Why bespoke dressmaking is back

There's a return to the traditional, personalised tailor and seamstress – with some help from TikTok. Craftspeople and their clients talk about the joint process of creating unique garments.

For centuries, the dressmaker was a familiar figure in many communities around the globe, by necessity handcrafting one-off garments according to their customers' measurements, as well as offering alterations and repairs. This remained largely the case until the invention of the sewing machine in 1830 – which enabled the mass production of clothing – and, just over a century later, the implementation of a standardised sizing system in the US, which prompted the rise of ready-to-wear, eventually giving way to the burgeoning fast fashion industry of today.

Somewhere along the way, bespoke garments were relegated to the luxury realm, the notion of a personal tailor conjuring visions of Savile Row and haute couture ateliers. But in recent years, made-to-measure clothing has experienced a renaissance, driven by a greater awareness of the fashion industry's detrimental impact on the environment (textile production alone makes up 10% of global carbon emissions) and a concerted effort on behalf of buyers to shop more intentionally and sustainably.

Where once fast fashion was celebrated for its democratisation of dress, its more sinister side – from the dire working conditions many garment workers face to the lack of size inclusivity, as well as the extreme waste it generates – is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

Our renewed appreciation for tailoring goes hand in hand with a surge of interest in understanding exactly how our clothes are made – a point demonstrated by the #SewingTikTok trend, which arose in 2021, fanning the flames of the home-sewing movement (ignited by TV shows like Project Runway) and exploring the art of dressmaking. Under this hashtag, which has 7.4 billion views to date, tailors, dressmakers and designers have garnered countless followers by sharing the step-by-step processes behind their creations, often providing tips and tutorials too.

One such sensation is Joe Ando, an actor and designer who has acquired 2.5 million followers on the app, where he documents the production of his bespoke creations, which he initially made for himself and his girlfriend, before securing multiple clients keen to support his craft.

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More and more, it seems, we're learning that quality over quantity is what counts when it comes to our wardrobes, whether that means purchasing from independent designers and eco-conscious brands if and where possible, or engaging the skills of a tailor or dressmaker – which, consumers are coming to realise, has countless benefits and is not as prohibitively expensive as we may have assumed.

"You can find people who do alterations at all different price points," says Trinny Woodall, the British TV presenter famed for her expert fashion advice, and founder of beauty brand Trinny London. "Many people use a local dry cleaners for simple adjustments, for instance, and then there are those dressmakers who do it as a sideline to their main tailoring job," she tells BBC Culture.

On her part, Woodall has worked with west London tailor and designer Azucena Cruz, who specialises in effortlessly elegant custom and tailored garments, for over 20 years. "Azucena knows my wardrobe better than I do," says Woodall, who will occasionally ask Cruz to create garments from scratch but more frequently enlists her to adjust the fit of a "fabulous find in the wrong size" and reimagine existing pieces. "Giving new life to old friends is one of the most satisfying things to do," Woodall says. "Being able to change a dress into a skirt or a top makes an old favourite seem so fresh again: you get continual pleasure from wearing it."

Cruz likewise views the environment-friendly aspect of her profession as particularly important. "I really believe in sustainable fashion, and so do my clients," she tells BBC Culture. "When they buy bespoke, they buy less but they buy forever pieces. And I always like to work with people's budgets – everyone has different amounts they want to spend, so it’s important to start there."

Alongside her regular, long-standing clients such as Woodall, Cruz has also noticed an uptick of interest in bespoke tailoring among new customers. "The demand is growing," she says. "Now, more than ever, people want clothes that fit them perfectly and endure." This, she posits, is not only because working with a tailor allows you to pick your own, high-quality fabrics and ensure that your clothes are draped perfectly for your specific frame, but also because it allows you to wear pieces that fully "represent your own personal style".

Creative collaboration

The Berlin-based designer Melisa Minca – who works solely with upcycled materials to create singular cutting-edge pieces, often for bespoke clients – agrees. "People appreciate personal expression, and it seems that increasingly they want to wear clothes that they can have a say in designing, and which fit them like a glove," she tells BBC Culture. "The fact that my customers are not only performers and artists but also regular people with nine-to-five jobs is a sign that bespoke clothing is having a moment again."

For Minca, a self-taught seamstress who studied sustainable development and politics at university, the reasons for creating made-to-measure pieces, alongside her one-of-a-kind ready-to-wear garments, are multifold. First, it is the most efficient way to avoid waste (another horrifying statistic: five billion pounds of waste is generated through returns each year, with many fast fashion retailers deeming it more profitable to send returned clothes straight to landfill than to restock them). Second, it re-establishes what she terms "a connection between the maker and the customer [that] has been largely severed, especially in fashion". Bespoke sessions usually begin with an invitation to Minca's studio, where she shows her new clients past designs to "demonstrate what's possible", and ascertains their individual style. "We are very flexible and always want to arrive at the best solution for the client and the planet," she says.

And she evidently succeeds. "Whenever I have a significant DJ set, or something that's going to be filmed, I usually get Melisa to dress me," one of Minca's regular customers, the British DJ Christiana Vassilakis (AKA Madam X), tells BBC Culture. "The creative process feels very collaborative. Melisa knows what I like and we’re able to bounce ideas off each other – she can sort of read my mind." Minca's intimate approach is a plus point for her clients. "When I visit Melisa’s home-studio, it’s never just a fitting," says Vassilakis. "We catch up, have a coffee, check in with each other, eat, laugh, cry. It’s like finding the right hairdresser – once you find 'the one', you can't really go anywhere else."

This is a view shared by classical concert pianist Harriet Stubbs, who has collaborated with Mariann Marlowe – dressmaker and owner of the East Village boutique Enz's, a go-to destination for New York punk rockers ever since the movement's 1970s heyday – for the past 10 years. As a composer known for her innovative fusion of classical tradition with other far-reaching cultural influences (her new album Living on Mars features her unique take on David Bowie, Johann Sebastian Bach and Nick Cave), Stubbs was keen to find a bespoke designer who could communicate her musical approach sartorially, and in Marlowe, she found the perfect match.

"Mariann's dresses are always so original," Stubbs tells BBC Culture. "Her tone is one that I can use for professional occasions without ever being boring – the pieces are beautifully crafted, but are really cool as well, with a vintage feel. Over time, Mariann has come to know what's happening in my life well enough that she’ll come up with an idea for upcoming events before I even ask her," she says with a laugh.

"Harriet likes a certain style of dress," Marlowe tells BBC Culture over the phone from New York. "She has a rock'n'roll edge, and we have a similar body type, so I know what to suggest for her. These days, I only work with a handful of bespoke clients – I design and cut the patterns and my seamstress sews them – and it's really important for me to have a one-on-one connection with them so I know what they're going to love."

For Stubbs, this has greatly enriched the shopping experience. "It's such a different way to consume. Everything is so immediately available nowadays, it's almost coming out of your phone, and you're left wondering why you wanted what you bought. There's rarely any story behind it, it's just marketing," she says. "So I'm thrilled to support small businesses where I can; it fosters community and memories."

Of course, wearing custom clothes, while more affordable than it once was, is still not a viable option for all shoppers – as Minca is keen to stress, "I think there's still a misconception that the consumer is at the centre of any meaningful change in the fashion world, but for many sustainably-minded people, bespoke clothing is still out of reach". But if you can invest in a select number of made-to-measure garments, or use local tailoring services to improve the fit – and therefore the wearability – of your existing buys, the pay off appears to be resoundingly high.

"For me it's time efficient, because I don't have to run around looking for outfits for events," says Stubbs. "And, from a financial point of view, it saves money because the process is much slower and more thought out. There's no buyer's regret, and you're not going to feel much better than you do in something that's made for you, which means you really look after it." Vassilakis feels the same. "I truly believe you get what you pay for," she says. "You're better off with a few pieces that, yes, may be more expensive, but they last longer and are made with love."

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