Actually, scented clothing is nothing new. During England's Tudor period, Elizabeth I popularised the fashion by wearing perfumed gloves. Two years ago the French concocted 'eau de cleavage' with a bra that has a sewn-in capsule in-between the cups. But it was three South Korean fashion houses - LG Fashion, Essess Heartist and Kolon International - that penetrated the stodgy, conservative realm of business. Introduced in spring 1999, the suits took off - the cognoscenti preferring lavender - among 20 to 30-something office workers inhabiting Seoul's hard-drinking, chain-smoking after-hours culture.

Mok happened upon the concept while watching a TV programme on hi-tech products and thought 'it would be a great selling point'. The 45-year-old's wardrobe now resembles a bouquet, though lemon is his favourite too, also citing 'freshness'. Such an adjective borders on sounding like a commercial for feminine-hygiene products but based on the psychology of aromatherapy, lemon is said to raise the spirits and pine aids concentration, Mok says. He clarifies, however, that the scents are subtle and often undetectable to others, at least in the business world where people often grant each other ample personal space.

'Encouraged' by local sales, Mok says mainland sales are 'absolutely great'. Scented suits, which are 10 per cent more expensive than a normal suit, accounted for more than 30 per cent of Kwun Kee's sales in China since last autumn. Mok says 'mainland customers are less traditional since they started wearing suits only about 20 years ago' and have a desire to 'stand out'.

'When suits became more common in the mainland people started wearing designer brands such as [Alfred] Dunhill.

'But nowadays, more and more people are getting rich so designer brands are commonplace. I've heard people say: 'I've got money. I want something really special'.' Or the latest gimmick, which is how Sam Melwani, owner of Sam's Tailor in Tsim Sha Tsui, views the offering. He reckons he has sold about 20 scented suits in the past six months, mostly to Americans and Europeans, but thinks the fad will go the way of Scotch-guard, which a few years ago was touted as a dry-cleaning alternative but fizzled.

'There's too much tradition in the local market. It may not be for everyone,' concedes George Yau, Kwun Kee's general manager of the ready-to-wear division. For the coming autumn he is looking at introducing more aromas, although he will probably steer clear of one of the manufacturer's options: garlic.

Personal tastes aside, some countries are snubbing such couture. In America, stores have reportedly resisted the technology for fear of lawsuits from people who have allergic reactions. And neighbouring Canada has declared 'fragrance-free' zones in offices and public places. But perhaps 'incense' suits, as they are fondly referred to by mainland Chinese, are nothing to sniff at.

Of the five senses, smell is considered the most powerful, being the only one that provides a direct nerve link between the brain and outside world. That's why some Japanese companies pipe in fragrances with the hope of increasing productivity, and in Paris the subways are scented to instil calm. Women, for example, are especially sensitive to body odours for sexual arousal and mate selection, according to Monell Chemical Senses Centre, an independent research facility in Philadelphia.

Mok, though, isn't taking the bait. 'I'm not sure whether scented suits increase my 'man charm',' he says. Male pheromones secreted in the underarm, however, are said to make men more sexually attractive to women, according to a study released this year by the British Psychological Society.

Combining this insight with a fact from Monell, that our sensitivity to scents is strongest between the hours of 5pm and 7pm - a time which conveniently coincides with most bars' happy hour, begs the question: can pheromone-impregnated outerwear be far off? Additional reporting by Ambrose Leung