They seem the oddest of odd couples. One is a shaven-headed tough guy dubbed the "Savile Rogue", who has mixed with gangsters and designed suits for Ronnie Kray.

The other is a gay former civil servant who prefers to spend his evenings at the theatre, a cookery class or reading a book in the corner of his favourite coffee shop.

But Mark Powell and Jason Palmer have teamed up to open a bespoke tailoring boutique in the heart of Brighton and there is more to the unlikely duo than meets the eye.

East End-born Mark has designed suits for the likes of Ant and Dec, Jodie Kidd, Ian Wright, the cast of Footballer's Wives, Bryan Ferry and Naomi Campbell, who was pictured attending court in one of his creations.

Yet his public image is dominated by his supposed criminal connections and his style often summarised as "gangster chic".

He designed suits for the infamous Ronnie Kray's visiting hours, mingled with villains in London's East End and has served time himself, albeit just ten days for a driving offence.

He also loves classic mob movies, especially Al Pacino's bloodthirsty turn in Scarface.

But up close and personal, beyond the piercing glare he readily puts on for the cameras, Mark is less Tony Montana, more Tony The Tiger.

In fact, you are more likely to find him wiping away the tears as he watches Sunset Boulevard or Breakfast At Tiffany's, than posing any real menace.

Married father-of-two Mark, 43, said: "I love the old weepie musicals and I'm not ashamed to cry sometimes, though my daughter was laughing at me crying at a film the other week.

"I love the older films which have wonderful stories, great twists and turns.

"The action, bombs, explosions and sex you see these days gets a bit boring."

He has reduced the number of nights a week he goes clubbing to spend more time watching Max, 11, box or 14-year-old Ellie perform with her theatre company.

He said: "People like to pick up on the image of me as some kind of gangster but it's all exaggerated and tends to overwhelm things.

"None of the real villains looks as stylish as me, anyway. They might have a suit and a shaved head but something will look wrong - they'll have dodgy shoes or a bad tie that gives them away."

He admitted, though, that he and Jason are like chalk and cheese.

Mark, who lives with his family in Essex, said:

"We have very different lifestyles but we get on well together. You'd have to, to work together like this. It's like a relationship."

Jason, 34, was born in Eastbourne but has lived in Brighton for the past ten years.

He was commuting to London to work as a franchise manager for the Strategic Rail Authority before deciding to veer his life in a wildly different direction.

He was a regular customer at Mark's studio in Soho and, after the pair became friends, suggested they open a shop together in Brighton.

Jason said: "I didn't want to work in London any more. I wanted to be in Brighton - a great place to shop but somewhere that needs Mark Powell. Luckily, he jumped at the chance."

Mark said: "I've got franchises in New York, Japan and lots of other places across the world but nowhere outside London has inspired me to do a shop until now.

"I've always visited here a lot and it seemed right. There's a great lifestyle in Brighton and a lot of people who would appreciate what my thing is."

He summarises "the Mark Powell thing" as: "very, very stylish clothing for guys aged 25 to 45, not so much fashion as style. Style is more discerning, individual and long-lasting."

They found premises in Duke Street just before Christmas and Powell and Palmer opened its doors last month.

Jason handles the day-to-day running of the store, while Mark pays regular visits and controls the creative side of what designs to stock.

Mark developed an interest in designing suits from the age of 13, quickly moving from the flashy plastic trousers and mohair jumpers he favoured in the mid-Seventies to more classically-cut Twenties and Thirties-style suits.

Naomi Campbell is one of his most loyal admirers and he insists her prima donna reputation is unfair.

He said: "She's a very nice girl."

In recent years he has expanded his womenswear and wedding collections and the pair hope ultimately to open another Brighton store dedicated to bespoke women's suits.

The shop offers ready-to-wear modern clothing, bespoke tailoring, unisex flat caps, cufflinks and Penhaligons perfumery. Ready-to-wear two-piece suits start at £550.