ARCHITECT | COFFEE LOVER | MENSWEAR INFLUENCER & BLOGGER 

Lex Mak is the man behind MR GUMBATRON; a style and lifestyle destination for the fashion conscious gentleman. A regular favourite of Mancave London, we chatted with Lex about menswear, architecture and of course, coffee. 

Architect, Instagram Sensation, Coffee Connoisseur, which element of your career are you most passionate about?

I love my job/career because I am able to combine all these facets into my everyday, It can be overwhelming at times but I have always worked in this capacity and have learnt to manage it all. As an Architect I design coffee shops and restaurants; hospitality is an industry I am very passionate about, In the future I also hope to add fashion retail spaces into my architectural portfolio. My career is a closed loop system, it is all interconnected and I’m pretty lucky for that.

What’s the biggest event on the menswear calendar for you?

The biggest menswear event on the menswear calendar for me is The Spring Racing Carnival, it’s a big deal here in Australia, and we even have a public holiday to celebrate one of the days. It’s a big social and fashion event surrounded around thoroughbred racing, I have attended the past 8 consecutive years, it’s somewhat apart of being a “Melbournian”.

What do you think makes the menswear scene in Melbourne different from around he world?

I think every place has its own unique fashion & style culture; it’s often derived from cultural influences, climatic conditions, and the cities unique inherit lifestyle. The menswear scene in Melbourne is still quite young; the sartorial menswear scene is typically quite traditional but much more relaxed here in Melbourne. The city prides itself on being culturally diverse and so too is it’s fashion.

What is your favourite architecture project you have been involved with?

I would have to say; working for one of the countries most well known speciality coffee roasters; St. Ali. That has been a career highlight: It was a hugely rewarding learning experience as a young Architect. I was actually contacted by the owner of the business via social media.

The opportunity to redesign one of Melbourne’s iconic institutions, the Roof Top Cinema & Bar at Curtain House is also up there, The project is also on track to be the first Tesla powered commercial project in Australia.