Sharp suits and fast horses are the name of the game for famous Hong Kong tailor Roshan Melwani

2 weeks ago 14

THERE are no shortage of larger-than-life characters in Hong Kong.

And Roshan Melwani, the city’s tailor to the stars, is right up there with the most colourful.

He runs the world-famous Sam’s Tailor in bustling Kowloon, and their client list has to be seen to be believed.

Thankfully, there are no shortage of snaps up on the walls to show you who has passed through here and taken a handmade suit home with them.

US presidents, British royalty and movie stars have had their finest gear made here — or rather in the workshops above the store.

Even ’Arry Kane has been fitted out with some new threads on a visit to the Far East.

When following the map to Sam’s on your phone it feels like the GPS must have gone haywire — but buried away inside a skyscraper the bright neon sign outside the shop, which barely has enough room for a dozen people, proves the technology was right.

Roshan, who also has a major social media presence in Hong Kong, followed his dad, Manu — recently awarded an MBE — into the tailoring game and didn’t have to wait long to fit out a big name: “My first fitting was with Desmond Tutu.”

But in truth, when he’s not busy with the day job or dishing out his own-branded cans of beer to customers, the only place he wants to be is at the track.

He is obsessed with the sport and owns a six-year-old called Karma in training with local legend Caspar Fownes.

The horse has a huge following and gave Roshan his greatest day in the sport when he won the £315,000 140th HKJC Anniversary Cup earlier this year.

He said: “We are a very traditional family, I wouldn’t go and buy a horse without putting my father’s name on it, too.

“So when this horse wins it is for my whole family, and he has given us so much joy.

“Everywhere I go, people stop me and talk about Karma. My son has fallen in love with racing, and I hope he will have horses of his own one day.

“As the races go by and Karma keeps winning, I’m starting to feel like Rocky Balboa!

“The crowds go wild at the track, they’ve gone Karma crazy!”

Almost as famous as his horse are Roshan’s celebrations.

And he admitted he ruffled a few feathers when doing his best John Travolta Saturday Night Fever impression in the winners’ enclosure at Sha Tin.

But he thinks he is winning the doubters over. He said: “The locals had never seen owners celebrate like me, most are very quiet, but that’s not me.

“I went nuts and they didn’t like it at first. If you looked in the comment sections of the media, people it was ‘This guy is a nutter. What is he doing?

“But then people started to enjoy it. Everyone was like ‘we want this guy to dance’!”

I’m all for a bit of Bee Gee’s ‘Stayin’ Alive’ although I doubt I could match Roshan’s moves.

Mind you, after leaving Sam’s, it’s certainly a case of ZZ Top’s ‘Sharp Dressed Man’.