British Tailors, Tradition and Craftsmanship
Did you think tailoring is about just putting clothes together? With British tailors, tailoring is an art, a journey of creation, building a masterpiece and crafting your unique statement piece.
Welcome to McCann Bespoke, where we bring you the finest bespoke suits in London. Crafting excellence since 2002, our experienced tailors combine tradition with contemporary British tailoring to create suits that are uniquely yours.
We will explore the history, tradition, and craftsmanship of British tailoring and give tips on finding the best tailors in Britain.
The history and tradition of British tailors
Britain’s reputation for excellent tailoring was not built in recent years. Tailors established themselves on and around Savile Row through the early nineteenth century, having begun on nearby Old Burlington Street.
Through the nineteenth century, as British wealth and influence grew, demand for bespoke tailoring rose with it.
This was how London, especially Savile Row, became synonymous with fine tailoring. Since then, Britain has pushed hard to maintain its reputation for excellent tailoring. The British Royal Family has also significantly put British tailoring at the pinnacle of excellence.
From the 19th century down to the 20th century, British tailoring has maintained its tradition of building suits with structure, fine-fitting, high-quality fabric often sourced from British mills, and unique craftsmanship achieved with meticulous hand-stitching and attention given to details.
Japan adopted Western dress from the Meiji period in the late nineteenth century, and British tailoring travelled with it.
In the early 20th century, Winston Churchill was a Savile Row customer through his career, and though the world wars took their toll on the trade, British tailoring came through it.
The evolution of craftsmanship
Though British tailoring continues to evolve with innovations to meet contemporary needs and to ensure that the art of Bespoke tailoring thrives in the modern era, they still hold fast to the tradition that has made them stand out over the centuries.
Early tailoring in Britain was limited to basic clothing construction, mainly hand-sewn with simple stitches and fabrics. Practical sewing machines arrived between the 1830s and 1850s, allowing faster and more uniform stitching..
This inspired tailors to make tailcoats and frockcoats, which required advanced tailoring techniques such as pad stitching and canvas interfacing.
The 20th century and beyond have brought about more advanced clothes-style sewing. Despite all these evolutions, British tailoring still hand-stitched their Bespoke suits to craft it to perfection.
The Craftsmanship behind British sewing
When you step into a suit shop in London, you will know that you have entered a different world of tailoring. Suit shops in London are unique and outstanding because of the warm reception and personalised services they offer to clients.
In a British suit shop, you find suits that are hand-crafted and tailored to fit the client perfectly. Their Bespoke suits are excellently crafted.
At McCann Bespoke, we give our clients a personalised experience, our best approach to crafting their ideal suits. You can read more about our bespoke tailoring service.
From the consultation to the final fitting and adjustment, we ensure our clients are involved in the craftsmanship journey. This has made us stand out as one of London’s best suit tailors.
Free Tailoring Consultation
The process of suit tailoring
Achieving a well-tailored Bespoke suit requires a hard and dedicated process. It is harder when the suit has to be hand-made. This process begins with selecting the finest fabrics that suit the client’s choice and then choosing a design.
The tailors then take the client’s measurements and with this, the patterns are drafted and the fabric is cut into the desired style. Our guide to what to expect from a fitting explains each appointment. When the suit has been chosen, the client comes for the first fitting, after which adjustments are made on the clothes to give it a perfect fit.
The client comes again for a final fitting, after which the final finishing is done on the suit. With so much precision and craftsmanship, a McCann Bespoke suit achieves the excellence it exudes. Here are some testimonials from our clients who have enjoyed our excellent services.
Testimonials
“I’ve been using McCann Bespoke for almost a couple of years now.
Great quality clothes, precision tailoring and awesome customer service, especially from Claudia who is my go-to tailor. I appreciate the way they gently challenge me to look at fresh ideas and consider garments that I wouldn’t normally look at.” Simon Goodenough
“Amazing service! I will be using McCann Bespoke for everything in the future.
Claudia who works there is so lovely and attentive, she had everything ready for me in a day – and my coat was fixed perfectly.
Very happy and have recommended McCann Bespoke to all my friends.” Tian Chaudhry
Made-to-Measure suits
We always talk about suits being made from scratch, but what if a client has a suit that they want to redesign? Can this be achieved? Yes! This is achievable.
While a Bespoke suit is entirely made from scratch, tailored uniquely to the client’s perfect measurement and preference, a Made-to-measure suit is made from an existing pattern modified to meet the client’s exact measurement and give a better fit.
Made-to-measure suits, if properly handled by the best tailors, can still give you the perfect look you desire after all modifications. See our made to measure service for what it covers and what it costs.
The tailors take the client’s measurements and detailed information on the areas in the suit the client isn’t specifically comfortable with, and with this information, they create the suit to be a perfect fit. Some of the advantages of opting for a made-to-measure suit are;
- Cost-effectiveness: Made-to-measure suits are not as expensive as Bespoke suits since the client won’t be buying many materials for them, and they are not hand-stitched or made from scratch.
- Processing duration: Made-to-measure suits require less time to be made with fewer fittings than a Bespoke, which demands a longer process and time to be made.
- Good craftsmanship: Although it isn’t crafted from scratch, the modifications done it can still help it achieve a better construction and finishing than an off-the-rack suit.
- Customisation: In modifying a made-to-measure suit, the client can select customisation options such as the fabric, linings, buttons, lapels, pocket designs, etc. to give the suit a touch of customisation.
Best tailors in London
Choosing a tailor is a crucial step in your suit-crafting journey. London tailors are renowned for their excellent craft. When trying to get the best tailor for your crafted suit, you need to look out for the quality of the suits they make, if they offer Bespoke services, the quality of fabrics and other materials they use and if they leave their clients satisfied and pleased. Our guide to choosing a tailor in London goes through what to look for.
At McCann Bespoke, our tailors are known for rendering the best service crafting suits that leave our clients feeling confident and satisfied. We stand out for crafting excellence. Our impeccable craft has given us global recognition.
In 2013, McCann Bespoke beat off several competitors to become the official designer of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Winner’s Blazers.
McCann Bespoke has grown to become one of London’s leading tailors. We not only style individuals but also professional sports teams, businesses, and even the entire Lyre’s Global Brand.
From the early 18th century, when tailoring began to make its mark in Britain, one thing that has helped British tailoring to maintain its excellence and perfect craftsmanship is holding on to its unique tradition despite embracing innovations and evolutions.
London is home to some of the finest tailoring in the world, and our team cuts every suit to the client’s own measurements. Looking for a tailor in London? Call us on 020 3904 6506 or book an appointment.
