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A bespoke suit in progress at Souster & Hicks

Centuries-Old Technique

From brown paper pattern to a master fit

Starting from scratch, your measurements and posture are drafted onto brown paper using a setsquare, tape measure, chalk and a very good eye.

Your suit is then cut by Geoff or Wes and the first basted fittings are created. The garment is checked over for fit and style before being ripped down to its individual pieces, re-cut, and any final adjustments made. The end result is your master pattern — the key to ensuring a beautiful fit.

On average, drafting the master pattern and cutting the suit takes up to half a day, without interruptions. From start to finish, anything from 70 man-hours and over 50,000 hand stitches go into making a true bespoke suit.

At Souster & Hicks we only use the finest fabrics and the best natural trimmings from top trimming merchants like Bernstein & Banley and Richard James Weldon.

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Inside a Bespoke Suit

The numbers behind a Souster & Hicks suit

  • 70+ Man-hours per suit
  • 50,000+ Hand stitches
  • 40,000+ Suits cut by Wes & Geoff

The Vital Components

Every layer that goes into a handmade bespoke suit

We’ve broken down our process to give you a better understanding of the time and detail that goes into creating a bespoke suit.

  • Body Canvas

    Made from the finest camel hair, available in many different weights, contents and textures. The canvas is used to construct the chest area of the suit jacket. We use the softest, lightest weight canvas on the market for a more luxurious feel.

  • Domette (breast felt)

    Made from 100% cotton, this is the final part in the construction of the chest, which also gives the coat a soft feel.

  • Lapthair

    Made from horse hair, Lapthair is a very stiff and coarse fabric. It is these characteristics that help to keep shape to the chest of a bespoke jacket.

  • Collar Canvas

    Made from extremely stiff linen, the collar canvas is used to form the shaping of the one-piece collar. For ready-to-wear and factory made-to-measure you must have a two-piece collar (seam inside) because only craft tailors are able to shrink and shape the collar.

  • Under Collar Melton

    Made from 100% wool, this is also used to construct the collar and is visible if you were to lift the collar up. It is always cut on the bias to help stretch and go round the collar without puckering.

  • Sleeve Head Wadding

    Made from foam, cotton, viscose and goats hair, this is placed and sewn into the crown of the sleeve to give the crown a "roped" look — a very common look with fully hand-tailored bespoke suits.

  • Shoulder Pads

    Made from viscose and cotton. Shoulder pads come in a variety of thicknesses; depending on the client’s shape we determine what is used. Square shoulders need a thin pad, sloping shoulders a thicker one to add shape back in.

  • Silesia

    Made from 100% cotton, silesia comes in a variety of weights and colours. Silesia is used for all the pockets on the inside of both the jacket and trousers.

  • Banroll

    Made from 100% cotton, banroll is placed inside the waistband of the trousers. The stiff finish adds a sharp look and stops the waistband from rolling over.

  • Linings

    Linings are all sewn in by hand using the best quality viscose, satin or bemberg.

  • Buttons & Buttonholes

    Buttons are either made in natural horn or real mother of pearl, with buttonholes hand-made from pure silk thread.

Our Bespoke Tailoring Options

Choose the level of craftsmanship that suits you

  • Black Label

    Made-to-Measure

    Black Label

    With a half-canvassed construction, our Black Label gives you a great insight into the “bespoke tailoring world”. These suits are factory made to your measurements and figuration details, taken by one of our fully trained bespoke tailors. Black Label is our entry-level made-to-measure service, but you’re still guaranteed a vast choice of fabrics and individual styling details.

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  • Platinum by Scuderi

    Made in Italy

    Platinum by Scuderi

    Platinum by Scuderi is our made-to-measure canvassed product made in Italy. For fans of soft tailoring, this family tailoring house based on the outskirts of Rome has been creating beautifully crafted garments for over 70 years, comparable in quality to those of top Italian brands such as Brioni, Zegna and Loro Piana.

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  • Platinum Label

    Hand-craft Bespoke

    Platinum Label

    With many decades of experience, the Sousters (Wes & Geoff Souster) have personally hand-drafted, cut and fitted over 40,000 bespoke suits between them. Our handmade bespoke suit service is recognised to be on par with the very best bespoke tailors in the world — competitively priced. Your suit is handmade with your own master pattern drafted in brown paper from scratch, with around 70 hours of labour honed through years of dedication to our craft.

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To arrange an appointment, please call the shop on 01525 290862 or fill in the contact form to let us know what you require.

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