A snatched conversation with Ray Kelvin calling from Hong Kong airport just moments before catching a flight was a fitting introduction to the man who prefers to remain out of sight.
The 50-year-old behind the burgeoning fashion house has given just a handful of interviews in the last decade. By rights, it could have been tricky.
But with jokes aplenty and an easy London charm, Kelvin was thankfully as down-to-earth as you would wish every multi-millionaire to be.
There were no airs or graces from the brains behind the brand, despite having just launched his first store in Asia and being on the verge of breaking into the Middle East.
The label
For those unfamiliar with the label, Ted Baker is a clothing phenomenon that started with just one store in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1988, selling limited edition shirts for men and offering a laundry service for each one sold.
Since then, it has developed ranges in women's wear, children's clothing and home furnishings.
It boasts around 2,000 employees working in 110 stores worldwide and had a turnover of nearly £118 million (Dh808 million) last year. And today, it is opening its first branch in the Middle East at BurJuman in Dubai.
Remarkable
All this without a penny spent on advertising, models on the catwalk or celebrity giveaways.
To have achieved such a remarkable position in the fashion world without relying on advertising is astonishing. But, the decision not to bombard the world with Ted Baker posters and ad campaigns was for good reason.
"I like people to discover the brand," says Kelvin. "By wearing underwear, you don't automatically get a six-pack (as some adverts would have you believe). People in the UK tell me ‘please don't advertise because we want it to remain the best kept secret in fashion'."
Alas, the secret is out. This is a brand that prides itself on being "no ordinary designer label", and succeeds on a global scale. So, just who is Ted Baker?
More than a name
Kelvin is pleased to be able to elaborate on the persona who, he says, is far more than just a name.
"It's a culture, and just to suggest it was a name we dreamed up would be demeaning," he says. "Ted Baker is a collection of experiences. He's a worldwide traveller. He believes in old money and old values. He's kind, genuine, but not a soft touch and he loves quality and quality of life."
It is clear we have tapped into the source of Kelvin's inspiration as he indulges further in describing Ted, taking his time to bring the alter ego to life with every nuance.
"He's very interested in clothing and he is a collector of items and special things," says Kelvin, "and that follows through in what we do in our business. In fact, our mission statement ends with the line, ‘Would Ted do it that way?'"
Fine fabrics
What Ted would do is classic clothes with a twist that are beautifully made in fine fabrics with plenty of colour.
The detail and the materials are what sets Ted Baker apart and keeps its loyal customer base coming back for more.
While Kelvin prefers to let the brand do the talking, the man behind the vision is key to the reason why it has become such a success story.
"Clothes, textiles and fabrics are my real passion," Kelvin explains. "We use the best fabrics we can find in the world. We'll go to Lake Como, Italy, for tailoring, Milan for shirts and we'll use Egyptian cottons. It depends on the season."
All about individuality
By finding superior materials and patterns, Ted Baker is able to maintain its individuality in the market.
And its quirky presentation ensures customers get more than they bargained for when they buy a garment from the brand.
Outlining why Ted Baker is "no ordinary designer label", Kelvin attributes it to: "Our window displays, the people in our stores, the unique service we give, the care and the detail."
That's "detail" with a compulsory injection of fun.
"There's always a message in our products," says Kelvin. "If you were to buy a women's wear top it might turn round and say, ‘Ted Baker women glow, not sweat'. Or the kid's T-shirts might say, ‘Not to be used as a goal post'."
And the result? The customers feel special and "exciTed", with emphasis on the Ted, as Kelvin puts it.
It's easy to see why, when the Endurance MKIII suit comes with a universal mobile phone charger and a business card holder. While it has all the elegance of traditional tailoring, it will surprise you with pockets for modern uses, to fit an MP3 player, for example.
Another men's ensemble, designed for the ultimate wedding, comes complete with a "handy hints for speeches" booklet and a pack of confetti, and is marketed as "the suit that won't let you down, even if the bride does."
Ted's humour is a winning formula which Kelvin feels is essential.
"We like people to smile and have fun," he says. "We are not a sterile, antiseptic fashion shop with white walls and stuffy sales assistants. We are real, genuine people and that counts for a lot."
So it seems. For how many other fashion moguls have their 80-year-old mother working every Saturday at a store — in this case, the Covent Garden branch?
Affectionately known as "Ted's mum", Kelvin's mother is his biggest fan and can often be seen cutting the ribbon at the latest stores, as she did last week in Hong Kong.
At the other end of the phone, I can hear Kelvin having a chuckle with her as he buys one last minute with me by persuading an airline steward that he's doing a live radio interview.
Customer is king
Final question then — how does Kelvin view the customer?
"It's not about demographics, it's about attitude," he says. "We haven't got a stereotype customer. From young to middle-aged and elderly, they all appreciate good quality, the quirkiness of the brand and lovely fabrics."
Emphatically, he says: "The customer is king, not cash. We are all about people, product, passion and profit."
And with that he boards the plane and flits skyward back to anonymity.
Did you know?
Before starting up Ted Baker, Ray Kelvin had a ladies' wear business selling in all the department stores and chains in the UK.
Ted Baker sponsors Team Bath, made up of footballers who didn't quite make it to the Premier League. In 2002 the side became the first university team in 113 years to play in a first round FA Cup match.
The company's 2005/06 annual report and accounts are presented in a hardback called Ted's Recipe For Success, which looks and smells like apple pie.
