The Future of Bespoke Tailoring

Savile Row has been the centre of bespoke tailoring for hundreds of years. Meet our team of tailors and cutters, talking about their passion for bespoke tailoring and how our innovative approach aims to secure and inspire the future of Savile Row.

With the craft itself having changed little over the centuries, our suits are still cut from individual paper patterns, using the imperial measuring system of this age-old tradition. Mixing this with an eye for technology and innovation, “We’re making bespoke tailoring more modern and accessible, whilst still being traditional,” says tailor John Baker.

Shot entirely at our Savile Row shop, this video was made by Hogarth Worldwide, a London based marketing implementation agency, who sent a production team along to film us for the day. You can read a full transcript of the video below.

Play Video

James, C&D Founder/Director : Nowadays a website is really your shop front. And we’ve always treated it like a window display. We want to give people the option to see what we’re doing before they come in and really be aware of the pricing. To try and break down hidden boundaries behind tailoring, to show the different style options, as many different cloths as possible, simply to put people at ease before they come through the door.

The first stage is the consultation process. A very important part of that process is obviously selecting the cloth. That’s really going to determine what the suit looks like.

John, Tailor/Front of House: We’re making tailoring more modern and accessible whilst still being traditional.

Mike, Tailor/Front of House: The great thing about us as a company is we’re very forward thinking. We integrate technology into the equation, so when we’re going through the design process the customer will have an on screen visualisation when we’re talking about different design details.

James, C&D Founder/Director: We spend a good amount of time with the customer finding out what the suit is needed for – whether its a wedding, whether it’s a work suit – because the cloths will need to reflect that. The customer will then get measured. It’s about accommodating that customer and what he wants, within our house style.

We will then make a pattern for that customer – jacket pattern, trouser pattern, waistcoat pattern, overcoat pattern, whatever it is – so the pattern becomes every customer’s blueprint. That’s stored on file so any subsequent orders will be always cut off that. Once it’s made, we try to turn a flat piece of fabric into a three dimensional fitting. It’s an art form and it takes us about 60 hours to make a hand made suit. We have to amalgamate all the different components of that suit and there are different people involved in the making of it.

David, Head Cutter: You do need that something extra to bring the next generation of bespoke client’s through the door. What Cad & The Dandy are doing is always innovating. Tweed has got a bit of a staid reputation. When you come to Cad & The Dandy you’re going to see tweeds cut in exciting colours, exciting designs, worn with panache. It gives people a bit of a lift. People come here and they think ‘wow!’

Rhiannon, Cutter: Cad & The Dandy have quite a flexible approach to tailoring. So in my experience they will work on a variety of garments using different cloths.

James, C&D Founder/Director: We’re trying to get everybody involved in everything. I don’t really like businesses where you’re just going to section the work. That’s not to say that I want a coatmaker of mine to make a pair of trousers. Everyone has to have their own area of skill, but I think it’s very important that everyone is very customer facing.

You’re never too old to learn. It’s all about adapting and changing so hopefully in ten years time we’ll be as reactive and as able to change with trends and demands as we are today. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

More –

Bespoke Suits : Wear & Care
The Golden Rules of Bespoke Tailoring
How it Works : The Essentials