Despite being a straight man, Sameer Ahmed can get away with wearing outre fashion pieces. Case in point: a pair of gold brocade paisley printed trousers from Roberto Cavalli, hidden in the depths of Ahmed's well-organised wardrobe.
'I haven't worn these in a long time, but I have always loved them. I probably couldn't fit into them any more,' says Ahmed, who is in the best shape of his life. He shrank from a size 52 to 46 over the past few months, thanks to yoga sessions and healthy eating. 'I'm pretty game for anything. I like to push the boundaries,' he adds, confessing that he once owned a purple Dolce & Gabbana suit.
But for all his sartorial derring-do, Ahmed cannot mask the influence of the English boarding school uniforms of his youth. His style is what he likes to define as timeless classic, albeit with a twist of the Hollywood eccentric by way of Johnny Depp.
'It's really about relaxed elegance - boarding school that's gone funky,' he says, as he pulls out his spring purchases. These include a navy blazer and a white shirt from Savile Row label Rake, and identical shirts from Yves Saint Laurent. They are in different colours and look like a hybrid of a tunic and a regular button-down. There are also several pairs of shoes from Gucci, Lanvin and Prada.
'I like to shop, but when I shop it's on impulse,' he says. 'I rarely shop in Hong Kong, though. I like Matches in London, Barneys in New York and Fred Segal in Los Angeles. I like to think that I have a good eye for fashion.' Ahmed works as a manufacturer of fashion accessories for international chain stores, so his keen eye is a valuable asset.
He's been in the business for 16 years - the same time that he's lived in Hong Kong. Ahmed comes from an Indian, Singaporean, Portuguese and British background. His Indian side, he says, gave him the knack for putting a spin on classic dressing: 'I've always admired how my mother dressed. She's always had a great sense of style.'