Why men with large, muscular builds should go for a relaxed-cut suit – like Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa

At this year’s Venice Film Festival, Dwayne Johnson revealed a new red carpet look, trading his usual muscle-hugging tailoring for something more refined.

For the premiere of The Smashing Machine, the Rock’s newest biographical sports drama film based on the life and career of mixed martial arts and UFC champion Mark Kerr, the 53-year-old stepped out in a custom Prada suit – his first from the brand – cut in cool grey with a double-breasted jacket and softly draped trousers over a taupe shirt. The look marked a clear style evolution for Johnson – still powerful, but with softer lines and a looseness that brought a fresh sense of sophistication to his red carpet appearance.

A couple of days later, actor Jason Momoa, best known for his roles as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and as the DC superhero Aquaman, made his own statement at the Venice Film Festival premiere of the new crime thriller In the Hand of Dante wearing a pink relaxed-cut suit matching his pink toenail polish, on show courtesy of his Birkenstock x Concepts sandals. Both actors, known for their strength and stature, showed how menswear can look effortless on even the most powerful frames.

For men with larger builds – broad shoulders, strong torsos and muscular thighs – the challenge usually lies in achieving the right fit. Even the most stylish man can look ill-proportioned if his jacket pulls across the chest too tightly or his trousers strain against the thigh.

Oliver Spencer, founder and creative director of the London-based formalwear brand Favourbrook, sees the issue constantly: “For men with broader shoulders or more athletic frames, the challenge is achieving that classic silhouette without restricting movement. Off-the-peg suits tend to be graded for a regular proportion; size up in the chest and you often end up drowning the waist and upsetting the line of the jacket.” He notes that the balance between breadth across the upper torso and the taper through the waist is what separates a well-cut jacket from a bulky one. “Get that wrong and you start to look as if you’ve been upholstered rather than tailored,” he says.

Campbell Carey, head cutter and creative director at Huntsman, a tailor on London’s prestigious Savile Row, agrees. “One of the main challenges for men with broader or more muscular builds is achieving balance and proportion. Off-the-peg tailoring often caters to a standardised body type, so when someone has a fuller chest or wider shoulders, the jacket may fit across the top but become too roomy at the waist, throwing the entire silhouette off.”

Carey points out that athletic men tend to have a “drop 10” – the difference between the chest and waist – compared to the more standard “drop five”. “Getting the waist of the jacket in and down from the drop between chest and waist is the skill of the cutter,” he explains. “We also employ darts or cuts under the lapels, in both the cloth and canvases, to throw a third dimension over a prominent chest.” The result is a jacket that moves with the wearer, not against him, and that accentuates rather than conceals shape.