Tailoring in Conversation by HNBT

My guest for today is Paul Kruize. Paul Kruize is a bespoke jean maker from Enschede in the Netherlands. One man, one machine, making one pair of jeans at a time. During our conversation we will talk about Paul's journey, the garment industry in the Netherlands, jeans making, the search for perfection, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Chris Modoo. Chris is a menswear stylist based in London and has been working for companies such as Thomas Pink, Ede & Ravenscroft and Chester Barrie to name a few. During our conversation we will talk about Chris' journey, the relevancy of heritage brands, style and its purpose, the importance of local tailors, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is John Davis. John is a bespoke tailor currently based in South London. Along with his daughter Roxanne, he exclusively works for the tailoring houses on Savile Row. As the former owner of Tobias Tailors at No. 32, John has spent a good 50 years on Savile and is here today to share his story. During our conversation we will talk about John's tailoring journey, his time at Kilgour, what makes Savile Row special, teaching and apprenticeships, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Jon Moore. Jon is British Couturier specialising in women's wear. He began his career as a Fashion Design student at Kingston University in the mid 70's and worked his way up to becoming the Design Director at Hardy Amies. He now has his own private clients and students. During our conversation we will talk about Jon's journey, his time at Hardy Amies, the differences between couture and men's tailoring, the influences of clients on the creative process, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Holly Robins. Holly is the founder and head tailor of the Holly Robins Bespoke Studio: a Savile Row trained collective atelier of trouser and waistcoat makers. During our conversation we will talk about Holly's tailoring journey, the process of setting up a tailoring atelier, training staff, work culture and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is James MacAuslan. James is a bespoke shirt cutter at Budd Shirtmakers based in London's Piccadilly Arcade. During our conversation we will talk about James' journey in becoming a shirt cutter, crafts within the context of business, the differences between shirt and coat making, types of knifes used is shirt cutting and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Szabolcs Tóháti. Szabolcs is a lawyer and shirtmaker in Debrecen, Hungary. He is accompanied by his brother Istvan, who will be our translator. During our conversation we will talk about tailoring in Hungary, shirt making, Szabolcs' experience working as a lawyer and tailor and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Thomas von Nordheim. Thomas is a master tailor, couturier and costume maker based in Kent, England. Some of you may know him from his Couture Masterclasses on Teachable or his work for the film “Phantom Thread' featuring Daniel Day-Lewis. During our conversation we will talk about Thomas' background and journey, haute couture, costume making for movies, tailoring education, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Simon Martelo. Simon is the director, founder and bespoke cutter at Martelo Bespoke based in Bogota, Colombia. During our conversation we will talk about Simon's tailoring journey, the bespoke tailoring culture in Colombia, Rocosa: influence from Spanish tailoring, stigma towards tailoring, how to extract clients' personality and translate that into a garment, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Antonia Ede. Antonia is a bespoke cutter and founder of Montague Ede, a modern bespoke tailoring atelier with a traditional background based in London's Mayfair. Originally trained on Savile Row, Antonia began her apprenticeship at Hardy Amies, before she further developed her skills at Huntsman. During our conversation we will talk about Antonia's teaching experience at Wandsworth Prison, tailoring apprenticeships, the relationship between employees and employers, the challenges for female cutters, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Frank Shattuck. Frank is a bespoke tailor based in New York, US. With a deep passion for tradition and the old world methods of tailoring, Frank continues his craft by following in the footsteps of his masters. He cuts, fits and makes everything by himself. During our conversation we will talk about Frank's background, the essence of apprenticeships, a well-balanced jacket, woodcarving, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Jeffery Diduch. Most of us know Jeffery from his blog “Tutto Fatto A Mano", in which he shared his research by dissecting both bespoke and factory-made garments but also documenting his own personal projects. He is now the Senior Vice President of Design at Hickey Freeman/Samuelsohn. During our conversation we will talk about Jeffery's background, the differences between bespoke and mass production, upcoming clothing technologies, tailoring as a form of engineering, the skill of technical thinking and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Rameez Baggia. Rameez is a bespoke tailor and co-founder of Baggia & Ton, which is a progressive bespoke tailoring and made-to-measure atelier in Melbourne, Australia. During our conversation we will talk about Rameez's tailoring journey, bespoke tailoring in Australia, the conundrum of heritage, misuse of the word ‘bespoke', innovation in bespoke tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Jo Baker Waters. Jo is a bespoke tailor and fashion designer currently base in Los Angeles, US. Originally trained at Gieves and Hawkes, Jo has worked for companies like Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, to name a few. She is also the author of the book “Pattern Cutting Techniques for Ladies' Tailored Jackets”, which is available on the Crowood Press, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. During our conversation we will talk about Jo's fashion design & art journey leading to bespoke tailoring, art in traditional tailoring, the sleepless nights every artist has experienced, the process of writing a book, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Lee Marsh. Lee is a bespoke cutter, tailor and designer based in London. He combines the best of these worlds to create pieces that inspire by pushing the boundaries of traditional tailoring. During our conversation we will talk about Lee's creative journey leading to bespoke tailoring, the right apprentice mindset, the romance of making garments, virtual vs in-person courses, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Hossein Tohja. He is accompanied by Mina Mowlaie who is the translator. Hossein is a pattern cutter for Raad Fashion House in Tehran, Iran. During our conversation we will talk about his journey of becoming a pattern cutter, bespoke tailoring in Iran, setting up a company in a country like Iran, the effects of sanctions on tailors, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Jitesh Merchant. Jitesh, also known as Lalu, is based in Mumbai, India. He is a third generation tailor and the owner of A Sequeira Bespoke Academy. During our conversation we will talk about the struggles of learning from different masters, how you can recognise a good master and student, craftsmanship and bespoke tailoring in India, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Vitalii Chigvintsev. Vitalii owns a tailoring company called Sarto Russi in Moscow. During our conversation we will talk about Vitalii's background, the Russian tailoring scene, made-to-measure, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Steven Hitchcock. Steven is a bespoke tailor and cutter based in London and has been so for the past 32 years. Some of you may know his father John Hitchcock from Anderson and Sheppard. During our conversation we will talk about Steven's background, the drape cut, rock of eye method, Savile Row, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Marloes Dadswell. Marloes is professional corsetière and embroiderer based in Delft, Netherlands. In her work she brings natural history and art together with an exceptional amount of craftsmanship and detail. During our conversation we will talk about her journey into the world of bespoke corsetry and embroidery, teaching qualities, the conflict between artisans and rush jobs, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Timothy Hanchett. Timothy is the owner of a made-to-measure company called Induere Football Club and he is currently going through a tailoring apprenticeship. During our conversation we will talk about his experiences living in 45 different places, art, values in society, the struggles of an apprentice, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Matthew Gonzalez. Matthew is a bespoke cutter who has recently started his own brand called Matthew Gonzalez. He has worked at Tom Sweeney, Dunhill and Huntsman. During our conversation we will talk about his journey into tailoring, different values in tailoring, technical progress, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Desmond Merrion. Desmond is a bespoke tailor and cutter from West Yorkshire's Pontefract. During our conversation we will talk about his journey into tailoring, factory work for wholesale tailoring, freehand drafting of patterns, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is James Sleater. James is the proud owner of Cad & The Dandy. Along with his business partner Ian Meiers, James created Cad & The Dandy back in 2008. And boy have they been growing ever since! During our conversation we will talk about James' background and mindset, the challenges on Savile Row, the use of a sectionalised system at Cad, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Marco Berriozabal. Marco is a bespoke tailor based in Mexico City. If you are familiar with his work, you know that he makes the most beautiful button holes and pockets ever seen. During our conversation we will talk about his journey into tailoring, being a perfectionist and the importance of details, what it means to be a craftsman, difficulties in tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Joshua Dobrik. Joshua is the first friend I made in London and we went to Newham College together. He continued to do an apprenticeship at Edward Sexton then moved on to Huntsman, after which he set up his own company called Dobrik & Lawton. Josh is currently teaching at Wimbledon College of Arts. During our conversation we will talk about his journey from college to all the tailoring houses, the sectional system in tailoring, the client-tailor relationship, opportunities provided by tailoring companies, the purpose of tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Manuela Leis. Also known as The Coatress. Manuela is a bespoke tailor, overcoat maker and fashion designer based in Berlin, Germany. During our conversation we will talk about her tailoring journey from Vienna to Berlin, the transition from fashion designer to bespoke tailor, women in tailoring, the importance of apprenticeships, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Rasmus Seidlitz Andersen. Rasmus is a textile merchant and clothing designer from Denmark. During our conversation we will go into virtual clothing and pattern cutting, whether CLO 3D is a gift or a curse within tailoring, how to distinguish quality fabrics from rip offs, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Francis Aul. Francis is a lawyer by day and bespoke tailor by night. During this conversation we will talk about whether it's possible to be a part-time tailor, how he is able to manage his time, in what way tailoring has helped him in law, the importance of communication, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Tony Bader. Tony is a patters maker and garment designer and is experienced in both traditional and digital pattern making. During this conversation we will be talking about made to measure, manufacturing, the role of tailoring in society, digital pattern making, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Donghyun Kim. Donghyun is a cutter and former tailor at Cad & The Dandy in London Savile Row. He recently moved back to South Korea to start his own company called Tranquil House where he pursues soft tailoring through the rock of eye method. During this conversation we will talk about his tailoring experience in London and South Korea, how they differ from each other, whether rock of eye is an art or a hoax, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Nathan Hellard. Nathan is the founder of Maison Hellard, which is a French family merchant specialised in linen. During this conversation we will talk about his transition from the army into setting up his company, his view on quality and disciple, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Sibilla Carini. Sibilla is a bespoke tailor from San Francisco who is currently working in Rome. You may know her from her online tailoring courses made in collaboration with WhatBellaMade.com. During this conversation we will talk about her journey into tailoring, creativity, innovation, challenges in the tailoring industry and companies, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Sven Krolczik. Sven is a bespoke tailor based in Kassel Germany who officially started his business in 2019. Prior to that, he spent many years learning tailoring from books from trial and error up until the point that he was ready to become a tailor for a living. Sven also has a fine arts background, which helped him with navigating his way though the difficult process of learning tailoring from books. During this conversation we will be talking about his background and journey into tailoring, when and how he learned to use the tailoring books as his teacher, the challenges of being on your own, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Mike Territo. Mike is a bespoke tailor, cutter and co-owner of Territo Tailoring, which is a family business established by his dad in 1967 in Bristol. During this conversation we will be going into his journey in becoming the torch bearer of the family business, the challenges of balancing between a technician and a business owner, the tailoring scene in Bristol, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Avery Lucas. Avery is a bespoke tailor from the United States. The only way I can describe him is as a hidden gem. He has been there and done that. During this conversation we will be talking about his career, his journey into tailoring, some good old tailoring advice for the younger generation, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Taishi Nobukuni. Taishi is a bespoke tailor from Tokyo, ex fashion designer and creative director, and according to his own words "an architect being a carpenter". During this conversation we will be talking about the tailoring scene in Japan, how fashion has been affected, the importance of reaching flow in the process of creating, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Aamir Ansari. Aamir is a bespoke tailor from Indore in India and the owner of Knighthood Bespoke. During this conversation we will be talking about the tailoring industry in India, his journey into it, apprenticeships, the future of the tailoring industry, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Matthew Peluso. Matthew is the founder of Artifex and the Common Threads Podcast. He brings tailors from different backgrounds together to understand and learn about their perspectives, their differences and their shared values. During our conversation we will talk about Matthew's background, some of the challenges that we currently face in our tailoring industry, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Joe Holsgrove. You may know Joe as the winner of the 2015 Golden Shears Awards. He started his tailoring career at Denman & Goddard and is now currently working as an under cutter on Savile Row at Dege & Skinner. During our conversation we will talk about apprenticeships, his journey into tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Roberto Cherchi. Roberto is the owner of Keruk Jeans. All his work is completely hand stitched and as he likes to put it; the most radical jeans made in Japan by Italian hands. During our conversation we will be talking about his vision on and importance of handwork, whether a learning process can be more beneficial if the craft is done as a hobby, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Alex Bello. Alex is a bespoke tailor and natural dye researcher who previously worked at Miller's Oath, Paul Stewart and Thom Sweeney. Today he is an awarded artist at Re-Fream researching natural dyes and fragrances. For those of you who don't know what Re-Fream is: it's a collaborative research project where selected artists and designers team up with scientists to rethink the manufacturing of the fashion industry. During our conversation we will be talking about his growing interest and work in natural dyeing, how it could impact other industries and how it could be incorporated within tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Claudia Chan. Claudia spent most of her time as a bespoke cutter at Sims & Macdonald in Bloomsbury. She is currently working at Cece Tailors. During our conversation we will be talking about her journey into tailoring, her tailoring experiences in Sweden and the skills tailors should possess, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Bernardo La Guardia. Bernardo is a bespoke tailor and cutter who is currently based in Milan. You may be familiar with his work at Sartoria Habitus or from his interview with Matthew Peluso at Discover Artifex. Bernardo is currently working for one the big luxury names in Italy. During our conversation we will be talking about tailoring schools, tailoring businesses, his journey into tailoring, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Claire Emerson. You may know Claire from her years at Edward Sexton. She is currently working as a freelance tailor. If you have commissioned anything from Gieves and Hawkes, Thom Sweeney, Dobrik and Lawton and Livingston and Son, chances are that she was the artisan behind your jacket or waistcoat. During our conversation we will be talking about her journey into tailoring, her apprenticeship, and her transition into freelance work, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!

My guest for today is Sidney Nichols. He is currently working as a coat maker at Cifonelli, and has also started his own company called Sidney Nichols Paris since 2021. In this episode we will be talking about his journey into tailoring, his mind set and the challenges he has been facing so far in developing his own company,, and more. I hope that our conversation will be as insightful for you as it has been for me!