BY: Tanya Hosten

Clothes do make the man: Donovan Whyte (left) and Sekou Sheriff (right) lounge in the Made to Measure studio at Holt Renfrew. Turned out in the latest collections now in store, Whyte rules in Prada; Sheriff nails it in Paul Smith.

Sway: What is your earliest fashion memory?
Donovan Whyte: Getting my Michael Jackson red-leather “Beat It” jacket. This was the first piece I saw on a celebrity and I knew I wanted it. When I got it, I felt like I was in the video.
Sekou Sheriff: When my father was a kid back in Africa, he would go to Europe in the ’80s to shop for us. His favourite designer was French designer Pierre Cardin. In the ’90s, I discovered Ralph Lauren and fell in love with him. I love the preppy, classic look of his style.”

Who inspires your sense of style?
DW: Billy Dee Williams for his swag, Kenny Lattimore for his style, and Diddy for his street cred.
SS: I love some celebrities, but they don’t influence my sense of style. Most of them are fashion victims. Tom Ford is really my role model.

What one item should every man own?
DW: The driving shoe.
SS: A classic loafer, because you can dress it up or dress it down; wear it with jeans, shorts or dress pants.”

Who is your favorite menswear designer?
DW: Hedi Slimane, because his designs are works of art with no detail forgotten, yet the pieces possess a sense of street edginess that no other designer has captured in menswear.
SS: Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford. I find many similarities between them: class, masculinity and sexiness.”

If you were not working in fashion, what would you be doing?
DW: I would be working in architecture, because I’m obsessed with design.
SS: I’d be a lawyer or a politician. I always wanted to be different, to look different, most importantly to stand out in a crowd.

What do you feel sexiest in?
DW: My Dolce & Gabbana underwear.
SS: Fitted blue denim, a slim white shirt, and a tailored jacket with dress shoes.

Finish this sentence: “Men should NEVER wear…”
DW: Uggs.
SS: White socks, unless you’re going to the gym.