SCOTT CARNOCHAN WINS BEST SUITED AT NEW ZEALAND'S BIGGEST RACE DAY

Scott’s story is one of tradition, style, and unexpected triumphs. His bespoke suit, crafted by Andrew Brookes, played a key role in his winning look, blending Scottish heritage with New Zealand practicality.

We sat down with Scott to learn more about his UK journey, the experience of creating his suit, and what it felt like to take home the title of “Best Suited.”

Tell us a bit about yourself. What brought you to the UK last year?

I was born in Dumfries and spent the first 19 years of my life living in a great little village called Carsethorn on the Solway Coast. In 2005 I decided to do a working holiday over in New Zealand and have never looked back.

When I first arrived in New Zealand I took up a role as a farm assistant. Now I have bought my own Dairy farm in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. Last year I got Married to my partner Katy, we have a 3 year old son, Henry, and another new boy on the way.

We came over to the UK for a month on a rugby tour. The journey began in London and took us across to Ireland, then Scotland, before finishing back in London. Over the course of the trip, we played 3 games and one of the places we stayed for four nights was Edinburgh.

Can you walk us through the process of choosing your suit, did you have a specific vision for the suit, or did Andrew and his team help guide you toward the final design?

We met Andrew and instantly felt like old friends. His knowledge was amazing, and he quickly understood what I was after. We had our 2 year old son with us at the appointment that I was a little worried about as he is like a hurricane in any shop we go into, and Andrew thought it was fantastic. Luckily not too much got tipped upside down.

I wanted something that reflected my heritage being born in Scotland but also was aligned with New Zealand fashion. I wanted something that was multi-purpose and was able to be worn with other trousers/jeans. This has made it a more versatile and valuable piece of clothing in my wardrobe. After the fitting with Andrew, he recommend we visit Joesph Cheeny and sons for shoes to complement the outfit, I decided to go against tradition and went for a brown leather brogue which we felt would be better in New Zealand. Again, I have got a very high quality but multi-purpose item that can be worn with many outfits.

What stood out about your experience with Andrew Brookes Tailoring?

The process was so easy and efficient. The measuring process was so accurate allowing for the differences in my body, including old rugby shoulder injuries, making the jacket slightly different on each side. It truly is a one of a kind piece and made to measure.

My suit arrived quickly and ready to wear in New Zealand with no issues. I was a little apprehensive for when it arrived as we only had one fitting with Andrew and then had to leave back for New Zealand, so everything needed to be spot on.

As soon as it arrived, I put it on and it felt like it had just been measured the day before. When I came out of the fitting with Andrew I just thought “that was amazing”.

Winning “Best Suited” at the New Zealand IRT trotting Cup Day is an incredible honour. What was your reaction when you heard your name called?

To be honest I was very surprised! Fashion in the field isn’t something I’ve ever done before, so I wasn’t actually sure how the entire process worked. Being very new to the process and an outsider took other competitors by surprise as well. Being on the main stage at Addington I had lots of mates in the stand surprised to see me up there, never mind in the final, but everyone put up a big cheer when I was announced the winner.

I think it helped wearing something that was such a good fit and high quality as it really took minimal effort to make the overall outfit winning material. The judges could see the workmanship in the whole outfit. I was pretty much just the walking mannequin.

The “hat” controversy added some drama to your win! How did you feel about breaking tradition and still being recognized for your style?

My wife Katy had actually purchased a hat in the days leading up to the races, on the morning of the races we put everything together and decided that the hat just wasn’t quite right, and the overall outfit was better without it.

The quality of the fabrics in the suit are so high it was clearly visible that the hat was not as nice as the rest of outfit so decided it detracted from the overall look. Turns out it was the right decision! It definitely did cause some conversation though.

How was the experience of working with Andrew Brookes Tailoring? Would you recommend it to others?

The experience working with Andrew was an adventure in itself, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and going through the process. Andrew is highly professional but also very relatable and I felt like we could have headed out for dinner after our appointment.

We are looking forward to coming back to Edinburgh and are already eyeing up what my next heirloom piece can be. I would highly recommend Andrew Brookes Tailoring to anyone.