Los Angeles designer Amir has a passion for fashion- bespoke that is.

The apothesis of style, the late Cary Grant would periodically stroll into the chic boutique off Mulholland Drive to augment his colourful collection of cashmere socks. Another of the many Hollywood hierarchy to frequent the tiny Bel-Air boutique was a certain Governor Reagan who proceeded to the White House as one of the most stylish Presidents since John F. Kennedy. Sophia Loren and Liza Minnelli developed a penchant for the sensual cashmere and alpaca sweaters on display whilst French Vogue were so impressed with the creative force behind the store that they christened him a 'Renaissance designer' and Amir remains the most exclusive of mens' courturiers.

Cut to an advertisement which appeared on American television recently, depicting an impeccably dressed man amidst a golden field of wheat. His darkly handsome features gazed toward a distant place while his voice, fittingly urbane and exotically accented, recollected the wisdom of his father who advised when you have a dream, you must first see it and then it will be realised. Truly a Field of Dreams, Costner style.

If the heartfelt simplicity and elegance of this evocative advertisement echo Amir's philosophy of timeless design and a fashion sensibility where less is undeniably more, the face and voice depicted are the embodiment of the Amir style for they belong to the man himself.

In person, his former model's looks are complemented by an active intelligence and a cosmopolitan charm. "It is the American Dream", he says, explaining the advertisement's pointed sentiment. "When I was just starting my career, I saw myself standing in the White House, I saw all the things that have happened and I worked hard and these things did happen. I did it and my message is that if I could do it, anyone could do it".

If his dreams kept him going, it was a shrewd business acumen that realised his aspirations. Some years ago, Amir saw an opportunity to improve his business when he read of an impending visit by the Sultan of Brunei, in all the world, the man least lacking in spending money. In recognition of the Sultan's wife's particular fondness for the colour pink, Amir dispatched a pink satin-covered basket laden with dozens of pink tulips. In response to this novel gesture of welcome, an entourage headed by the Sultan's brother arrived on Amir's doorstep the very next day. The royal was so taken by Amir's designs that less than two hours later, the limousine convoy had been loaded and Amir was left to count just under two hundred thousand dollars in crisp hundred dollar notes.

Sharing Amir's love of the grand gesture, the Sultan also chose pink as the theme for a gift to his wife. In this instance however, pink came in the form of a palace, the Pink Palace, as the Beverly Hills Hotel is affectionately known throughout the world. The Sultan subsequently invited Amir to establish a showroom in the Hotel's exclusive shopping promenade. Amir not only relocated, he designed the intimate space himself incorporating marble floors, crystal chandeliers, antique tables and Persian rugs to reflect the very image of the store's 'understated elegance' motto. Though this small, discreet showroom is currently the sole outlet of Amir clothing throughout the world, it has managed to generate sales of twelve million dollars last year alone.

The thirty-five year old entrepreneur understands his clientele only too well as he explains. "Every major department store in the world, including Harrods, has wanted to distribute Amir but I don't think Cary Grant, when he was alive, would want to go to a department store to shop, nor Prince Charles or former President Reagan. Bel-Air is a very secluded, exclusive centre with the finest of the world's produce and as such is a perfect place for Amir".

Bel-Air is also one of the more genteel quarters of Los Angeles which itself is the undeniable capital of the world's entertainment industry, headquarters to a vast music recording industry and home or stopping off point for most of Fortune magazine's wealthiest 500, a fact not lost on Amir.

"We researched these things thoroughly and then designed our very exclusive showroom with the aim of creating a maison type of store, as was the House of Dior or Chanel in the 1940s. It is very much on a one to one basis. We have clients who send their private jets, we keep updated profiles on all our clients, and our master tailors fly to them - anywhere in the world. So, I've made it convenient for them to shop", he concludes with some understatement.

The legendary name of Chanel is again invoked during discussion of influences or, rather, inspirations. "Very classical, very elegant...the fashion does not overpower the wearer. It gives harmony and balance to create a look that is chic but not overdone". Comparisons with other mens' designers are, however, quickly dismissed. "The difference between Amir and people like Zegna and Armani is that Amir is not for the mass market. We cater to the powerbrokers, the Heads of State, Industrialists, the Hollywood aristocracy; it is a very elite clientele, in a sense the Kings and Queens of today".

As self-appointed royal couturier, Amir maintains the most exacting of standards. In a seemingly unorthodox move, he established his factory half way across the globe in Florence, the former centre of the Renaissance. Over the years he has amassed what he likes to call his 'army' of master craftsmen, some four hundred in all, who painstakingly hand finish his designs using age old tailoring skills. The result of this collective effort is a mere twelve suits, each exquisitely finished, at each day's end.

Whether suits, shirts of the finest Egyptian cottons, jackets in supple leathers or cardigans and sweaters in the softest cashmere and alpaca, the attention to detail never falters. "You still have to go to the tiny Italian villages where the women weave the cashmere by hand. Then you take this material to the factory and cut it the right way and create the sweaters that melt at the touch. This is the work you must do and I take pride in doing it, and I believe that when you take pride in what you do everything else falls into place".

A nearby tie that I had been admiring catches his own eye. "This is my trademark all over the world but to arrive at this simplicity...each tie takes two and a half days to make and is the result of six months work. It is not an easy task to create a finished garment unlike any in the world but our clients appreciate this and the response has been tremendous. You see, once they become buyers of Amir they become addicted because the consistency of quality is the one enduring principle".

The beautiful strip of silk is offered for closer inspection. "If you feel our garments you can appreciate the difference". The difference goes far beyond the superior sensual properties of the fabric. His ties, for instance, are produced more like series of limited edition lithographs than clothing accessories. The fabrics are naturally designed exclusively for and by Amir and each fabric design yields only twelve ties which bear their individual number beside the Amir signature. Moreover, each tie is made specifically for a particular shirt which in turn is made for a certain suit, which comes with matching shoes and, of course, the correct belt. "They are all original, there is only one set, they are unique", he emphasises and indeed each suit comes with its particular printed biography listing, not only the type of fabric used, but its origins, the name of the tailor who cut it, information on the buttons and lining, emphasising the uniqueness of each garment.

"For me", he elaborates, "Every client has original and challenging qualities and needs and we create a look for them from scratch. It's not something you can come in and pick off a rack. Rather than someone buying three or four jackets I'd prefer if they purchased just one suit with the matching shirt, the shoes, ties, handkerchief. It is very important to dress the part you choose in life, especially in a business sense, but there's no need to be severe", he stresses.

"When we assisted President Reagan before he ran for the Presidency, he had to appear conservative, of course, but also not too conservative; rather exciting! It had to look natural". In an age of media image politics it seems Reagan chose his maker wisely. Another politician to recognise the benefits of expert sartorial advice was Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley who, during that city's 1984 Summer Olympics, appointed Amir as official designer.

"Mayor Bradley is a very big man", explains Amir, "But after selecting the appropriate colours and cut of clothes even he looks understated". Bradley was also impressed and asked Amir to design a wardrobe, to fulfill the dress protocol on his year's social calendar, for which he was honoured by the Mens' Fashion Association of America with a prestigious Image Award.

The Amir touch can be found from the White House to the corporate boardrooms of Europe, Japan and America. It can be seen on the likes of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and singing idol Julio Iglesias; it is behind the style of the diplomatic power-broker Henry Kissinger and the debonair actor Tony Curtis.

Dedicated to meeting a client's specific needs, Amir is indeed the consummate image maker. With an aristocratic pedigree, the Iranian born Amir Bahadori has simplified even his own name to a single, stylish moniker. His private schooling in Switzerland has given him both an understanding of an a place within the elite international milieu. His years as a top model on the European catwalks for the likes of Armani and Valentino, saw him surrounded by style and fashion of superlative quality while his studies at the renowned Institute of Fashion in Florence harnessed his creative talents and his passion for his adopted homeland, with his meteoric rise to the prestigious position he holds today.

"California", he intones, "over the past few years has had quite an influence on the styles emerging in Europe and I think the casual attitude of California has created a bigger market than ever before". It is a market Amir the businessman has made a concession to with his design of Amir jeans, the only Amir product to be produced in significant quantities. "You can still look impeccably chic", he assures, "If you team them with, say a hand stitched suede jacket and a cashmere poloneck pullover". Naturally!

Another obvious market for so successful a designer is the more adventurous and lucrative market of womens' fashion and Amir is in the process of creating a collection of womens' clothes. "You can have great sketches", he explains, "But it's very difficult to translate the quality. Only recently have I been able to put together a team of master tailors to create a collection for women. "But", he insists, perhaps in reverence to his beloved Chanel, "It's important for me to create a style that will endure for some years".

Though Amir invests ever more of his hours in the creation of his timeless designs he still manages time for the occasional game of polo where he no doubt matches it on the field with many of his expert clients. The athletic designer is also a frequent visitor to the Pink Palace's tennis courts where he indulges a recently acquired passion and gives the former Olympic-playing coach a strenuous workout.

In the tradition of the successful immigrant, Amir also finds the time to show his appreciation for the adopted country that helped foster his success, from his involvement in the government's television campaign against drugs to his instigation of a most unusual award at the University of California's School of Business and Management. For the past six years, the selected male and female graduates receive for their contribution to civic life, a complete Amir wardrobe to assist their translation from campus to corporate living.

As much as anything else, the award is symbolic of the creativity that has enabled this young man to establish an internationally acclaimed organisation. Amir is more dismissive of his success. "Fashion was in my blood, it came naturally. It sounds funny but when I was ten to twelve I refused to let my mother do any shopping for me and I always bought classical clothes", he recollects and then laughingly adds, "I think maybe it's because I have a very old soul".