Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 29th September 2021

Ivo Zuazo decided to quit his corporate job and relocate to Geneva to start his newly married life and continue his entrepreneurial journey. Rather than find a job in men's fashion he decided to use savings to build a brand that he truly believes in and celebrates where he is from. Slow ethical luxury men’s knitwear brand, Theodore Herald, aims to dress a new era of masculinity. With traditional and toxic ideals of masculinity rapidly being disbanded and disrupted, a new and more positive, evolved representation of what it means to be male is finally taking hold. Designed to create a menswear movement that represents and dresses for a softer, more open, positive sense of masculinity, Theodore Herald champions Soft Power as a force for good in the world and gives a new generation of ‘Gentle Men’ the opportunity to dress with comfort and consideration, and to buy less and better.

In a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed Ivo Zuazo, Founder of Theodore Herald about the founding story of his luxury clothing brand. A self-confessed fashion and watches enthusiast, Ivo left a successful career to launch his brand after struggling to find adequate stylish Peruvian clothing with sustainable credentials for social events he was attending. Using his personal savings, he worked alongside an Italian fashion designer for the first knitwear collection. Our host Peter Brooker and Ivo talked about modern masculinity, what to expect from the winter collection, and what it is like starting out in a new industry.

“I was born and raised in Peru, but I've been living abroad for the last 11 years. It all started in early 2018 when I was planning my wedding with my wife in the southern part of Italy. At the time of the wedding, we were planning several social events that demanded a more sophisticated way of dressing. At that time, I was also invited to join the Latino medical team on a one-year expat assignment in Panama. I didn't know a lot of people in Panama, although I used to live there. During the year I had more time to think about upgrading my wardrobe and it didn't take me too long to realise that I couldn’t wear suits and ties for these special events because of the hot weather. I struggled to find a brand with an elegant and subtle design."

"I also didn't feel I personally identified with the menswear being advertised, depicting a very limited definition of success and an outdated concept of masculinity that wasn't relevant to me. So that was my starting point. I am a proud of where I’m from and I always wanted to do something for my country, especially because my work and my life has taken me far away from it. I was surprised at the lack of home-grown menswear brands because we are very good in terms of raw materials and production. I’ve learned a lot in the last 2 years, and I believe in design, but I knew I didn't have the capabilities to design the collection myself. So, I created the brand I always had in mind alongside an Italian fashion designer who has more than 10 years’ experience working with luxury brands.”

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 132 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Ivo Zuazo, founder of theodoreherald.com. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast player.

We sit down with Ivo Zuazo of Theodore Herald to talk about Peruvian menswear, luxury fashion, slow fashion, men's knitwear, and positive sense of masculinity.