Surbiton resident Ajay Sharma celebrated reaching the 5,895 metre summit of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro’s by donning a tailor-made Gieves and Hawkes suit.

Ajay says: “I felt it was an 'occasion' for me, to summit, and wanted to wear one of my nice suits at the top. I generally wear Saville row suits during the day, and the prospect of being photographed in hiking gear for my 'big day' was playing on my mind somewhat! The suit was made for me by Kathryn Sargent, a bespoke commission last year, from G&H. I did have a bow tie in my pocket but my brain had become completely scrambled from a few days of mountain sickness by the time I reached the top and after three attempts to tie it, I gave up!”

Ajay explains why he was so desperate to climb Africa’s highest mountain: “I wanted to climb the mountain in 2002, but my wife (of the time) veto-ed it. I then watched in near-despair as the years ticked by and every Tom, D*ck and Harry appeared to climb it on TV. My ex-wife and I are now very good friends, and we joked about her veto one day. A day or so later, my personal trainer was telling me about his own climb to Everest Base Camp. That put the idea back in my mind, and I booked my trip with Private Kilimanjaro a week or so later!”

Ajay made the climb through bespoke travel company Private Kilimanjaro. He (and his suit) have now safely returned to Surbiton!

What's the biggest challenge you've ever set yourself?