Five Fits With: actor and creative director, Oscar Leal
From acting to launching his own tailoring business, BELANCĒ, Oscar Leal is a force to be reckoned with. He's awfully stylish, too. Here, he runs us through five of his favourite fits.
By Amy Campbell
THERE IS PROLIFIC, AND THEN there is Oscar Leal. In addition to running the boutique Sydney tailor BELANCĒ, Leal is a booked and busy actor, with credits on some of Australia’s biggest series in recent years: Bump, Black Snow and In Our Blood among them. Also, by some form of sorcery, he manages to look stylish all the time. Whenever we bump into Leal, whether it’s at his Paddington storefront, on the street nearby or at a red carpet TV premiere, he’s serving equal levels of freshness. More often than not, he’s wearing a piece from his own brand—BELANCĒ is about to launch its first resort collection, and Leal has been teasing a number of the hand-loomed linen and silk pieces in store (and in this story)—but he also likes to mix his own brand with the work of contemporary designers he admires; names like Jil Sander, Cmmn Swdn and Loewe.
But fashion didn’t always occupy such a big part of Leal’s life. Growing up in Colombia, he says fashion wasn’t really something men dedicated much brain space to. Yet from a young age, his father taught him an appreciation for well-made clothes (a quality eight-year-old Leal used to his advantage when asking whether he could have a certain pair of jeans) and this continues to inform his work today.
Recently, Leal ran us through five of his favourite outfits, while we spoke about his vision for BELANCĒ, his personal style and why, when it comes to tailoring, good fabric is king. Scroll on for the fits and fashion chat.
Fit One
Esquire: Let’s start off by talking about where your interest in fashion and menswear began. Can you remember when you first fell in love with clothes?
Oscar Leal: I guess my father was a massive influence in my interest in menswear, but when I really think about it, it wasn’t just about the clothes; he wasn’t really into brands. With him, it was all about durability and quality of the product. He was always saying, ‘Oscar you have to get very good quality shoes because your feet will thank you’, or, ‘Oscar always get the best sunnies you can afford because they’ll help you take care of your eyes’.
I remember, when I was seven or eight years old, I saw this amazing pair of denim jeans. The smallest size [they had] was a size 28, they weren’t going to properly fit me until I turned 16 or older, but I still convinced my mum and dad to buy the jeans for me. I told them they will last me forever, and that they wouldn’t have to buy me jeans when I was older. I wore them with belts and rolled up for years until I was older… I probably looked terrible now that I think about it.
What a cool memory. What was considered ‘stylish’ or ‘cool’ in Ibague, Colombia, where you grew up?
Where I come from isn’t considered a very stylish city, especially for guys. But I guess bandanas were cool at some point when I was a teenager. I can’t really remember [it] that well, but I still have mine, my mum gave it to me and I still wear it to music festivals.
Over the years, how has your personal style evolved?
It hasn’t changed that much to be honest. As I get older I just get more knowledgeable about fashion and dive into it with more appreciation for details. I also love learning about how the main fashion houses got to where they are now, that brand building aspect is very interesting to me. So I guess my personal style has somehow remained the same, but now, I have access to new brands. I also try to only purchase things that make me feel like I’m supporting someone’s vision and time.
Fit Two
What was your career path before launching BELANCĒ? How did your past jobs and experiences inform your vision for the brand?
I studied commerce and marketing at the University of New South Wales and also did acting in various schools. A lot of the casual jobs I worked during my studies taught me the importance of organisation and presentation of physical retail stores. Also by travelling, I learned more about merchandising and interior design. My only job after university (and before we decided to start BELANCĒ) taught me what not to do, which was a painful but necessary experience before starting BELANCĒ with my business partner Theo.
Tell us about BELANCĒ—what sets it apart from other tailoring brands?
I think our attention to detail and commitment to making meaningful clothes sets us apart. Our head fashion designer is in our showroom to answer questions and guide clients through the [made to measure] process, addressing each client’s unique needs and preferences. Every piece is meticulously crafted with high end fabrics, reflecting our dedication to quality and sustainability.
How has the menswear landscape in Sydney and Australia changed since you launched the brand?
In the last 10 years we’ve seen guys becoming notably more comfortable and adventurous in men’s fashion than before. Social and conventional media have played a pivotal role in opening our minds, providing a platform for diverse influences from the realms of fashion, music and culture from different places in the world. As a result, guys today seem to be more at ease expressing themselves through their style choices than ever before, while still maintaining a strong desire to purchase timeless pieces, which we love.
Fit Three
What is the most sentimental piece of clothing you own?
I have so many pieces that mean so much to me. I’ve often found these items when I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, so I’d kind of like to think these pieces found me, and now it’s up to me to take care of them. They tend to be the last size available or a limited edition, or from a really small brand and it usually involves some sort of artisanal work. Recently I got limited edition sunglasses from Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog. They are pretty special.
Where do you look for personal style inspiration?
For me style comes from within; I don’t really know where my taste comes from, I guess it’s a very intuitive process for me. I don’t have a certain ‘style’ I am exploring. I also don’t try to look like someone else and I don’t overthink it. My body tells me what I like when I try it on. Somehow I can imagine what works well and I’ll try to execute that vision. As long as I purchase items that I truly love and meet my standards in terms of design, fabric composition and the way they are made, I just trust that it will blend well with the other items in my closet.
What’s your go-to pair of everyday shoes?
Right now I’m wearing my leather sandals from Grenson pretty much every day, but I alternate them with clean white sneakers from Common Projects.
What’s the hardest working accessory you own?
My black Yuichi Tomoyo sunglasses. I don’t take them off. All of my sunnies have my prescription in the lenses, and they aren’t too dark so I can wear them inside and out.
Can you tell us about any other brands you’re particularly into right now?
I have always loved Jil Sander’s minimalist designs. I’ve got a couple of jackets from Cmmn Swdn and I love Comme de Garçons basic white tees. Right now, I love Jonathan Anderson for Loewe’s approach to creative direction and product, it’s so fun.
Fit Four
In your opinion, what’s one item every man should have in his wardrobe?
It’s in between a great pair of made-to-measure black wool trousers and a cool pair of sunnies, for sure. Sunnies are my best tip to elevate any outfit.
You’re also a successful actor, with roles on award-winning Stan series’ Bump and Black Snow. How does acting and the film and TV industry more broadly inform your style?
Film plays a very important role in my life, but I wouldn’t say it has a major influence on what I actually wear. In saying that, film and acting definitely inspires how I shoot BELANCĒ’s campaigns. I’ve been very interested in learning about lighting and setting up scenes for our shoots lately. Acting has taught me that real magic happens when you have a clear thought in your mind at all times. People connect to intention and that’s exactly what we strive for [at BELANCĒ]. I also try to incorporate my love for film when dressing actors in custom BELANCĒ for red carpets. Last year we were invited to collaborate in the costume design for the TV show In Our Blood, which was really cool.
Fit Five
When shopping for a made to measure suit, what’s something we should look for?
I think everything should start with the selection of the fabric and its composition. We only suggest 100 per cent natural fibres such as wool, linen, cotton or silk, purposely staying away from polyester and acrylic suits. To honour the fabric, the next thing to look for is the craftsmanship. If you are investing in a made-to-measure suit, make sure it is hand finished; for example, all BELANCĒ suits have a considered amount of hand stitched work in the right places, which makes it more expensive to make, but the result is a more comfortable and tailored suit that lasts for much longer.
Make sure you choose the right tailor and don’t fall for industry tricks like huge discounts, bundles, packages or quick turnarounds—you might as well get an off the rack and pay for the alterations. Lastly, be prepared to be educated and come with an open mind. A client that trusts the process will definitely get better results.
What is trending in the world of tailoring right now? Any fabrics, colours, silhouettes or styles that you can see becoming popular?
Being a tailoring brand focused on made-to-measure custom suits, we stay away from what is ‘trending’. With us it’s all about finding the design or pieces that our clients connect to the most. In saying that we have definitely seen an increase in sales of our mohair and silk blend wool suits, especially for black tie occasions as they don’t crease and are very breathable. These fabrics make our made to measure tuxedos look and feel amazing, and photographs of them always look impeccable and sharp.
We also like to experiment with developing new design features; BELANCĒ’S latest creation is the ‘wave’ lapel. It’s become popular since we’ve introduced it and we are working towards adding a wave lapel jacket to our ready to wear line.
Last question: If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A slim fit super heavyweight Japanese white cotton T-shirt, and a pair of black wool trousers in a semi relaxed fit, a lightweight wool or linen coat, a pair of sandals, and, of course my favourite sunglasses.
Visit BELANCĒ’s Melbourne trunk show at Society Restaurant from February 24-26. Oscar and BELANCĒ co-founder Theo will be showcasing their 2024 Summer Tailoring Collection and a preview of their debut ready-to-wear resort collection. Find out more here.
See more from Esquire’s ‘Five Fits With’ series here.
