For six decades, Geoff has been at the cutting table crafting distinctive British menswear, leaving a legacy of impeccable style, and craftsmanship.

Geoff’s story started in 1966, when a moment of defiance at just 15 years old changed everything. After walking out of Denbigh High School, he stepped into a tailoring shop in Luton and asked for a job. He secured an apprenticeship on the spot, and a lifelong passion was born.

Alongside his apprenticeship training, Geoff attended the London College of Fashion one day a week, where he mastered formal cutting and hand-sewing techniques. This foundation shaped the signature precision he is still known for today.

Between 1966 and 1978, Geoff worked across numerous tailoring houses, learning the trade inside-out before opening his own business with his wife, Laura. Geoff Souster - Menswear first opened on John Street, Luton, expanding twice within just a few years thanks to growing demand.

By 1983, Geoff and Laura had opened a second store in Dunstable, officially launched by their dear customer, the late Eric Morecambe.

Today, Souster & Hicks is proudly based in a beautiful Grade II-listed building in the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire. Geoff, age 74, still personally looks after many clients who have been with him for decades.

Across 60 years in the industry, Geoff has:

• Crafted and cut over 30,000 suits
• Become the youngest-ever National President of the Federation of Merchant Tailors
• Featured as the first bespoke tailor on BBC’s The Clothes Show
• Pioneered the blend of bespoke, made-to-measure, and ready-to-wear tailoring
• Designed his own signature style, including the iconic five-button angled cuff
• Tailored for clients across the world, from celebrities to sporting legends

Geoff has dressed many well-known names including Eric Morecambe, Bob Monkhouse, Lenny Henry, Matthew Kelly, Noel Edmonds, James Milner, Russell Watson, Eamonn Holmes, Michael Bublé, Tony Hadley, Daniel Ricciardo, Barry McGuigan, Lydia Millen, Ali Gordon, and several Luton Town icons. He also created Luton Town Football Club’s 1988 Cup Final suits – an iconic moment in his career as a Luton Town Football Club fan.

Geoff’s tailoring is instantly recognisable: a structured, and traditionally British inspired silhouette with clean, confident lines. He combines traditional techniques with bold fabrics, intricate detailing and innovative design touches. His craftsmanship is not only known locally but internationally, within the wider tailoring community, including Savile Row.

Souster & Hicks is more than a tailoring house, it’s a family legacy. Geoff and Laura now work alongside their son, Wes Souster, who joined the business in 2002 and continues the craft with the same passion and precision. With a family name meaning “to sew,” tailoring is truly woven into the Souster heritage.

Geoff’s work has been featured across leading publications and media platforms, including:

GQ • Daily Telegraph • Financial Times • BBC • The Clothes Show • Menswear Style • Luton Today • Bedford Today • BBC Three Counties Radio • Permanent Style • Channel 4

Six decades on, Geoff continues to welcome customers old and new through the doors of Souster & Hicks. His enthusiasm for craftsmanship, his dedication to personal service, and his uncompromising eye for style remain at the heart of everything we do.

Here’s to 60 years of exceptional tailoring, and to many more ahead.

The Souster Name… It Quite Literally Means to Sew

This most interesting surname is an English occupational name for a tailor, a seamstress or for one who sews.

From the Medieval English “Soustere, Sewester, Sowester”, from the Old English “Seowian”, to sew. Originally, the agent suffix “-ster” was applied only to women, but by the end of the Middle English period it was applied to both sexes. Job descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation followed by an individual and later became hereditary.

Juliana le Suster was recorded in 1309 in the Bedfordshire Subsidy Rolls. The earliest appearance of the name in London Church Registers is on August 9th 1674 when Lucia, daughter of Samuelis Sowster, was christened at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster. Anne Souster was christened on October 28th 1756 at Putney, London.