As the co-founder of Mister Mister, Daniel Narvaez has built a business around tailoring. But spend some time chatting to him and it becomes clear his work has less to do with garments and everything to do with people.

Behind every fitting, every appointment, every suit, there’s a conversation, and that’s the part that matters most to Daniel.

From chasing money to chasing craft

Before Mister Mister, Daniel was working in finance as a business analyst, driven by ambition and the desire to succeed quickly.

“I was a bit of a snot-nosed kid chasing money,” he says. “I was focused on how quickly I could become the next big thing.”

His move away from the corporate world started with a shift back towards creativity, first through contemporary jewellery and then working in a gallery.

“That was me trying to get back into something physical,” he says. “Something you could actually see and touch.”

This pull towards design is what eventually set the direction for everything that followed.

Starting before you’re ready

For Daniel, the decision to leave finance was extremely casual.

“One day I just decided to quit,” he says. “I treated it like buying a coffee.”

Looking back, he recognises how unusual that was, but at the time it just felt like the right next step.

He remembers calling his brother in America, “He said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I’m going to leave my job.’ He goes, ‘What do you know about making suits? And I said, ‘I like wearing them.’”

“I hadn’t measured anyone before,” he says. “I’d sold a couple of suits, took a space in the Strand Arcade, quit my job… and that was it.”

The main thing that carried him through that moment was a willingness to start without really knowing exactly how it would work.

Learning by observation

Without a traditional pathway into tailoring, Daniel built his understanding by watching.

“Observation is the most important thing,” he says. “You can read as many books as you want, but if you’re not doing it, it doesn’t mean anything.”

He spent hours sitting with a tailor, asking questions, learning alternations and understanding the mechanics of the craft.

“Tailoring isn’t fashion,” says Daniel. “It’s a traditional craft. There are rules and there’s structure.”

At the time, he was still working his day job, splitting his time between corporate work and learning something new in the evenings.

Building Mister Mister

“I’m a designer by trade, not a craftsperson,” says Daniel.

As the business evolved, Mister Mister became a system that brought together specialist makers from around the world, from Hong Kong to Spain, while Daniel focused on design and client experience.

“We let craftspeople do what they’re best at,” he says. “And we focus on everything around that.

“We tried to create a contemporary Australian style. Something between English and Italian tailoring, but adapted to how we live here.”

For Daniel, he wanted to develop and translate traditional suits with a distinct point of view.

The job is conversation

One misconception about his job?

“90% of my job is conversation,” says Daniel.

What started as a retail space slowly became something else entirely.

“The store became place where people came to talk,” he says. “Clients would call and say, ‘Can you close the store? I just need someone to talk to.’”

Over time, he began to really understand his role.

“You’re not just making a suit,” he says. You’re part of something important in someone’s life — a wedding, a big moment, a transition. That deserves more than just a transaction.”

The skill that underpins all of it is listening.

“I didn’t listen enough when I was younger,” he says. “I thought I had something to say. Most of the time, I didn’t.”

As it changed over time, it reshaped his approach to business.

“You can have the gift of the gab,” he says. “But first you need to be a really good listener. That’s the foundation of everything.”

The person behind the work

“I’m a massive dork,” Daniel confesses.

He spends his time watching documentaries, following football, and revisiting 80’s cartoons for their storytelling.

“Everything followed the same structure,” he says. “Problem, challenge, resolution. The hero’s journey really fascinates me.”

He also shares that in another life, his passions for comics and cartoons may have taken him on a different path entirely.

“I always wanted to be an illustrator,” says Daniel. “In another life, I would’ve gone to art school, won awards, had a studio, painted… maybe worked for Disney.”

Showing up every day

When we asked him what has sustained his career, it was simply: consistency.

“If you say you’re going to be there, be there,” he says.

It’s a simple philosophy that he credits with building his business over time.

“Fourteen years later, I’m still showing up.”

Not just a tailor

While Daniel has built a career around tailoring, the craft itself is only one part of the story.

He’s a designer who understands systems, an observer, and someone who has built a business on meaningful relationships.

Daniel is someone who listens and uses his understanding to shape experiences around some of the most important moments in people’s lives.

Want to hear more of Daniel’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.