Tailoring Placement

[Henry Hall]

Marketing....'brand identity'... I don't know, it seems to be a curse for tailoring establishments. Gieves & Hawkes went down that route big time and now they appear more like a rtw gents' outfitters. Some of the clothes they sell (or have on sale?) look like clothes from H&M.

Certainly there's nothing wrong with attracting a younger, broader range of clientele, though I'm never sure whether the people attracted by the marketing spiel fully understand what they are responding to. On the whole it strikes me that those tailoring establishments (particularly in the UK) which have gone 'mainstream' have very much diluted their 'brand' rather than enhanced it. Not to mention the rather spurious offshoot operations like 'Henry Poole, China'.

[Julieh]

Marketing....'brand identity'... I don't know, it seems to be a curse for tailoring establishments. Gieves & Hawkes went down that route big time and now they appear more like a rtw gents' outfitters. Some of the clothes they sell (or have on sale?) look like clothes from H&M.

By brand identity, i mean giving it an actual identity, giving it a makeover, a logo, getting the name out there again, letting people know about the last bespoke tailor of its kind in the area. The current decor is wood panelling dated 1970s or 80s, not my favourite vintage decor. Greaves and hawkes are in London, they are rich, im not and im in scotland, we have a completely different market and style to London.


Like i said, i haven't started yet and i started this thread for feedback on tailoring skills and ability, i.e time i should spend concentrating on certain tasks etc. I will leave my business ideas for the moment as i have a lot to concentrate on skills wise. If things dont go to plan then ill continue to focus on my other visions and ill have gained excellent experience from a master tailor, still all good either way.

[Julieh]

My apologies, gieves and hawkes.

To me this is about tradition and heritage, i don't want want that shop to die and be replaced with a charity shop or phone fixing shop or another coffee shop, that's all.

[spookietoo]

Julieh - not to discourage you but what I think everyone is trying to bring to your attention is the fact that the clientele for bespoke clothing is basically dying off. In prior times young professional men may have struggled for a few bespoke suits while the older established gentleman would have maintained a wardrobe sufficient to denote his status and success.  These days men, both young and old, use their toys to denote status. Young men have the latest I-phone, flashiest auto, coolest vacations - older men have bigger boats,  second and third homes, second and third vehicles...(second and third wives) and most men are dressed in a quality of polo shirt and khakis that denotes their social standing.

Many tailors still operating must do alterations just to keep the lights on and food on the table.

So as you are honing your skills, it would probably be beneficial to understand who you are marketing to before worrying about the marketing itself. Quite frankly, with the extremely poor quality of RTW clothing available to women these days at virtually all price points, I would think the executive female market would be of interest. If she can be convinced to spend $1200 - $2400 on a designer label (that mostly only impresses her female underlings), then can she be convinced to spend the necessary amount to overpower the men she meets with next in the conference room?

These types of decisions should have bearing on the focus of your training.

[Greger]

Hmm. Don't think you know what bespoke tailoring is. It's a different way of making clothes. It is different because of the way people think about clothes. Therefore, how they are made. Most people only know a little about mass market production and expect that sort of manufacture, which is a completely different.  Today the word bespoke is polluted. But the people who want the old word, bespoke, are going to walk out very quickly when they find out your not it. Then, all your customers are gone, because that is the only kind of customers they have.

You can start a brand if you like in another room with another name so you don't scare away your bread and butter customers. It is best to have a different name for it, too.

When there were lots of tailors some had several business. For the high priced. Middle-class. And last, but not least, teenagers. Keeping these customers separate by using different doors, or different places in town, brought in more customers. A smaller town with fewer tailors and customers can schedule their customers according to wealth and age. For example, teenagers on Monday's.

Some small town tailors make many kinds of garments to stay in business. My granddad could make any kind of garment. I watched him explain every detail of making a coat from perhaps the1350s. This one boy of 11 that I went to school with went to a local tailor and got a simple school coat. Not expensive. Another boy just out of high school went to a local tailor for a special coat made and the old tailor told him about making clothes for about every fad that came around the bend in his life time. Don't have to be a stuffy old tailor only making "tailored" clothes. But your image to your customers matters, as I explained different doors, different rooms and even different locations, so not to lose customers.

What I like about tailors making so many kinds of garments, one offs, at that, is they are not elementary garments. There education (apprenticeship) added so much knowledge. Better pattern, better fit, better concept of the fad, style, whatever. I've seen lousy tailors who should have been doing something else with their life. But the best tailors leave a lot to marvel about when seeing  people wearing these clothes that they made.

I think what you want is not brand and other unworthy associations, but recognition of making the best for the wealthy and those who have less.  When teenagers discover that they are part of the fashion design team, who wants to go to the store to try and find something that will never be as good? The tailor who made for the 11 year old boy just looked at him, a few measurements, of course, found out what was wanted, and drew the pattern on the cloth, cut out with inlays for fitting, do the fitting, sew it up and press- finished. Cost a little more than unfitted store bought pre-made garbage. A sports coat can have a canvas put in on the bias with less details to bring the cost down. Some guys never use hip pockets on the coat. A flap there nobody except the owner is going to know. There are ways to bring the cost down and still have a nice coat. A good fit is important. Other stuff varies according to price. Thousands of hand stitches will run the cost up, as more details add to the cost for those who want them. Make what people will pay for.

True bespoke is top brand identity. You don't have to make a fake one. True bespoke gives you and the customer freedom and liberty, whereas, brand identity, that you are thinking of, will take that away, because it is in a different business category.