Whitcomb and Shaftesbury

I am seriously considering this outfit to make some new hard wearing, basic work work suits for me. They come to New York often, and offer a bespoke pattern with multiple fittings, cut in London, and sewed in India, for about 1,200 pounds. For me, this could fill a need. I don't really mind where the suit was sewed as long as it fits, looks and performs well.

In my $~2,300 price range, Chan can be great for some people but, I am not completely happy with my fit through them and their lack of CMT service, Gordon Yao doesn't do multiple fittings and NSM is too southern italian for my taste so I am looking at alternatives.

Does anyone have experience with this shop?


A little googling will turn up their website, but here is the bit on this India service..Seems like a good plan, I remember Thomas Mahon offered some I]ndian sewing for MTM at one point as well.

"The Classic Bespoke aims to offer a completely hand made bespoke suit at a lower cost.

To ensure this unique goal, we have setup a unique workshop in India, where handpicked craftsmen from our rehabilitation program are trained to the exacting standards found in Savile Row. The program is an ongoing collaboration between our tailors in London and in India and our master tailors from London travel on a frequent basis to India to ensure the highest standards are met and maintained.

Each garment that is made under this program is made to identical standards as those made in London and checked by one of our master tailors in London before delivery to a customer.


The Classic Bespoke follows the same fitting process as our Savile Row Bespoke. Customers are measured and fitted in London by our cutter who cuts the pattern in London. The pattern, cloth and trimmings are then sent to our India workshop for assembly before returning to London for the first fitting. Multiple fittings ensure a perfect fit. The suits include all the details found in our Savile Row Bespoke suits.

Suits from £1,250 not including VAT"

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Their suits are awesome. My firm's joint founders, chairman, MD, CEO, CFO all wouldn't go to a board meeting without donning the W&H shirts and suits. I just can't praise them more highly and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.



Munwar said:

Their suits are awesome. My firm's joint founders, chairman, MD, CEO, CFO all wouldn't go to a board meeting without donning the W&H shirts and suits. I just can't praise them more highly and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

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Err. What's your firm?

Both Mahon and Whitcomb use the same workshop, last I've heard. Key difference is that Mahon's stuff is cut in India (a route I'm not yet prepared to venture down), whilst at Whitcomb, it's cut in London.

"Post-tsunami, their friend Jean-Francois Lesage of a famous embroidery house in Paris and Vastrakala in Chennai, invited the brothers to help out with a rehabilitation programme “Children of the World.” It involved training rural artisans for vocational crafts in the tsunami-hit coastal regions near Chennai. “We woke up to the possibilities offered by the huge communities of artisans in rural India. We could train them, use their top-quality skill and rehabilitate them. It was at this time that we also chanced upon Thomas Mahon at Savile Row. A personal cutter for the Prince of Wales, Mahon offered to help with the training. He too saw the opportunity of building a brand of English cut suits in Europe and America by working with the artisan community in India. One led to the other and we launched English Cut Made-to-Measure with Mahon as co-founder,” recalls Mahesh at his huge unit in a nondescript part of Chennai. “For bespoke needs, Suresh and I opened Whitcomb & Shaftesbury on Savile Row. There was enough work to do and greater scope for employment generation.”

http://forbesindia.com/printcontent/33114
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cab52c54-f8ab-11e0-ad8f-00144feab49a.html#axzz2E4RDUDE5
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/made-in-india/article2981152.ece

On Mahon
http://www.permanentstyle.co.uk/2011/09/english-cut-and-thomas-mahon-made-to.html
http://forum.gentlemansgazette.com/Thread-Thomas-Mahon-Goes-Made-To-Measure

Just to clarify, this is Mahon's MTM stuff.



bboysdontcryy said:

Err. What's your firm?

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I can't tell because if I tell you I have to kill you I'm afraid.

Wait, what? Your firm deals with assassination? That narrows down the list. Definitely the KGB.

On a more serious note, how do you know they wear Whitcomb?



bboysdontcryy said:

Wait, what? Your firm deals with assassination? That narrows down the list. Definitely the KGB.
On a more serious note, how do you know they wear Whitcomb?

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Because I've been reading clothing forums long enough. I'm sure other members here will back me up. You just wait.

That was a genuine qn sans sarcasm.

The KGB comment was made tongue-in-cheek.



Munwar said:

Their suits are awesome. My firm's joint founders, chairman, MD, CEO, CFO all wouldn't go to a board meeting without donning the W&H shirts and suits. I just can't praise them more highly and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

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Thanks, Munwar. Styleforum wouldn't be styleforum if at least half the replies werent snarky and unhelpful or self-consciously ironic.

To excavate a necro-thread, W&S appear to be doing very fine work. I had a first fitting of their "classic bespoke" the other day, and there wasn't much to separate it from conventional SR work. If you want a traditional, slightly crisp London cut on a budget, this appears to be a good option.

Prices for the cut-and-fit-in-London/worked-in-India suits are maybe 10-15% above WWChan. Add what may end up being a more congenial fit and the 5 trips to NYC and it suddenly becomes very good value.

I have heard good things about W&S, and I know that there London-based head cutter is very well regarded. However, I remain concerned by the fact that their U.S. fittings are conducted by their owner, who is not a trained cutter (nor does he have the years of fitting experience of a Rubinacci).

Concordia - were you satisfied with Mahesh's fittings?

N/A. I was fitted in London by McCabe.

As with a lot of transatlantic relationships, it would probably be best to firm things up as much as possible at the home shop. Of course, McCabe has a lot of experience nailing patterns without ever having seen his clients face to face, so it may not be as big a deal as all that. Especially now with digital cameras and videos.

And now that I have the new suit, I am very pleased. Much closer to SR quality than the Kilgour Shanghai models of old, and still less than half the cost of a London-tailored suit. One difference is that the Indians working for them are on their payroll, not contractors from a much larger organization.

Add the superb cut that McCabe routinely does, and it's quite a bargain.

I made two suits with them and I will say I prefer my HK tailor.