If He Can Do It, You Can
From Cameroon to classic style
I remember when I arrived in Europe in late 2015. I saw people in the street, at the market, wearing dirty sneakers. For me, it was shocking — almost scandalous.
For the people complaining about lack of money, I’ll tell them something they probably do not want to read…
–Kevin Ayia
I’ll be honest. When it comes to style, there are very few people I look up to.
Sure, there are the classics: Cary Grant, the Duke of Windsor, Alain Delon, etc. But today, despite the thousands of menswear guys you see online, it’s rare that you find someone who really stops you in your tracks. Hardly anyone dresses in a way that makes you pause to appreciate their style and see what you can learn from it.
Hardly anyone, that is. Because a man named Kevin Ayia is one noteworthy exception.
When I first came across Kevin’s profile on Instagram, I was immediately impressed. His style struck me as an impeccably refined classic style with a modern twist, but little did I know how great of a story their was behind it. Then a few months later, Kevin shared this photo:
It was him in Cameroon, just about a decade ago. I could hardly believe I was looking at the same guy I had been following for months. So I reached out to Kevin to learn his story, and what followed was an incredible account of his journey from parking lots in Cameroon to the pinnacle of classic style. I’m thrilled to share it with you today in interview format.
If you prefer to keep thinking that you need money to dress well, or that you’re being humble by dressing poorly and “not standing out”, then don’t read this interview. But if you want to be inspired to use your clothing to transform your life, then read on.
Kevin’s story will teach you about how to overcome excuses, master style on a tight budget, and use the way you dress to improve the world around you…
Our mission here at Letters from the Old World is to share the secrets of Old World elegance, and our approach is two-fold:
1) Every Wednesday, we send a free article exploring the theology and philosophy of why beauty matters, particularly in regards to decor and dress.
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Evan: Where are you from originally, and how did you first get interested in menswear?
Kevin: I am from Yaoundé, Cameroon. I had a very normal childhood and teenage years there, and after graduating from high school, I moved to Germany to study electronic engineering. I think I’ve always had an interest in menswear in some way; it’s something that has always been with me.
Evan: Tell me about the beginnings of your menswear journey, and the story behind your first suit.
Kevin: Like I said earlier, I think I was always interested in menswear, classic menswear to be precise, but as a young man I needed the click to really dive in. And that click came in the most boring form possible: I needed a suit for my sister’s marriage.
I went to TJ Maxx and got myself a three-piece polyester suit. At this point I had no idea about cut, fabrics, silhouette. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to look as cool as Thomas Shelby or Nucky Thompson.
The sad thing is, I ended up not attending the marriage because of my university schedule. What a pity!
Evan: How did you begin to develop your style on a budget?
Kevin: By learning! Once I started learning about good cut, reading about fabrics, and training my eyes, I started to look at my polyester suit with side eyes.
And what I realized was: quality comes with a cost, and serving burgers at Burger King is not the right career to afford nice clothes.
I needed some workaround, because once the knowledge is there, bad quality cannot be satisfying anymore. So, I start thrifting, online first and physical shops later. It helped me develop my taste and my style on a tiny budget. Mistakes were made of course (wrong size, bad cut), but looking back, my financial situation gave me the opportunity to think and learn about what I was doing instead of using money as shortcut.
For the people complaining about lack of money, I’ll tell them something they probably do not want to read: this is a blessing in disguise especially if you are starting, and not only in menswear. In my opinion this principle applies to any new activities or hobbies.
Not having a ton of money to spend on clothes helps you curate carefully what you are spending on. And because we all make mistakes at first, these mistakes will cost far less than if we already had a lot of money to invest. You’ll rarely find exactly the garment you’re looking for, so you’ll have to settle for similar items, which is a fantastic way to refine your sense of style.
I could talk about this for hours, but I’d like to conclude by adding that the most unique pieces in your wardrobe will also come from this quest.
The only problem is, searching for secondhand clothes is time-consuming, whether online or otherwise. But be patient, and the reward will be worth it.
Evan: How did your interest in menswear shape other aspects of your life?
Kevin: My interest in classic menswear has literally changed the way I interact with society in general and all art forms in particular. The way I listen to music, or watch movies drastically changed. I delve deeply into almost every subject that interests me, because menswear has taught me never to stop at the surface.
Just as fabric is essential to the cut of my pants, I learned how wood and other materials could shape my interior. I realized that the color schemes I used for my outfits could be applied to my living space or my photos, just on a different scale... and vice versa.
Evan: To you, what is dressing well all about?
