To be invited to design a cloth and to find a bespoke tailor to have it made into a suit must be the ultimate menswear blogger's dream. And it's just happened to me. In a collaboration with Johnstons of Elgin and Dege & Skinner of Savile Row a beautiful cashmere/wool cloth was made in Scotland and tailored into a very English suit for a very lucky blogger.
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| Image Jonathan Daniel Pryce @GarconJon - Chester Brogues by Loake |
The project had its roots in my first visit to the Elgin mill at which raw fibre, cashmere, lambswool or merino, enters the building at one end, emerging as gorgeous cloths at the other. I was deeply impressed by the skills and passion of all involved. The mill's archive of cloth samples goes back to Victoria's reign and contains a large selection of designs, many familiar to us today and many unusual to our eyes, but meriting a revival. I harboured a secret dream to design a cloth inspired by what I'd seen. It was therefore a huge surprise, privilege and pleasure to be invited by Johnstons earlier this year to do just that.
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| Archive inspiration, one of the samples that inspired the final cloth design |
Over the next few weeks I'll take you on the exciting journey from fibre to completed suit, exploring the design and manufacturing skills of a Scottish mill and the cutting and tailoring skills of Dege & Skinner, the Savile Row tailors I selected to make the suit.
See Johnstons of Elgin and Dege & Skinner for more information about what they do.
At this point I'd like to out on record my thanks to the many people at Johnstons of Elgin and Dege & Skinner who've been involved with this project. I'll mention many as we go along, but one thing is clear - great projects like this are a team effort and the final suit is a model of British design, manufacture and tailoring skills involving men and women of all ages. It's easy not to appreciate just how much goes into making a roll of cloth and a complex garment like a suit. I learned that such skills take years, generations even, to acquire. I hope this series give you some inkling of what's involved.
At this point I'd like to out on record my thanks to the many people at Johnstons of Elgin and Dege & Skinner who've been involved with this project. I'll mention many as we go along, but one thing is clear - great projects like this are a team effort and the final suit is a model of British design, manufacture and tailoring skills involving men and women of all ages. It's easy not to appreciate just how much goes into making a roll of cloth and a complex garment like a suit. I learned that such skills take years, generations even, to acquire. I hope this series give you some inkling of what's involved.
