Who We Are

The Department of Style was co-founded and is run by two friends, John and David.

John is a journalist who lives and works in Toronto.

He is a keen surfer, having ridden the waves of most of the prime surfing locations around the world.

Travel is always on his agenda, and a bow-tie is never far from reach.

John is an authority on the art of the Hawaiian shirt. With the help of visual aids, he can explain in great detail the difference between a good Hawaiian shirt and a bad one (there’s a big difference).

You can reach him at john@thedepartmentofstyle.com

David loves classic American preppy style, usually wearing a good suit and striking tie each day to his job in the journalism business. On other days he may just as likely be found wearing madrass plaid pants and Converse All-Stars – or flannel-lined khakis and a Barbour coat – depending on the season.

David has lived in the Canadian Arctic, London and Toronto. He has spent time in some of the world’s biggest cities, as well as some of its most remote places. There’s been Tokyo and Hong Kong, Rome and New York, London and Paris. But also trekking in the Malaysian jungle, camping in the Australian Outback, kayaking Frobisher Bay, sailing in the South Pacific and dangling off cliffs in the Shetland Islands.

These days, winters are generally spent speed skating and skiing, often in Lake Placid. Summers are a time for canoe trips and open-water swimming. Road cycling is a year-round activity.

David lives in Toronto with his family and never leaves home without a notebook and pen, a camera, a pocket knife and a plan.

You can reach him at david@thedepartmentofstyle.com