Prince Charles' former tailor says Savile Row being ruined by 'half-baked brands' peddling fake Chinese suits / VIDEO: London Fitting Event, March 2015 // English Cut - Savile Row
Thomas Mahon is an English
master tailor, noted for outfitting the British Royal Family and for
his blog, English Cut
Mahon was born in Corby Hill,
near Carlisle in Cumbria and was educated at the former grammar
school,White House in Brampton. He entered the tailoring trade by
accident, taking a summer job at S. Redmayne's a local tailor, and
"...fell in love with it." He moved to London and trained
as a striker (apprentice cutter) to Dennis Halbery at Anderson &
Sheppard.
In 1995, Mahon started his own
bespoke tailoring company called Steed Bespoke Tailors with his
friend Edwin Deboise, before going independent in 2001. In 2005, he
began his weblog English Cut with aid of cartoonist and Internet
entrepreneur Hugh McLeod, in order to promote his business and share
his knowledge of the traditional tailor's craft.
Mahon's customers reportedly
include Prince Charles and David Beckham, although Mahon will admit
only to having Prince Charles as a client.
Mahon credits his weblog with
helping build his business to the point where he had to temporarily
stop accepting new clients in 2007.
Mahon is married to his wife
Claire and have three children. In his spare time he is a sailing
instructor with the rank of Petty Officer in the Sea Cadet Corps the
UK's Naval Cadet Force.
Prince
Charles' former tailor says Savile Row being ruined by 'half-baked
brands' peddling fake Chinese suits
Prince Charles's
former tailor says Savile Row is being ruined by “half-baked
brands” selling fake Chinese suits.
Tailor Thomas Mahon
has now moved his main London base from Mayfair to Marylebone after
revealing that less than half of the famed area is still operating as
a proper workshop.
“I guarantee you
if you are browsing in Savile Row now you will pick up a garment made
in China."
Thomas Mahon
He says he has grown
disillusioned with Savile Row.
“You’ve now got
these half-baked brands that don’t really make things. Only about
35 per cent to 40 per cent of it is now functioning with a proper
workshop. In the old days you didn’t even have suits in the shops,
everything was made by the tailors," he said in an interview
with the Evening Standard.
“I guarantee you
if you are browsing in Savile Row now you will pick up a garment made
in China."
Mr Mahon, who runs
English Cut and formerly worked as head cutter for tailors Anderson &
Sheppard, said Savile Row is "not the same place" any more.
His bespoke clients,
who are believed to include David Beckham and Bryan Ferry, have
stayed with him after he moved his flagship store last November.
Mr Mahon, one of
Britain's most respected tailors, made Prince Charles's suits for
three years until 1995.
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