Founded by Creative Director and CEO Jason Sarai in 2014, SARAI Bespoke is a boutique lifestyle brand that creates luxury custom garments, renowned lifestyle collaborations, and exclusive soirées for a discerning global clientele. SARAI Bespoke’s sartorial vision effortlessly combines old-world craftsmanship with a distinct modern sensibility to produce clothing that stands the test of time. Its consulting arm, Style by Sarai, is valued by clients for guidance on various projects, including personal styling, editorial styling, and refined hospitality garment design and production.
While SARAI Bespoke is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, the company has expanded to serve clients across Canada (Toronto, Kelowna, Calgary, etc.) and internationally throughout the US, and UK. Prior to founding SARAI Bespoke, Jason worked as a Wealth Management Advisor for high-net-worth families and corporations. His years in finance inspired the creation of his clothing line as clients continually sought quality-made, bespoke garments but could not find a lifestyle experience to match the pieces they desired.
In addition to his design work, Jason supports numerous philanthropic endeavours: he co-founded 1KARMA with Riaz Megji, veteran television host and executive coach, to support various organizations and charitable causes. He is a member of the Future Leaders Committee at the St. Paul’s Foundation and participates each year in the Covenant House Executive Sleep Out, a cause that supports disadvantaged and homeless youth in Vancouver. Jason is husband to Natasha, who has been his partner in style the entire time and father to daughter Siena, born in March 2020, and son Javani, born in October 2022, who are never-ending sources and inspiration and drive.
IN HIS WORDS
“Early on in life, I realized I had a passion for creativity, enjoyed having creative outlets, and had an entrepreneurial streak. It would be many years later that I ultimately jumped into full-time entrepreneurship. But the drive and passion have been there all along.
“I worked several labour jobs and played competitive soccer during that period. I aspired to play soccer professionally, and I played on Canadian youth national teams and went to England to participate in tryouts to potentially play in the UK.
“When I look back at it, getting into fashion was not on my radar at all, but a humorous situation arose that ultimately proved to be the catalyst for me to begin working in styling and design.
“In 2011, my brother sent me a movie trailer link with a note that read, “You should be this guy.” It was very vague and after watching the trailer, I did not know what my brother was referring to and who I should be.
“I had forgotten about it until a week later when, a friend and current Style by Sarai client, Graham Robins, posted on Facebook saying he wanted a wardrobe just like Ryan Gosling’s in the movie ’Crazy Stupid Love.’
“This was the movie my brother had sent me the trailer to! It all made sense. He thought I could be a style consultant and help people with their wardrobe, just as Ryan Gosling helped Steve Carrell in the movie. Then, a former client at Innovative Fitness (actually, I trained her and her husband) commented on Graham’s reply, saying, “Jason can point you in the right direction.” The universe, clearly, was trying to tell me something.
“I ended up helping Graham, and he became my first consulting client, and that is how it all started. From 2012 to 2014, I focused entirely on men’s consulting and styling and gradually expanded to include female clients and weddings.
“From the outset, Style by Sarai and SARAI Bespoke was a consulting business where I specifically helped with clients’ fashion and style needs. These needs ranged from styling, wardrobe reviews and enhancements, personal shopping, and closet auditing, to name but a few services that we were providing.
“In 2014, it was time to launch the SARAI Bespoke line and begin creating custom garments for my clients.
“The first pillar of the SARAI Bespoke experience is the SARAI Bespoke showroom. The spark to build the showroom came while I was working in finance. In those days, travelling tailors would come by the office, but it was a rushed experience. The tailors only had so much time to meet with clients (before they left town), so they had to get through each person rather quickly.
“The SARAI Bespoke showroom, on the other hand, is a place for clients to slow down, and really experience the custom garment process. They can see and touch the fabrics, choose which resonates with them, and be part of the design process.
“Our fabrics are supplied by the world’s finest mills: Scabal, Loro Piana, Fox Brothers, Zegna, to name a few. Our first showroom opened in 2015 and was 100-square-feet. Today, SARAI Bespoke has two showrooms, totalling a little more than 1500-square-feet.
“Of course, clothing and garments are a pillar of SARAI Bespoke, but all facets of lifestyle are critically important, and we want to create a legacy of being a true and authentic lifestyle brand. “That’s why we regularly throw exclusive events at elegant hotels, restaurants, and event spaces, as well as execute lifestyle partnerships with renowned companies such as Porsche, Maserati, and Bulgari.
“Additionally, cuisine, hospitality, horology, mixology, and automotive excellence are part of building an elegant lifestyle brand.
“A pivotal moment for me in the growth of SARAI Bespoke was the rooftop soirée with 60 guests that we hosted at Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel Georgia in October 2019. Local guests were joined by those who flew in from Chicago, San Diego, Toronto, and Florence.
“The black-tie event featured an art show at the Hublot showroom where works by Salvador Dali and Picasso were on display, a four-course dinner in the York Room at the award-winning and Michelin Guide-recommended Hawksworth Restaurant, cigars and cocktails in the penthouse, and an overnight stay at the hotel for everyone.
“The event was a true celebration of lifestyle. Everyone had a wonderful time, and most guests wore SARAI Bespoke. I was truly honoured to have created the garments for the guests.
“Travel is also a significant source of inspiration for everyone on the team and the company. Travelling to Florence twice per year for Pitti Uomo has been an excellent opportunity to connect with other sartorial professionals, establish partnerships with renowned fabric mills, and learn about upcoming trends and styles we can incorporate into our business. Pitti Uomo is, indeed, the gold standard of sartorial conferences.
“We have also travelled for client weddings in Pitti Uomo and Italy. Seeing our garments play a small role in such big days for our clients is an honour. We’ve been so lucky to have this business take us worldwide.
“Along the way, some of my nearest and dearest friends and early clients have been invaluable sounding boards and supporters. I genuinely believe in the wisdom of the proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
“We are in growth mode over the next two quarters and, frankly, all of 2024. That means throwing more soirées, connecting with our community, continuing expansion into other cities, and producing more content.
“We have so many wonderful stories to tell, both about our company and our amazing community, and we want to highlight that.
“As like-minded consulting opportunities continue to arise, particularly in the hospitality space, we will take those on and continue to grow our relationships with lifestyle partner Rémy Martin and further collaborations with the luxury brands like those done with Open Road Auto Group and Dilawri Auto Group.
“For us, it is a clear goal: we are building SARAI Bespoke to become one of the top bespoke houses in the country and continue establishing ourselves as expert consultants in the lifestyle space.”
Clients of note now include Canadian crooner and international superstar Michael Bublé, Zed Studio founder Zane Erickson, Private Jet Travel CEO Travis P. Arychuk, Virgin River actor Benjamin Hollingsworth, and GrowRev founder Rohan Sheth, and our partners include Remy Martin, Stefano Bemer, and master hatmaker Jaxon Howell.
“Be your own style icon.”
Images for this story provided by Jason Sarai.
Author Profile
- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, and digital women's lifestyle magazine EcoLuxLifestyle.co. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Post-pandemic, she has worked with many small to mid-sized plant-based/vegan brands to build their digital foundations and strategize content creation and business development. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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