looked at myself in the mirror.”
“I agree – it was a great and convenient experience,” says Ron Wilson, an insurance professional in San Diego. “The quality is amazing and durable. I’ll never go to another store again to buy a suit – and I like that. The suits I receive through Bill are unbelievable. Everyone comments about them. It was unusual at first but I’m used to it by now.”
Click here to read the magazine article.
Contact
William Sani, President and Chairman of the Board
Hong Kong Grand Custom Tailoring
3700 Las Vegas Blvd. Suite 976
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-491-9122
Email: wsani@aol.com or saniwilliam@aol.com
Website: HongKongGrand.com
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByewFGJV3LA
