In the Beginning

Austin: It all started as an offhanded comment, with me telling the founder of Ivory Hong Kong, Maslow, that I’d be more than happy to help do fittings for his UK customers. He said that I could start a store there too if I wanted. That really got me thinking: is this something I want to do? And I began studying the market, feasibility, and talking to my friends that are in related industries.

I was at a crossroad at the time: where I have to think about what to do after graduating. I considered doing apprenticeships under tailors, starting my own brand. But with this possibility, taking something that’s established and re-examining it, to bring it to a new market with my own take on it, is something that excites me.

Boris: What made you decide to reach out to me and bring on another team member?

A: Every time we go out and see the world, talk about stuff that is happening, I go home inspired. Since we’ve been working together, something fruitful turns up when we set our eyes on something. I think it’s the fact that we have so different personalities that convinced me to reach out, to jump start the potential of Ivory London.

B: We also have vastly different tastes in clothing.

A: Which is a positive, considering our mission. We want to find what would look good on our clients, the job of a stylist or tailor is exactly that. This is not to say we’d just do anything, we will still have our core style and input, but we put a little more consideration into who the client is: their personality, lifestyle, specific needs, the list goes on and on.

An Ongoing Mission

A: The reason I wanted to take Ivory to London is because I see potential in what was already there. It is a distillation of taste and countless bespoke orders, as Maslow has spent countless hours talking and commissioning orders from bespoke makers. What I want to do is to explore the possibilities of that distillate, and crystalize it into something with my own taste as well.

B: We do come from quite a different background.

A: When I was in Uni, I was really into the world of fashion, worked for a studio in Rome and hosted fashion shows for my peers, and I went into tailoring with that. You started in tailoring and expanded into different genres of style by naturally exploring their boundaries, and worked with stylists for celebrities.

B: We both like to think outside of the traditional tailoring boundaries when thinking about styling for our customers. Clothing is just the medium we chose to express ourselves with, and tailoring is just one of the languages that we speak. There are a sea of options out there, and each could be representative of a nuanced part of our life. One day I’d be wearing a shirt and tie for after-work drinks, the other I might choose to wear dark denim and black coat for late-night live music.

A: And that’s part of what I want to do: to help people find a wardrobe that they can confidently say is their second skin. It’s not just about a suit for work, but also something for a date, an artsy event, vacation in Spain, long-haul flights… A reflection and companion of different aspects of their lives.

For the Future

A: I’d really like to have London as a base to spread more of our style to people all over. To become a brand with a strong image, that even when people see items that aren’t from us. They would say “oh that’s quite Ivory-inspired”. With a clear brand image, I want people to explore ways they would wear it in their own way. Not just to have the same type of people wearing the same type of clothing, but to have a unique way of interpretation by every one of our clients.

B: I was convinced precisely because I see the potential in the offerings as a base to explore and experiment with my style.

B: Perhaps because I’ve also had good experiences with my previous employers, one at a tailor shop and the other a Jazz bar, I really want Ivory London to be the start of a community. I envision regulars and newcomers alike coming to share what they’ve found and seek interaction and input with us. Not just to talk about clothes, but also about their experiences, recent discoveries and stories. I find that connection to be really genuine, and it would be wonderful to have a space that accommodates that.

I still remember when I had my first fitting session: stepping out of the fitting room and standing in front of a mirror, with warm lights surrounding me. Standing in the middle of the room with only socks on because I was too lazy to tie my shoes. The fitters whizzed around with such speed and precision with pinning, conversing amongst themselves with lingo that sounds familiar, but is more akin to a foreign tongue in honesty. Before I’ve formulated my own thoughts on the fitting, they’re already done, arms crossed, waiting for my thoughts.

For people that have just placed an order, or are considering bespoke, the fitting process is likely one of the most intriguing and magical steps of the process. And yet, there’s a level of mystery behind this part of the process. As someone from the industry, I want to break down what goes on during fitting sessions, and to let you in on the little tidbits in the minds of fitters.

First, the basics.

First and foremost, we must put on the garment properly. This sounds so obvious, and yet it’s very important. If the order was for high-waisted trousers, we simply can’t do the fitting properly with the trousers hanging low like we’re doing an early 2000s MV; if the coat was made to fit with chunky turtlenecks, we will need the client to wear the appropriate knitwear. While we can often guesstimate with certain success, putting the fitting garment on properly often is the base for a good fitting session.

From the obvious to the minute.

Fitters can often note straight away the obvious issues. It is the minor issues that require the most time and effort, especially when they are interconnected and have multiple ways of being addressed. It is at this point that we try pinning and poking and prodding (respectfully) at the client and the fitting garment in order to find the best solution for each individual client.

With the technical issues sorted, we take a step back and remove our heads from the minutia, and look at the bigger picture. While technicalities are important to suss out, it needs to go hand in hand with a garment that looks right and stunning. Proportions, such as length and width, need to be considered with the wearer’s own body. And then there is the “secret sauce”: stylistic choices that complement the garment’s intended occasion, message, and the owner’s style.

The conversation that decides everything.

Arguably, the most important aspect of the entire process is to ask for feedback from the customer. A bespoke piece is entirely custom made to fit, physically and stylistically, to every individual client, and we all have different takes on comfort and style. While we do reserve the right to go back and forth between an 8″ or 9″ leg opening with you, ultimately it’s this process of communication and experimentation, sprinkled with a touch of whimsy and showmanship, that makes the experience of bespoke tailoring so unique and interesting.

Bespoke fitting, I often like to think, is similar to golfing: sometimes you get a hole-in-one, where the fitting goes perfect and requires no adjustments at all; other times you might have to putt on the green for a bit, thinking about the adjustments to make to put the ball in the hole.

Yet this is what makes it an intriguing line of work — no two fittings or commissions are the same, even if they’re made by the same customer, with all the elements that could affect the outcome.

The Shawl Collar, or Shawl Lapel, refers to a style of lapel found on tailoring that has a continuous curve from the collar to the buttoning point, instead of the more common peak or notch lapel.

A short history.

The shawl first appeared in the mid 19th century on smoking jackets. A type of jacket worn instead of the more formal evening wear, when gentlemen retired to smoking lounges after dinner, for a drag of Turkish tobacco and a glass of brandy. Silk was prevalent as the material, since the style evolved from dressing gowns. Velvet was mainly preferred as the smoking jacket became an established style, its thickness helping to absorb odour, resist ashes and burn marks, and keep the wearer warm.

The first record of a dinner jacket came from an order in 1865, made by the then Prince of Wales. He asked the tailors of Henry Poole & Co to make him a short coat for informal dinners at Sandringham. As the style of the smoking jacket and the dinner jacket intermingled in the late Victorian era, the shawl moved from dressing gowns and smoking jackets onto the dinner jacket.

The shawl collar dinner jacket remains a firm alternative to the peak lapel, its stance affirmed by modern media. Notably in the James Bond series, the agent donned the style repeatedly, in Dr No, From Russia with Love, Quantum of Solace, and No Time to Die, among others.

Two styles of the curve.

There are two main styles of the shawl lapel. The first positions the apex of the curve in the middle of the lapel. The second pushes the apex lower.

I personally find the latter more appealing. The centre of gravity tends towards the mid section, near the buttoning point. Compared to the absolute balance of the former, it comes out as more laid back, and more elegant.

Refined for daily wear.

A few years back, I saw Maslow’s iteration of a shawl collar jacket in a beautiful textured cloth, with my preferred lower apex. Seeing the design on a textured fabric inspired me to apply it to daily casual wear, instead of leaving it for events and weddings alone. After numerous iterations, we refined the shawl into one that suited our style at Ivory London.

This curve, when made with casual elegance in mind, suits polos, crewnecks, and turtlenecks particularly well. Interestingly, the design does not suit most shirt cuts. Perhaps only ones equal to it in texture and presence. More and more of our clients have been entranced by the design as well, picking casual fabrics for their shawl collar jackets.

The shawl was originally found on a gown meant for the casual hours after dinner, and moved onto the dinner jacket, a casual alternative to the tailcoat. Now that the dinner jacket has become the most formal attire for most people, we are once again liberating the shawl from formal attire, and bringing its elegance to daily wear.

This suit came from a spark of inspiration after inspecting the new washed linen bunch “Serenity” from Dugdale. The colour and texture spoke to me, and I started thinking how a project with this fabric could be.

After having so many tailoring commissions, it stopped being “what do I need in my wardrobe”, and more so what excites me, intrigues me. Some styles would still interest me and I’d look for fabrics that suit the design. I however find most joy in discovering fabrics that have a character hidden within it, waiting to be unveiled. It’s not dissimilar to chefs finding ingredients that inspire them to make a dish, perhaps something out of the ordinary for them. As a designer, I do find resemblances in this process with cooking.

The ingredient.

You start off with an ingredient that has a certain character, a direction that it wants you to take it towards. This lilac calls for a design with character, not the kind that screams for attention, but one that is subtly irresistible. Like a dessert that is so well balanced, you’ll remember it weeks after having it and drives you to revisit the restaurant.

Then you look at the equipment you have, and the taste profile you prefer. In this case, it is the cut that Ivory excels at and its general silhouette: A clean elegant style that’s considered and comfortable. Then you have to decide which direction to take the dish: is it a single-breast or double-breast; relaxed or shaped?

At the end, the ingredient pointed in a clear direction, and I ended up going with the shawl collar in a 4x1 low-button point double-breasted configuration. For me, that was the only direction to go.

Therein lies the fun of tailoring: there isn’t just one way of doing things.

For me personally, according to my taste, style, and the house I am working with, the shawl collar was the only way to go, with a looser fit and full sleeves, matched with full length trousers that barely scrapes the ground. If the commission was for someone with a different personality, it might’ve been a simple notch lapel sports jacket, or it could’ve been a shirt jacket with plain bellow pockets. If it was in the hands of a house with a more structural inclination, a peak lapel with a strong belly might’ve been more appropriate.

Tailoring, set free.

Tailoring, for so long, has been just something that people needed. For the office, the boardroom or school uniform. Post-covid, with the decline of formal dresscode, the modern suit, for the first time, is shedding its business associations. Tailoring, with its newfound freedom, is free to join the ranks of the tools we have to express ourselves. Those that had to wear them stopped, and in turn people that didn’t have to rediscovered them. In this age, a designer for tailoring has to consider not for the boardroom, but for everyday life.

Our job as a tailor is harder than ever, but it is also more fun than ever. Since there are less strict dress codes, there is more room for expression. Thus we have to consider a lot more, the clients’ lifestyle, environment, preferences and personality, and match it to the fabric choice and design aspects. And when all the ingredients, techniques and decisions come together in the form of the perfect garment on a smiling client, that is what keeps me in the industry.

For bespoke tailors, the consultation is the first time you meet a new client, or catch up with old ones. It is where the basis of any project will be discussed, debated and decided. It is what makes bespoke tailoring different from the mass market. To us at Ivory London, it is a fundamental part of our process and philosophy.

Being human is about being different. We all have different stories to tell, different characteristics and traits, different preferences. This difference, this individuality is what drives us. Individuality deserves to be celebrated and respected, and the way to achieve that is not to shove the same designs and material in front of everyone. Instead, we have to understand the client in front of us. Not just simply looking at their physical body and use cases, but by looking deeper, at who they are and how they would like to be presented.

Admittedly this is a very bold claim, to say that we comprehensively understand our clients.

Understanding you.

We sat down one evening after a day of consultations, wondering why our consultations can sometimes take up to 2 hours. And we certainly are not intentionally padding out the consultation to make it feel more “worth it”, time is money after all. Time flies not because we’re squabbling over minor details like fabric composition or sleeve buttons, though that comes up more often than we like to admit, instead it is because we just like to spend time chatting with our clients and friends. To understand our clients is integral, because that is fundamental to creating garments that belong to our clients. Not just another standard suit or blazer, but garments that are designed and made especially for our clients.

To illustrate this point, we always like to use the example of a black tie outfit. One customer might be more relaxed and go to very jovial black tie events, and thus would suit a shawl collar design; while another that attends more formal, perhaps regal, banquets, and is in a position of power would call for the sharper and commanding peak lapel with a touch of padding. This is what we mean by everyone is different. Different needs, different personalities, and different proportions, from the abstract to the tangible.

Starting from you.

Compared to off the rack or made to measure, bespoke starts from you. For the former, you find what is designed already and try to make it work on you, it was never meant for any particular individual, it is meant to have mass market appeal. With our bespoke, we find what suits you, something that can be uniquely yours. It is about who you are, how you live, talk and walk. We then go from our understanding to find what fabric, style and cut suits you. To find something that fits you, we have to understand you. That is why we take time, care and consideration in consultations, because you deserve to be recognized.