Paul Minichiello (December 9, 1940 – August 1, 2014) was a master tailor who was a fixture in the Vancouver fashion scene for nearly five decades. He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s by attracting a reputation for offering bold, bespoke tailored clothing that challenged more traditional and conservative approaches to men's fashion. His work captured the attention of both local and international celebrities, including musicians Sonny Bono, Carl Weathers, Eric Clapton and Randy Bachman; professional athletes Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky; and high-profile businessmen Kyle Washington, Jim Pattison and Jack Poole. In 2011 Paul retired and left control of the family business to his daughter, Julie Minichiello. Early life Paul Minichiello was born in 1940 in Civitanova del Sannio, a small town in the Italian Province of Isernia. At the age of five he began sweeping floors in the workshop of a local tailor, but soon moved into the role of apprentice. Eight years later, at the age of 13, he finished his first suit, which he’d designed for his father, who was emigrating to Vancouver, Canada. One year later Paul left Italy himself and followed his father, making a solo trek to Vancouver. Upon arrival he immediately began working at a variety of local tailors in order to help pay the way for his mother, brothers and sisters to join them. Career In 1964 Paul opened his own shop, Paul's of North Shore, on Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver. Prior to this he’d worked for nine years at Tip Top Tailors, a variety of local tailor shops, and for a brief stint at Louis Roth's fashion manufacturing company in Los Angeles. By the time he started his own shop Paul had developed his own unique style, and was making a name for himself as a trendsetter with a style that "appealed greatly to the young and hip 20-35 demographic." When asked about his imaginative designs he once said: "You can’t expect a grown man to make the switch from a [more traditional] suit to one of my more creative models in one big step. The transition would be too dramatic." During the late 1960s he was often referred to as "the Pierre Cardin of Lonsdale Avenue," a reference to the famous Italian fashion designer. But he disliked this comparison, preferring instead to be known simply as Paul Minichiello—"a guy who doesn’t copy anybody," and