Ivo found out about us three years ago and, impressed by our reviews on TripAdvisor, decided to give us a try. His first order was for three suits and five shirts. This time he returned to Southeast Asia on holidays, and he stopped in Bangkok just to come and see us again. This time Ivo brought home two pairs of trousers and five more shirts.

Ivo, we will start with the easy questions. Where are you from, and what do you do?
I am from Norway and I work in the shipping industry. I am in technical management.

What brings you to Bangkok?
I know the region quite well since I travel to Southeast Asia often. I have been to Taiwan, Singapore, China and South Korea for work several times, but this time I came on holidays. Since I was in Chiang Mai, I decided to come over to Bangkok for a few days to get some more Tailor On Ten.

Norway is great with incredible sailing traditions. Do you sail?
I do, I started sailing and competing on dinghies in different classes, like Europe and 470s and at some point I was also quite good. I competed in European and world championships.

I knew it! Every Norwegian I meet seems to be a sailor. Do you have any blue water sailing experience?
No, I have never crossed Oceans, but the sea in Norway is rough enough, there is no need to travel far to get a challenge. A trip from Norway to The Netherlands is all you need to test your skills. I have also chartered a boat in Greece recently, and we race bigger boats with a crew of friends back home.

I know of one drinking tradition that Norwegian sailors enforce almost religiously. The Schooner. Do you know about it? Can you explain it for our readers?
Hahaha! Yes, sure! In Norway we drink aquavit, it is a 40% blend of alcohol and spice, a very popular drink that is part of our tradition. A schooner is when you drink a shot of aquavit and a beer at the same time. When you look at your taller and shorter glasses next to each other, they look like the mainmast and foremast of a sailing ship, that is why we call it a Schooner.

Aquavit seemed to be strongly intertwined with Norwegian sailing tradition, but you have to have a taste for it…
It is, there is a particular brand of Aquavit that before being sold has to sail across the equator two times. The company outsources some crews to take the casks on the seafaring adventure. I think it is a marketing stunt, but the aquavit they produce is quite nice.

Great! Thank you for your time Ivo, it was good to see you again. We appreciate you coming all the way to Bangkok to have your clothes made at Tailor On Ten.

Ivo is wearing classic navy pants and a blue oxford shirt. Can't go wrong with this combo!