The Good Taste of Matty Matheson
From dressing like an ‘80s wrestler on vacation to suiting up in tuxes for the red carpet, we ask Matty Matheson about the ingredients of his signature style.
Matty Matheson is flying the flag for Canada across an impressive array of different fronts, including food, entertainment, farm-to-table dining, and not least, fashion.
There’s no doubt about it, the impassioned chef from Saint John, New Brunswick is now a worldwide icon, ascending to the top of multiple mediums seamlessly, and doing it all with inimitable style.
Matheson – better known as Matty – is making his rounds from restaurants to red carpets with an eclectic wardrobe, featuring several now-famous custom-made suits from Harold, Harry Rosen’s in-house tailoring label.
We caught up with Matty to check in on how life has treated him since his emergence as a style aficionado.
Q. How would you describe your personal style?
A. My personal style is perfect for me, who I am, and how I look. I like to wear the same things many days in a row, I like consistency. I’ve been wearing workwear for a very long time, and I am going to continue to wear workwear for a long time. I’d say my personal style is best described as a late ‘80s wrestler on vacation.
Q. Which subcultures, if any, have influenced your wardrobe?
A. I would say late ‘80s, New York hardcore, early hip hop is great too. There’s a lot of amazing style in that era that has definitely influenced how I dress. I really love timeless looks. ‘90s grunge is also cool, Portland style. I wear a lot of flannel, a lot of denim. I like to keep it pretty simple.
Q. Any personal style icons?
A. John Belushi is a big one. I also think Jerry A from Poison Idea and Robin Williams both have incredible style.
Q. How do you reflect your personality when wearing a suit?
A. I try to create a contemporary look that I feel would look good on me. There’s a little bit of flair every once in a while, but if you look at all of my suits, you’ll see they’re very contemporary. I don’t like large patterns, I don’t really want to wear crazy designs because of my tattoos, I think it gets too busy. I prefer to stick to singular colours, I think they look best on me.
Q. What style features make your suits “different”?
A. I like a mostly straight leg with a small taper, though you can’t really notice because I wear my pants up pretty high. I love handsewn, unstructured jackets. I don’t know too much about making a suit, but I know what feels good on me and looks cool to me.
Q. Any standout trends you love right now?
A. I love that people are wearing what they want to wear and what they feel comfortable in. Everyone in all their different looks look good together. People putting their personal style into everything, even black-tie events, is really cool to see and I love it.
Q. Many have lauded your red carpet ‘fits - what do you say to those who claim you’ve become a “red carpet icon”?
A. Thank you, you’re right.
Q. How much say do you have over your character’s wardrobe in The Bear?
A. Working with Courtney Wheeler is an amazing thing. She understands the looks and who these characters are better than anybody. Allowing Neil Fak to wear Harry Rosen suits on The Bear is amazing and having suits that I love wearing really helps. Courtney working with Adam Percival and everybody at Harry Rosen is a dream come true.