Tommaso Bordoni, a 32-year-old Belgian tailor who founded the clothing label BORDONI in 2017, took "dressing for success" to dizzying heights. He strutted to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in a swanky three-piece suit and didn't even ditch the tie (because who wouldn't want to be choked by altitude and fashion?).
Bordoni is the first to summit the highest free-standing mountain dressed more for the boardroom than the backwoods. He said the stunt aimed to inspire others to believe in themselves and their dreams, no matter how improbable they may seem.
The trek represented a challenge for Bordoni but also demonstrated his brand's motto: "Viam aut inveniam aut Faciam," or "I will either find a way or make one."
He was accompanied by his BFF, Alexander Gilen (41), who also went through the challenge dressed in a three-piece suit. "When Tommaso called me to tell me his crazy idea, I immediately proposed I would accompany him," jested Gilen.
Before this adventure, their idea of a 'challenge' was a coffee stain on their pristine suits.
Bordoni admits the challenge wasn't just the climb. It was battling nature's elements while ensuring they remained the most dapper climbers Kilimanjaro had ever seen. A slip here, a fashion-forward slide there, and some rather entertaining attempts at keeping their suits clean made for a journey filled with edge-of-your-seat hysteria.
"After all, I am not a mountaineer, which is why I went through intensive training," the 32-year-old designer said.
"My goal is not to break records or set new standards, but to inspire others to push boundaries and achieve the seemingly impossible," he added.
Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is a 5,895 meters (or 19,341 feet for those who enjoy extra digits) landmark. It's so tall that even the clouds need to tiptoe to see its peak, Uhuru.
While the duo's climb was unarguably inspirational, what was genuinely commendable was their unwavering commitment to fashion amidst adversity. According to Tommaso, he was sending a message: "I hope my journey will spark conversations and inspire people across the globe to believe in themselves and their true potential. Together we can show the world that anything is possible."
So, the moral of this tall tale of high fashion must be: dream big - and never forget to accessorize.
The friends have travelled to multiple countries, but "This was our craziest adventure yet," they concluded, with photographic evidence to prove their suits were only a bit worse for wear at the summit.
