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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 12:23 PM | Comments (4)
April 23, 2009
how much...
(hope it fits)
Here's an interesting tale of a £70,000 ($102,000) suit. It was made or conceived by this designer Mr Alexander Amosu.
It does look pretty sharp but then it should at that price. I don't know who's behind the making of this but it would be very interesting to know. Anyway, I can feel a price increase coming on :)
Posted by tom at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2009
back to it...
(perfect for Chicago:)
As you can probably surmise we've been pretty busy here since we returned from the US. As soon as I returned I was catching up with clients here at the Hall and also in London. At least we got to enjoy a lovely Easter break and enjoy some lovely spring weather.
I was quite frankly astonished how busy we were on our trip. Again, my existing clients kept us going which I hope is because they're delighted with our clothes but I would imagine that the pound being weaker and making a suit $1000 less than last year definitely helped. This goes to prove that even with the dark clouds of recession every cloud has a silver lining.
(Rav and I taking the air before another hard day)
I was delighted to meet up with my friends Ravi and Lucy who also did very good business. In this climate I didnt expect to be on my feet working 12 hours every day, my feet were killing me.
What I also didn't expect is that our US friends seem to be having a bit of fun with their choices. Instead of the usual classics for business etc they're where lots of lovely cottons and linens chosen in bright summer colours. Bold country tweeds sold in Atlanta and Norfolk hunting suits in Chicago. This mini revolution cheers me up up because it harks back to the days when people wore wonderful clothes on all occasions. Instead of just work and formal events they're wearing beautiful clothes in the country, at the beach resorts and even for walking the dog. As I've said before good clothing made for you and only for you is irreplaceable.
(Paul altering one of our clients coats after the second fitting)
All of this makes me a very happy man as like anyone else I have wages and bills to pay and to have a full order book especially when I plan to marry in August is very comforting. From all of us here at English Cut we thank you all for the continued support.
Posted by tom at 12:24 PM | Comments (1)
April 6, 2009
prices...
(One of my finishers, putting in the buttonholes by hand.)
Ah, here comes the fun bit. All prices are in British Pounds Sterling. Price starting from:
Two Piece Suit: £2195
Three Piece Suit: £2720
Jacket or Blazer: £1475
Trousers: £755
Overcoat: £2195
Two Piece Dinner Suit: £2590
Three Piece Dinner Suit: £3125
[*Ahem!* Currency converter here.]
Prices do not include VAT (British sales tax). Prices are for the standard cloths, which account for about 80% of the trade on Savile Row. Obviously if you want something very special, like cashmere, then we have to renegotiate with the cloth merchants.
E-mail Thomas: englishcut@gmail.com
["Thomas'Top Ten": my favourite English Cut articles.]
[U.S. visits, 4 times a year: Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and New York.]
Posted by tom at 10:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack