London’s Savile Row and Bespoke Tailoring’s Caribbean Connection

– By SHANE BODIE 

Bespoke tailoring is the essence of paying close attention to every detail of one’s personal style and image. So much so that each inch of fabric cut, each pattern customised to suit your body becomes like a second skin. It is style DNA; linking great sartorial tradition to one’s individuality. The bespoke movement is heating up London’s Savile Row, the “Golden Mile of Tailoring”.

Ultra Bespoke — to distinguish Sedwell’s world-class service with individually designed garments, hand cut, and tailored to the highest standard attainable

Business is booming! And the tradition of master tailoring is even more popular now worldwide with the guidance and vision of Trinidad-native, bespoke tailor, Andrew Ramroop OBE CMTT. His deep-rooted legacy is at the core of Savile Row Tailoring’s modern resurgence. And now, with the creation of the Savile Row Academy, and a unique outreach in Trinidad & Tobago, soon our attention will be eyeing up the finest in Caribbean fashion talent.

A street in Mayfair, central London; Savile Row is known for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men (and, of course, women). Originally named Savile Street, it was built between 1731 and 1735. Initially, military officers and their wives lived there; then later William Pitt the Younger and Irish-born playwright and MP, Richard Brinsley Sheridan were residents. The street’s varied history has also included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society, and more recently, the Beatles office at 3 Savile Row, where the band’s final live performance was held on the rooftop.

By the late 18th century, tailors started moving their businesses to the legendary “golden mile”. Henry Poole, the creator of the dinner jacket when he made a smoking jacket for the young Edward VII, opened an entrance to Savile Row in 1846. And the great tradition continued to grow for more than one hundred years. In 1969, with clients like Mick Jagger, Elton John, and Andrew Lloyd Webber; the Nutters of Savile Row modernised the style of traditional tailoring, and opened their shop doors on Valentine’s Day 1969.

By the early 1990s, sadly many Savile Row tailors struggled to find relevance with the popularity of mass-produced Ready-to-Wear. Rents were increasing, and doors were closing. The number of tailors in Savile Row had declined to 19 in 2006, from approximately 40 in the 1950s. But the term “New Bespoke Movement” was coined to describe the work of a “new generation” of tailors. And their fresh ideas meant rebranding for global fashion markets, using marketing and publicity to their advantage, challenging the traditional Savile Row styling, and pushing the envelope of modern bespoke suit making. As a result, tailoring businesses have increased since 2006, and as of October 2014, there are over 40 tailoring and clothing businesses on and around Savile Row.

The word “bespoke” itself is derived from the verb “bespeak”, “to give order for it to be made.” But bespoke in fashion is reserved for individually patterned and crafted men’s clothing, and to women’s haute couture.  The clothing is traditionally cut from a pattern drafted from scratch for the customer, and so differs from ready-to-wear, which is factory made in finished condition and standardised sizes, and from made to measure, which is produced to order from an adjusted block pattern. Bespoke clothing is more expensive and is accompanied by a high quality of construction. And although it takes longer to produce, this process ensures a precise fit.

A new pattern is created for each individual wearer with no modification or use of base patterns, as that could lead the tailor to miss some of the small nuances of the wearer’s body. Achieving a bespoke fit requires multiple fittings too. First is the skeleton baste fitting, second the forward fitting, third the fin bar fin fitting. These fittings do more than just verify the original measurements were accurate in the beginning – talented tailors build on top of each fitting, achieving a more precise fit along the way. Then you select your fabric from a selection of multiple mills, where the term “library” becomes more appropriate than fabric “selection.” You should be meeting directly with the person constructing the garment because the person cutting the garment and doing the needlework will always have greater ability to meet the specific needs and varying body shapes of the wearer.

One of the masters of this fine tradition, Andrew Ramroop, left his homeland of Trinidad & Tobago for London, England at the age of 17 to enter what he refers to as the “Olympics of Tailoring”. Born in a small village at the foothills of the Northern Range of mountains, called Maingot Village, in Tunapuna, Trinidad, West Indies, Ramroop’s childhood was spent swimming in the river valleys and wandering the coconut tree-lined roads, absorbing nature’s influence. The flora, the fauna, and the vibrant energy of carnival fed his creative spirit. And at the age of 9, he made a pair of trousers out of a pillow case, with no electricity, using a hand-powered sewing machine. Eventually, at 14 years old, his family “reluctantly allowed me to go into tailoring and I was hired at Kissoonsingh’s Tailoring at Frederick Street in Port of Spain.” says Ramroop. He left school determined to seek an apprenticeship, learning the demanding and intricate skills required of a bespoke tailor.

Having heard that the finest tailors in the world can be found in Savile Row, Ramroop set his sights on the legendary street in England. And at 17, he boarded the luxury liner Northern Star and sailed to this new world. Nine days later he arrived in Southampton not knowing anyone or where he was heading. Then in 1970, dressed in a suit that he crafted and stitched himself, he knocked on doors, perhaps more than two dozen times, asking with his hand-tailored suit that he wore, and one that he carried, if there was employment for him.

Ramroop’s skills were snapped up by Huntsman & Sons, a company with an established reputation for sartorial elegance. Furthermore, as part of his personal development, Andrew studied English literature, English language, Mathematics and French. In 1972, after giving serious consideration to The Tailor & Cutter Academy he opted for the more comprehensive course at the London College of Fashion, completing the three-year course in just two years. Soon after, Andrew was seconded to Mr. Maurice Sedwell as an assistant cutter in 1974. Maurice Sedwell, one of some 30 tailoring houses at Savile Row, hired him out of college. And 15 years later, Ramroop was sold the company by Sedwell in 1988 and kept its name in Sedwell’s honour.

With his influential mentor in mind, Ramroop was determined to maintain the “heritage of Maurice Sedwell long into the future as a Brand that is synonymous with Quality and Service.” And despite the 90’s recession, Ramroop used the opportunity to expand and relocate. First, he reached out to American clients, successfully expanding his client base with exporting. Then in 1994, moved to 19 Savile Row, from 500 to 2000 square feet, resulting in significantly more foot traffic. The legacy created by Maurice Sedwell was poised for future success in the new era of Bespoke Tailoring.

Since then, Trinidad’s finest tailoring export has received the Chaconia Medal of Trinidad and Tobago, the second highest state decoration of the Republic. The medal honors long and meritorious service to promote national welfare or community spirit. Ramroop was also bestowed the honor of being the only tailor in history to be conferred ‘Professor for Distinction in the Field of Tailoring’ by the University of the Arts London and was named as one of the Most Influential Black Designers by the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum, New York. And in 2008, he was the recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II.

“To be lucky enough to stand before Her Majesty and have her lean forward to pin my lapel with the medal of the Most Excellent order of The British Empire was a seminal moment that sealed my journey from the tiny Maingot village in Trinidad to the heart of the British establishment” he explains.

Also in 2008, Ramroop founded the Savile Row Academy, offering “training to elite tailors of the future”, and further promoting the grand tradition of Bespoke tailoring. Back in 2006, after finding the art of tailoring was fading, and after facing opposition from the Master Tailors Association — and as the “then-president” of said organisation — he resigned from that role to start the academy. Now students can enhance their skills in Men’s Pattern drafting, Block pattern, Cloth cutting, Fitting, Remarking and Bespoke Master patterns, Trouser and Waistcoat Making, and Coat/Jacket Making.

Meanwhile, Ramroop’s forward-thinking and business savvy has upped the ante back on Savile Row with “Ultra Bespoke”— to distinguish Sedwell’s world-class service with individually designed garments, hand cut, and tailored to the highest standard attainable. “The Ultra Bespoke suit is cut and fitted in harmony with body shapes for style, elegance and comfort,” says the master sartorial expressionist. Clients worldwide, since Ramroop was a young tailor in the 80’s, have remained loyal, from the likes of English Cabinet ministers, politicians and diplomats, even Princess Diana wore his creations. And today, Maurice Sedwell has clients in over 60 countries, such as sportsmen Brian Lara, Robin Van Persie and Mark Ramprakash, Hollywood entertainers Samuel Jackson, Tony Curtis, Ava Gardener and Kelly Rowland, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the late Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

In 2017, Savile Row’s most decorated Master Tailor, and CEO of Maurice Sedwell Ltd., Ramroop launched The Foundation for Fashion, Art, Manufacturing, Entrepreneurship and Export (FAME-Caribbean), a new annual event set to become the Caribbean’s premier fashion affair. It is intended to catalyse a new high-quality manufacturing block able to meet demand for luxury apparel from the North American and European markets. FAME invites six Caribbean countries to show off their fashion designers at runway shows, deliver inspirational lecturers and workshops, as well as promote their goods to an international audience. It will also shine a light on local designers as potential game changers and contributors to economic diversification in the Caribbean.

The FAME-Caribbean concept is based on Italy’s Pitti Immagine in Florence, which is an annual marketplace during which, thousands of buyers place orders for items on display by hundreds of fashion and accessory designers. Ramroop believes that if given the right support to take advantage of opportunities, they and other creative people across the Caribbean can become as successful as those in traditional careers; such as lawyers and doctors, with the additional benefit of generating much-needed foreign exchange.

FAME-Caribbean’s primary objective is to take advantage of export opportunities in fashion by positioning themselves to offer sustainable business development, training, mentoring and support to practitioners in Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and St Lucia. Additionally, Ramroop explains, “beginning in 2018, Savile Row Academy will be expanding its wings to Trinidad and Tobago to service the needs of aspiring tailors in the whole of the Caribbean.”

JP