In today’s language the term bespoke means to make a product to a customer or to a client’s individual specifications, as opposed to providing a standardised service. If clothing is bespoke, it carries with it an air of individuality or exclusivity. Bespoke clothing; whether it is personal business wear or for a range of exclusive staff clothing, should seek to instil a sense of pride in those who are going to be wearing it. For clothing to qualify as bespoke it needs to be fitted to the individual, normally on the premises from which the suit or dress is to be purchased from. In a very real sense it’s about acquiring a look that the wearer feels most comfortable with.
Getting fitted
The suit or clothing is built around the individual and not the other way around. After the first fitting, everything is drawn out in impeccable detail onto paper and then to cloth. The proto-suit is then held together by basting cotton, which is designed to come undone as the fitting progresses. Overall it can be a lengthy and time consuming process and requires as many fittings as necessary to get the best results. Getting fitted for any bespoke clothing is the complete antithesis of the ready-to-wear office uniforms which took off in the 1970’s. Before the era of mass produced office suits, practically all business wear was bespoke.
The Bespoke Suit:
Without doubt the most expensive suits in the world are those that have been made exactly to the wearer’s requirements. In bespoke tailoring absolutely nothing is left to chance. All the way from the first consultation to the finished article, every single detail is considered, no matter how minute. This is reflected in the price tag; a bespoke suit will often retail for a minimum of £5.000, and even if you don’t go that far you can expect your fabric to be tailored to an impeccable standard. There is practically no use of machines and no matter the type of fabric chosen it will be the best available. Only the finest wools and most specialist yarning equipment will be used; the more yarns per square inch, the finer the fabric itself will be. In bespoke suit and business wear making there must be a minimum of 100 yarns per square inch for the garment to be considered for a place in the premier league. In addition, such fabrics are built to last and as the count increases the scope for variety in colour and design also increases.
Made to Measure suits
Purchasing a bespoke suit is a financial outlay that is not always necessary and so the made to measure suit may be a more sensible compromise. It is still possible to obtain a high degree of individuality because all made-to-measure suits require at least 25 individual measurements. The big difference is that the clothing is fabricated at a factory and not in an individual tailoring premises. Bespoke clothing is without doubt the most exclusive and highest quality clothing available.
