A toast to modern men

A toast to modern men

Presented by City Precinct, The Festival of Steve is an annual celebration of the contemporary and stylish male.

Held on June 3 at the former gentlemen-only venue, the iconic Kelvin Club, The Festival of Steve showcases City Precinct businesses that cater to the modern man’s needs.

Now in its fifth year, CBD tailors, shoemakers, barbers and stylists will come together once again for what City Precinct president and bespoke tailor Carl Navé described as “a design market targeted at a certain type of personality”.

“We’ll get 22-year-olds that are very aware of what they like. And what they want and aspire to is a pair of handmade shoes or a bespoke suit. And then we get 65-year-old guys who remember going to tailors back in their day and are excited to see it happening again, and everything in the middle,” he said.

“It’s not particularly targeted to an age group, but rather to a mindset.”

Originally, the event was going to be coined “The Festival of Adam”, a nod to the very first man.

However Mr Navé said organisers decided to change it to Steve because Steve is someone that everybody knows and can relate to.

“It’s funny because we actually do get a lot of Steve’s come in on the day,” he said.

The event not only serves as a marketing tool for local businesses. The full program boasts a variety of events aimed at entertaining visitors such as a display of vintage cars, complimentary shoe shining, cut-throat shaves and a billiard tournament hosted by world champion Robby Foldvari.

Festival of Steve businesses will donate prizes to the tournament winner.

Local food and beverage vendors will also have a variety of tastings on offer and live music and entertainment will also be on show throughout the day.

Mr Navé also wanted to assure women that they were also welcome, joking that women often do the shopping and styling for their partners.

If there were to be one thing that customers can expect to take away from the Festival of Steve, Mr Navé said it would be an experience of class.

“There’s a comment that someone said to me at the festival last year that made me feel really good. He said ‘it’s really nice to engage with quality’. All of our exhibitors try to do the best quality we can, so it’s great when people see that,” he said.

Mr Navé also said the festival is about promoting Melbourne and the businesses that are often tucked away above street-fronts that shoppers may not realise are there.

The Festival of Steve is open from 11am-6pm. Mr Navé and the rest of the exhibitors invite you to have a drink, chat to some local quality vendors and enjoy the celebration.

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