Savile Row Tailoring

Savile Row tailoring, though often copied, is rarely ever equalled. It is also one of the few places in the world you would struggle to find master tailors. On Savile Row, tailors specialise in different areas.

These areas are broken down into different skills. Rarely, if ever, does one tailor train in each area. In the instance they had, they probably failed in one skill and hoped they could succeed in another.

These years were tough for those in Savile Row tailoring. An ageing staff caused a drop in the making standards and many examples of the clothing found from this era show a substandard product that would not be acceptable today.

Savile Row tailoring is revered around the world as the highest possible standard, though this notoriety has humbled many in their field. Few would wish to claim such a title. For the years Rory spent there, he like many of his peers, worked hard daily to make themselves worthy of such a title.

A tailor on Savile Row is a generic title with many positions falling under it as Savile Row tailoring in and of itself has become an institution with many faces and names behind it.

We first begin with the cutter.

A cutter is someone who takes measurements, cuts patterns and conducts fittings. They are also a production manager managing a small team of selected makers both in-house and off-site. A cutter is often supported by an under-cutter, a title generally given to an apprentice who works under the cutter. The term under-cutter is often confused with a striker.

A striker is someone who strikes the patterns on to the cloth. This is often the responsibility of the under-cutter but in some cases a cutter who failed to learn the trade of pattern cutting may be retained in this position solely and have other responsibilities such as being a trimmer. Which brings us to the next role.

The trimmer trims the jobs – the term given to cut clothing. They add the canvasses, linings, zips, buttons, treads, etc. so that the maker has everything they need to make up the job. They will sometimes oversee the trimming room, maintain the stock and order all necessary materials.

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