Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

USA has decoupled from China because of the Tarifs and security reasons.

Lucky is the one, who has prepared his tailoring business during Covid time and has ordered enough material.
The time of 100$ suits of China in USA is over very soon. The leftover rags will be sold fast in the stores before they go bankrupt here, when the storages are empty.

The USA has very limited apparel industry, almost nothing. Nobody has learned the trade anymore. Chinese and Asians will be mostly deported from our soil, the endtimes are on the horizon.

Production is moved to Vietnam and Cambodia but they will be cut off as well from our USA markets. Every nation needs to produce their own garment. Made in USA is the new deal. In China, customers avoid made in USA and go back to Made in China. The time of cheap shit is over.

From ca. 1825 - 1900 the universal male "uniform" in Europe and America was a black frock coat, top hat, and trousers.  Every man had at least one, and tailors knew how to make them.  Details of style varied from decade to decade, but the basic concept was the same.

And from ca. 1890 - 1975 the universal male uniform became the sack or lounge suit.  Every man had a least one, and tailors knew how to make them.  Details of style varied from decade to decade, but the basic concept was the same.

But now we are living in the second quarter of the 21st century.  Outside of major metropolitan centers and below a certain economic class, who wears a suit?  And very few tailors are left who know how to make them.

The entire industry will have to be recreated from scratch - and how much demand is there, really?

Who wore a frock coat in the 20th century?  They became formalwear, and then costume.  Is the same thing happening to the classic suit today?

I truly wish all bespoke tailors the best.  Making my own jacket using traditional techniques has taught me they earn their money.  As if I ever doubted it.

But maybe it would be better to aim lower and hit a sure target than aim high and starve to death?

I think we are more likely to see successful bespoke shirt and trouser businesses than a lot of new bespoke suit makers.

I suspect that, assuming the tariffs stick, and that's a big if, this is more likely to be a final death blow to the lounge suit for anyone below high economic status. I already get interviewees for engineering jobs who don't wear a suit. They seem to have been relegated to the finance industry, weddings, and fancy dates. I have family who have their "dress jeans". I've noticed that local MTM "custom suit" places around me market heavily to grooms wanting to look sharp at their wedding. But how long can that last? I am inclined to agree that tailor made shirts and trousers are probably a more viable long term business. Overcoats might make for something to offer alongside that. Maybe the frock coat could make a comeback. It's so completely unknown here that I think it could return from costume status to niche fashion. To my eye it just looks like a very fitted overcoat.

As a matter of fact, a number of aged Italian immigrant gentlemen fish for garfish off the Grange jetty, South Australia, who wouldn't be seen in anything else but black worsted suits.

Quote from: Schneiderfrei on April 20, 2025, 03:28:19 PMAs a matter of fact, a number of aged Italian immigrant gentlemen fish for garfish off the Grange jetty, South Australia, who wouldn't be seen in anything else but black worsted suits.

Bespoke, no doubt?

Quote from: DrLang on April 20, 2025, 12:36:35 PMI suspect that, assuming the tariffs stick, and that's a big if, this is more likely to be a final death blow to the lounge suit for anyone below high economic status. I already get interviewees for engineering jobs who don't wear a suit. They seem to have been relegated to the finance industry, weddings, and fancy dates. I have family who have their "dress jeans". I've noticed that local MTM "custom suit" places around me market heavily to grooms wanting to look sharp at their wedding. But how long can that last? I am inclined to agree that tailor made shirts and trousers are probably a more viable long term business. Overcoats might make for something to offer alongside that. Maybe the frock coat could make a comeback. It's so completely unknown here that I think it could return from costume status to niche fashion. To my eye it just looks like a very fitted overcoat.

Remember Trump and Vance telling Selensky to be looking like a piece of shit in the Oval Office with his engineering attire.
Time will change. You don't wear a suit, either you have mental problems or you are a looser.

I don't think it's the traditional bespoke tailoring as much as it is the personal and customised product in general that has the interest of many young people these days. The educated consumer is clearly aware of the tremendous waste problem of fast fashion and that consuming "less but better" may be a solution to the problem. Now that youngsters are consuming fast fashion at an ever younger age, chances are that they will grow tired of it at an ever younger age as well. Many young adults are desparate for a sort of timelesness in their attire but there are no real commercial platforms for that.

Cheers, Hendrick

Quote from: jruley on April 20, 2025, 11:04:48 PMBespoke, no doubt?

Oh yes. If there are any tailors still working for normal people they'd have to be Italian. And most likely from Napoli,  Benevento, or Regio Calabria.

Maybe the "fishermen in black" are bespoke tailors on holiday...

Tend to think that there will always be tailors because some people want better. Even the Tailor and Cutter had problems with tailors thinking that tailors and tailoring is limited to certain garments. When did tailoring begin? 1100? Clothes have changed a lot since then. Tailoring was never about making sterile clothing. If you look through books of paintings you can't find one painted garment the until more recent history during tailoring history. Clearly clothes were art and tailors there artists. Some of it is wild and exotic compare with today's "tailored suits". Like in the past men got tired of what was done before. Today's males are looking for something new. This is normal male behavior. Tailors of the past were paying attention and changed as the customers wanted. Are tailors today paying attention? The purpose of the canvass is to make better garments. Since the beginning of tailoring the construction of the canvass have changed to meet the desires of the customers. And some garments don't even use canvass and some garments, the better ones, do. When change came tailors had to figure out how to make the changes that the customers wanted. There was nobody around to tell them how.