The words “rootless existence” may not be appealing to the contented anti-jet set safely nestled within their gated communities and 30-year mortgages. But for a self- and oft-described “tumbleweed” such as the gallerist Mr Alex Tieghi-Walker, the moniker is very much a badge of honour. Though the perennial nomad may have pinballed around the globe, calling places including Wales, Italy, India, Argentina, Berkeley and Los Angeles home, Tieghi-Walker has not ascribed to the pejorative notion of a wanderer. In fact, this rolling stone turned curator is far from lost, having established a strong and steadfast foundation that is anchored by a deep love of craftsmanship and imbued with the eclectic cultural influences he has picked up along the way.

“In general, I’ve always been quite adventurous,” says Tieghi-Walker from his recently acquired New York apartment. “I’m from an adventurous family. My mum spent her childhood travelling around. My grandparents spent their childhoods travelling around. I spent my childhood travelling around. I’ve always been surrounded by this idea of going somewhere as being exciting. It’s never been scary.”

For a man who seems to be in perpetual motion, Tieghi-Walker has carved out an enviable and singular niche within the shifting worlds of art, commerce and cuisine. His non-linear approach to his life and career has led him to stints as a writer, editor, proto-creative director at a vineyard in Northern California, supper club host and ultimately the founder of Tiwa Select, “a gallery and platform celebrating the ever-evolving culture of craft, and the unexpectedness of the handmade”.

He has established himself as an advocate of self-taught artists, revelling in the imperfections of the handmade and resourcefulness of repurposing found objects.

“I’ve translated that passion into a business,” Tieghi-Walker says. “People respond well to the humanness of the types of artists I work with. I’m less interested in doing big, flashy white-box type shows with works that sell for loads of money. I’m a lot more interested in the quieter side of the art world, people creating based on their interests and personal history, telling their story through what they’re making. Not to say that other artists don’t do that, but just keeping it a little bit more tender and human by working with artists who perhaps haven’t been given the platform that they’ve deserved, or even wanted, in the past.”

This prevailing ethos can be seen in every stitch of Tieghi-Walker’s highly focused wardrobe, from the small-batch staples by designers such as BODE to the beanie and R.M.Williams boots that bookend every outfit. “My personal style is very reflective of a sort of celebration of creativity,” he says.

Overall, his wardrobe staples must work just as hard as the roving gallerist while still bearing his story on his sleeve. “I think very carefully about clothes that are hard-wearing and will last me for a long time,” Tieghi-Walker says. “That’s why I wear a lot of overalls or dungarees or jeans or workwear jackets. I am a deeply practical person.”

At this point, the patchwork life and times of Tieghi-Walker are far from complete. Although he plans to stay in New York for the long run, a palpable creative entropy keeps him going. “Running your own business has its own challenges,” he says. “As my business has grown, my stress levels have as well to an extent. At the same time, it’s been deeply rewarding. This feels like a really nice new chapter of my life.”

With only minutes to spare before jetting off to Milan for Design Week, Tieghi-Walker walked us through his industrious style philosophy.

“During the day, I’m doing a lot of really physical things because I run my gallery solo, so I’ll be carrying big, heavy blocks of wood and boxes upstairs and packing things and going to the post office. But then in the evening, there’s always stuff going on in New York because it’s so social. I wear clothes that I think are pretty practical during the day, but also translate into something that looks good at night.

“This is a hard-wearing work suit that I can wear with just a shirt underneath that I can either change if I’m gross that day or leave on if I’m not so gross. It’s the type of look that works both practically as someone who’s doing a pretty manual job, but also looks good when you’re going to dinner at the end of the day.”

“I often wear outfits thinking of the ways that colours play next to each other and using the colour of my wardrobe to do a lot of the legwork in terms of the way I look. I liked the idea of pairing the royal blue with the sort of slightly turquoise, petrol blue up top.

“I saw that coat and thought it was fab. I love BODE’s craftsmanship. The history of that brand is great because it started off with repurposing a lot of textile pieces that existed in another form, which really resonated with me. And I know that they’re quite responsible when it comes to sourcing.

“The cowboy hat is mine. I’ve driven cross-country six times during the pandemic and I seem to have amassed a pretty solid number of cowboy hats. I don’t know, I kind of feel like they suit me and they’ve become fun party tools at things like weddings.

“Also, they’re just really practical. They’re literally built for people who are outside in the heat all day, or they’re made for people who are working hard, so they do their job when you’re in the sun.”

“I wear overalls all the time. Carhartt WIP is such a great brand because those clothes never die. I still have old Carhartt pieces. People always tease that it has become this hipster brand, but I think more people are buying hard-wearing clothes that last a long time. I think it’s a good thing that a brand like that has become trendy and isn’t limited to blue-collar workers, as it were.

“With this waistcoat, I like having as many pockets as possible. Again, they can look quite formal, but also quite casual.

“I exclusively wear R.M.Williams boots. I don’t have any other pair of shoes. Honestly, it makes me laugh when people have thousands of pairs of shoes. They just take up so much room. I feel like with boots, they look smart, but they also function really well. I’ll wear the same shoes to a music festival one day and then to a wedding next.”

“I love rugby shirts for how bold they are. I used to play rugby, so I don’t feel like I’m cosplaying when I’m wearing one. I like that they sit in between a sweater and a T-shirt. You can put a sweater over them if it gets chilly, but they can also exist by themselves.

“I wear shorts all the time. Again, it’s sort of a practical thing. I’m often cycling around New York, or I’m doing heavy lifting, so it’s nice to not get too hot in what you’re wearing. And I like my legs. I always wear thick woolly socks. Usually because I’m wearing boots. I also like the look of a thick sock.

“There’s this really nice Peter Hujar photo that everyone always thinks looks like me. It’s a guy lying down on the Chelsea Piers wearing boots with socks and shorts. It does look just like me. If you were to ask any of my friends what I would be wearing on a given day, or if you told them to come dressed as me, they’d probably wear this.”

“The colours of this jacket feel quite autumnal, even though we’re going into spring. There’s something about that burnt orange with the burgundy that I love. I like the attention to detail that BODE puts into the clothes, the handmade quality of it. Each piece really feels like a one-off. And you know that the sourcing is pretty interesting as well. Sometimes I’ll wear something that’s sort of a big, bold statement on its own. I do have a couple full BODE looks, like trousers with the pants and the shirt that match, which I love wearing because it is such a bam, you know?

“Day to day, I’d probably just wear one thing that’s more of a statement piece than a whole look. And then I always wear a beanie or a baseball cap. It has become my signature mark. I don’t know why. I just always have, even when I had hair.”