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April 27, 2009
about time.....
(now pay attention.., english cut lessons)
In between running round the globe fitting hand made suits to personal clients I've been doing some special homework. The director of this company, Sportswear International initially contacted me the best part of two years ago to have a suit made. Sadly for him we were too busy to help but he wanted to come and see us anyway.
You see Kirk Robertson the managing director of Sportwear International that supplies the very best in sportswear to schools and clubs. He can put his hand on heart and say this because they had researched, developed and tested their products. This confirmed that there was no doubt that their products could stand up to any form of scrutiny. However the same could not be said for their school uniforms, especially their school blazers.
Certainly they had a fine range which was competitively priced and was as good as anything thing else found on the market. This was of course the problem, it was just the same as was what was on the market. There had been no research, no development or testing on their range of school blazers. Obviously a very important piece of clothing. The fact was that unlike their other products their school blazers were only equal to the market leaders, not better and in a word unremarkable, unlike their sportswear.
This is where yours truly came in. They knew there had to be something better and the key was to start from the beginning. Of course Mum's not going to pay £1,500 for their dear child's blazer but there where still huge differences we could make which wouldn't bump up the cost too much. We drafted new patterns that were slimmer and more fitted, reduced the huge armhole so the wearer could actually move. We put the waist button in the waist instead of the usual position stuck halfway up the chest bone. We've ripped out the stiff construction and replaced it with more natural and softer materials. As you can imagine the fabric has to be very tough, I mean Kevlar tough. Obviously this ruggedness doesn't usually make a good bed partner for a soft luxurious feel. Once again with a fresh approach they managed to find an amazing fabric that was strong but soft to touch. Incredibly you can put it through a washing machine. I really must add it to our range:)
(modelling outside the hall)
The new range is called the S-Cut, self explanatory. We addressed everything in the range from the ladies skirt to the men's tank tops. It's a completely new approach to school wear. We're still studying and tweaking the range because everything can be improved. You can view the range here. Of course for about £20.00 ($27.00) for the jacket retail there are limitations but we've made big improvements. As you can see on our model, who's a little taller than the usual pupil you can see the more natural shoulder and fitted shape. A long way from the previous boxy look. It's been a real treat for me to be able to improve these clothes that children and young adults have to wear. They really have been forgotten about far too long. It's incredible the youngsters who hated wearing school uniforms are now not just tolerating them but are actually enjoying wearing them.
(the ladies didn't miss out either)
We've put a lot of time and effort into these including fitting in a breakneck schedule to Shanghai to meet with the manufacturers to make sure everything was up to standard. In the beginning to try to design something that fitted within such a criteria but still make it unlike anything made before seemed impossible, especially with the cost constraints. Dare I say it I'm very proud of the end result. It's not going to make me a millionaire but it is another chapter in the English Cut gospel for good clothes, not expensive ones. The important thing is that it'll make a lot of youngsters very, very happy.
Posted by tom at April 27, 2009 12:23 PM
Comments
Not only have you made them happy, you've introduced them to the idea that "dress" clothing can be comfortable and flattering. Here's to developing a new generation of clients! (I hope to be one myself, someday.)
Posted by: EasyAndElegantLife at April 28, 2009 9:31 PM
Wow! This is a fantastic initiative, and I really hope it turns out well for you commercially.
I think it's wonderful when true craftsman and professionals take time to dramatically increase the quality of products for the broader market. A hearty well done!
Posted by: Jed Christiansen at April 29, 2009 12:00 AM
I think suits on both men and women is so classy! I'm loving it.
Posted by: Shawna at June 10, 2009 10:02 PM
Lovely suits!
Posted by: Vädret i Amsterdam idag at February 9, 2010 7:43 PM