Luxury-leather-goods designer Bill Amberg talks fashion, fitness and style

Daily Mail UK

Bill Amberg: 'Every man should have a good pair of party trousers for sipping Martinis'

The luxury-leather-goods designer on fashion, fitness and style

Men shouldn't be hung up about carrying a "man bag". We've all been carrying satchels and briefcases for decades.

At the end of the day, I want to take my camera, a book, my iPod and my phone everywhere I go. So I need a bag that I can sling over my shoulder.

It's not all cowhide. I use camel skin in a lot of my new products. I also use fish skin, from rays, in a lot of my bags.

Next time you eat skate, just think: I might have had that fish's scales and turned it into a wallet.

A man needs a good wallet. They improve with age, because they're constantly in your pocket or bag and the leather is always being rubbed, giving it a character unique to you.

I can't wear trainers because my feet stink. It's a shame because I love them. I tend to wear Ludwig Reiter shoes ? they're desert boots with no toecaps that are just about as close to a trainer as you can get.

Everything looks good in quality leather. I've decked out £100 million yachts in leather, covered cars in leather ? I've even made a leather telephone.

My style icon is, rather predictably, Steve McQueen. And like Steve I'm passionate about being seen in the right car. I drive an old Zagato-bodied Lancia Flavia from 1965.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that you've got to be seen in it ? there's no point keeping it pristine in a garage. Get in and drive the thing.

I wear a lot of vintage clothing. You can get some fantastic second-hand shoes if you're brave enough to get over the fact that someone's stinky feet have been in there.

I love running around fields with an air rifle. I spent most of my youth stalking rabbits in the garden. Now I keep fit just by being an outdoor person. I've got a place in Somerset where I love to walk, cycle and dive.

I've started using Japanese tailors. I used to have all my suits made in Savile Row, but now I'm reliant on Icho suits. I'm tall and a peculiar shape, so nothing fits me and I have to get everything tailored.

My favourite fashion store is Beams in Tokyo. It's a really eclectic shop and they're always picking up on new ideas.

I nearly cried when my wife threw out my old pair of Dr Martens boots. I'd had this pair of 16-hole oxblood DMs since I was 17, and we'd had some adventures together.

I'm not into grooming at all ? I steal my wife's moisturiser but that's it. I just slap it on after a shave. I don't do cologne or aftershave either. It's just not me.

A lot of my clothes tend to be practical. When I'm holed up for a week or more in my workshop building a bookcase or a tree house, I'm not thinking about style.

Every man should have a good pair of party trousers for sipping Martinis in. Mine are bright green. They're very cool.

Casually sipping a cocktail is a good look for me. My parents had a cocktail every day at 6pm, and I'm seriously into blending my own drinks ? I make a fantastic White Lady.

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