Experience

The tactile nature of making clothes has always remained a natural pull for me. Initially I saw tailoring as the height of clothes making, thinking, ‘If I can make a suit, I can make anything’. As much as there is some truth to this, in the sense of cutting, fitting, making and finishing, I soon realised that clothing was this beautiful never ending can of worms I had opened. Naturally this led me to delve deeper and want more; more knowledge, more skill in the multifaceted world of clothing. It is a never ending pursuit and I love that.

While starting with  standard patterns as a to make shirts, trousers and dresses, I found I craved more; a deeper knowledge. I attended Newham College in London having been ushered there by almost every Savile Row tailoring house I knocked on the door of as an 18 year old. After two years of learning the English style of cutting and making, I left to expand my horizons in whichever way I could.

Speciale in Notting Hill, London offered me something more creative aligned with what I believed in. A tailoring house that originated from north of Florence, Italy. It had found its way to London by way of an ex-apprentice working for them in Italy. This Florentine Milanese style of tailoring was (and still is) fascinating to me. I spent the next three years as an apprentice myself to the Head Cutter, learning the ins and outs of Italian tailoring. The soft, unstructured, cardigan esque, wearable nature of these suits captivated me.

After my apprenticeship, Coat Making, and Trouser making were in my repertoire. Going back to my initial statement. I could now make a suit, so, ‘I can make anything’. At this point it felt right to honour just that and start seeing what I could do. Changing subtle aspects of the tailoring I had grown to love. This fuelled my creative juices and has inspired me to make several pieces that stray from the norm of Florentine tailoring, yet maintaining the traditional essence of it. It will in the future too.

With making, comes understanding cutting. This is something I have learned through client fittings, ripping garments down, remarking them, and making them to another baste fitting. It has provided a solid foundation to explore further. Adapting a traditional tailoring block, or to cut garments of all varieties using new ideas that come to mind, or those that I am inspired by from the past. This notion rings true in the creative world I feel. Taking an era, being informed by a style, honouring its beauty and making it my own.