Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mark Giordano Talks Style at Atelier Munro
Mark Giordano has reached veteran status in professional hockey — at the end of this season, he’ll have completed a commendable 19 seasons in the National Hockey League. When it comes to fashion, however, Giordano still thinks of himself as a newcomer. “I honestly didn’t know anything about fashion. I really had no game before I started working with the Atelier,” Giordano tells SHARP. After accepting a partnership with Atelier Munro, however, Giordano quickly learned the ropes and he now credits the Toronto-based tailors for developing his fashion sense. The sportsman sees himself as part of a growing movement in hockey, where stylish sensibilities have become an integral aspect of pre-rink hype.
While the NHL pre-game tunnel is a fairly recent source of style inspiration, there’s a longstanding tradition of dressing up on game day. “I remember being, like, 11 or 12 years old, and our coach made us dress up to the game,” Giordano recalled with a laugh. “We all had these clip-on ties and dress shirts — we thought we were so cool. That’s the first memory I have of ever caring about fashion.”
In those days, mainstream menswear offered little in the way of personal style: a tux for your wedding, a blazer for work, jeans around the house. Hockey was no different: “Guys didn’t want to really put themselves out there and show their personality through fashion,” Giordano said of his early days in the sport. “When I first started playing — not even in the NHL or the American League — it was mandatory to wear certain things. You always had to have a tie on, you had to have belts on, you had to have more of a conservative look.”
“It’s a big thing, going to the rink and feeling good about yourself.”
Mark Giordano
Accordingly, Giordano didn’t swap jerseys for suit jackets on his own; when he returned to Toronto in 2022, Atelier Munro reached out. “They came to me with a proposal, and I thought it was great,” he said. “I’d never really put too much time into fashion, but I thought it was a great opportunity.” The designers crafted a made-to-measure collection for Giordano, including pre-game formal attire, casual wear for downtime, and a look dedicated to his foundation, Team Giordano. “They obviously care about telling your story, and I thought that was a pretty cool concept,” he explained. “So I thought: ‘You know what? I’m going to try this.'”
These situations are Atelier Munro’s bread and butter. Personalized shopping advice and online styling sessions help steer newcomers in the right direction, while returning clients can find all their custom-ordered pieces in the Atelier’s ‘virtual wardrobe.’ The stylists don’t dictate so much as navigate the daunting world of suiting; clients can develop their personal style without being overwhelmed by the endless selections. Giordano said the Atelier explained why certain garments worked together, which gave him the confidence to choose game-day outfits. “It’s a big thing, going to the rink and feeling good about yourself.”
Atelier Munro’s one-to-one approach accounts for each client’s lifestyle. As an NHL player, for instance, Giordano has to be prepared for the chill of Calgary one day, and Floridian humidity the next. “How you feel or where you’re playing affects the way you dress, right? So they put together a bunch of different outfits and combos for that,” he said. Gradually, he’s gotten more comfortable making his own selects. “At the start, I was really reluctant and reserved — I didn’t want to make any splashes or big statements with my fashion — but in the last year I’ve tried more flashy stuff that I don’t think I would have ever tried before,” he said. “For me, it was more about getting that confidence to try different things.”
Mark Giordano
Mark Giordano
Mark Giordano
Mark Giordano
Giordano has seen his teammates take an interest in tailoring, too. “Guys on the team make some comments about the different little details — whether it be the pleats, cuffs, or lapels — and you can explain to the guys what type of suit you have on. It’s pretty cool; you just get more and more confident wearing stuff like that.”
Beyond his hockey career, Giordano explores the fashion world in a personal context. “I’m the oldest guy in the league, so I know that my career is probably coming to a close here soon — I don’t know when that’s going to be — but I look forward to you know, continuing to play as long as I can,” he said. “Lately with the Atelier, I’ve been moving more into wearing nice casual jeans, knitted shirts, and stuff like that. I’m getting older, so the old hoodie-and-sweatpants routine is getting old. I like dressing better as I get older.”
While traditional formalwear isn’t going anywhere — the Maple Leafs experimented with a casual dress code in 2021, only to reverse course shortly after — that doesn’t mean the one-note style of years’ past is staying. An influx of exciting designers have brought about a renaissance in men’s fashion. Watch the players arrive and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any two sporting the same outfit.
“Guys are really expressing themselves more,” Giordano said. “It’s not frowned upon anymore if you’re dressing differently or trying new things. Now, I think I’m leaning that way too.”
