In this edition of Conversations with Creators, we are thrilled to introduce Anton Masko. Originally from Minsk, Anton has been making waves in the men’s fashion world from his base in Warsaw, often traveling to Italy for work. His journey in men’s fashion is a story of personal growth, shaped by key experiences and a passion for refinement. We are excited to share his insights and experiences with our readers.
My name is Anton Masko. I am from Minsk, but for the last two years, I have been living in Europe (Warsaw) and often travel to Italy for work. I divide my journey in men’s style into several stages. Here are a few important ones that shaped me and laid a strong foundation for my development:
– The first stage began in my childhood when I was 6 years old. My grandmother taught me etiquette rules: how to be a gentleman, hold the door for a lady, be grateful, and polite. This helped me a lot, and I still remember my grandmother’s advice.
– The second stage happened when I was playing football. I joined a new team, and my teammates looked better than me. I decided to match their style and started observing what they wore. I got better, and soon the guys began asking me for advice.
– The third stage was love. I had a relationship with a girl for one and a half years. I was very in love, and after we broke up, I spent the next one and a half years analyzing what I did wrong, reading a lot about how a gentleman should behave, and learning. These were wonderful years that changed me completely. During that time, I realized I liked it and wanted to continue developing in this area. When I read basic recommendations, I saw pictures of suits and started studying them. I learned that Chelsea is not only a football club but also a type of shoe. I found out about an event called Pitti Uomo. In 2018, I went there and have been going ever since to get inspired, meet colleagues and friends from all over the world, and enjoy the city’s atmosphere and the event itself, created by everyone who comes there. I also strive to develop in this field every day, and it is very important to be versatile: to know not only about clothes but also to be a well-mannered, educated, and interesting person.
I am inspired by travel, people, the experiences I have gathered, and everything around me. Sometimes I underestimate the value I bring to people, thinking it is simple and nothing special. But when my clients give feedback on how my help has changed their lives and when people write to me or approach me on the street, I understand that I bring value, and together we make our world better.
My personal style is always to be myself, create myself, grow and develop every day, and enjoy the process.
I would not say that I faced specific difficulties. For me, it is not work when I am forced to do everything; for me, it is my hobby that brings me pleasure, and I enjoy the process. As Henry Ford said, “A job you love is a well-paid hobby.”
For me, style and fashion are two different words. Style is more than the clothes in the wardrobe. A good suit is a big responsibility. It represents what is hidden underneath. When there is a whole big world of life experience under it, people feel it, they like it, and they follow it. For me, fashion is something very hard to keep up with. But it is also a huge and very interesting world that I have great respect for.
I would rather buy high-quality tassel loafers once a year than several cheap models. I will not buy a poorly tailored suit made of fused materials. I prefer to wait and buy a good suit later. The same goes for accessories, cosmetics, food, and other things. I also believe that in men’s style, details and fit are very important. The main task of clothes is to emphasize a gentleman’s individuality through details and to express him, not the other way around when a man wears a lot of things that he advertises on himself.
I will name the things I do not have yet but will have in the near future: a weekend car, a good book, a good watch, and I do not want to offend anyone, but in my opinion, the main accessory of a man is a loving woman who motivates him to achieve great things. I listed the things I want for myself that will give me pleasure and confidence. Especially the book – it also makes me smarter.
To express yourself, you should think about what element to remove from your look, not what to add.
Learn the basic rules of men’s style, start building a wardrobe with basic items and colors and most importantly: be yourself.
Self-development: reading, learning languages, and other educational courses.
Sports.
Travel. I believe that travel has educated me and helped me become who I am.
Recently, I started learning tango; I like it very much and recommend it.
I attend acting classes and much more. Every day is very busy, and I always look for ways to help me become better than I was yesterday.
My main achievement and what I am proud of at the moment is the launch of our men’s style project – Elety. We help men and businesses find their own style. We also create various services and are in the process of launching others. We have already launched a newsletter and a personal style creation service for gentlemen both offline and online.
Soon we will launch a course on basic wardrobe care, which we have already recorded, with only the final editing stage remaining. We are also in the process of launching a B2B service, an online course on creating a basic wardrobe, and a technological product in the form of a subscription, with an online shop coming later. I enjoy speaking to audiences about men’s style and why it is an important tool for a gentleman.
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