- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
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When I first joined Styleforum and listed my location as Seoul, I got several messages in rapid succession asking about B&Tailor. At the time, I had no idea who they were. About a year later, I finally stumbled upon their fantastic tumblr, this providing the impetus to finally get some stuff made by them. The older brother, Changwoo, is the fellow in the glasses most often featured. The younger brother, Changjin, is generally behind the camera and in none of the pictures. And their father, Park Jungyul, is the man behind all the clothes.
Of the three of them, the father is by far the most gregarious. There is a genuine joy in his communication with others. Every time I visit the second floor of their shop, he throws on a jacket and greets me with a firm handshake and a very real smile. The older son is perhaps the most passionate about clothing—not just tailoring—as is evident by his tumblr. I generally work with the younger son, who is the most serious of the three (as well as the only one fluent in English). He also doesn’t like ties. Go figure.
During the interview, the father took us to the fifth floor of the building where all the cutting and sewing takes place (the first floor is the showroom, the second for fitting and coffee). There were five or six rooms of various sizes, each with one or two Korean men in their 60s, hunched over at work. Some of them had been with Park since the 1980s.
My ultimate impression was this: though there is some damn fine tailoring going on at B&T, there is some even better parenting. And to me, this speaks volumes more than the cut of a jacket.
Quote:
Park Jungyul
Park Changwoo being photographed by Park Changjin for the B&Tailor tumblr
Somebody's jacket being made.
My pattern being shown to me.
A special thanks to Rudals and Mrs. Claghorn for helping with the translation, as well as my excellent friend E.L-H for the pictures.
Of the three of them, the father is by far the most gregarious. There is a genuine joy in his communication with others. Every time I visit the second floor of their shop, he throws on a jacket and greets me with a firm handshake and a very real smile. The older son is perhaps the most passionate about clothing—not just tailoring—as is evident by his tumblr. I generally work with the younger son, who is the most serious of the three (as well as the only one fluent in English). He also doesn’t like ties. Go figure.
During the interview, the father took us to the fifth floor of the building where all the cutting and sewing takes place (the first floor is the showroom, the second for fitting and coffee). There were five or six rooms of various sizes, each with one or two Korean men in their 60s, hunched over at work. Some of them had been with Park since the 1980s.
My ultimate impression was this: though there is some damn fine tailoring going on at B&T, there is some even better parenting. And to me, this speaks volumes more than the cut of a jacket.
Quote:
Park Jungyul
Park Changwoo being photographed by Park Changjin for the B&Tailor tumblr
Somebody's jacket being made.
My pattern being shown to me.
A special thanks to Rudals and Mrs. Claghorn for helping with the translation, as well as my excellent friend E.L-H for the pictures.
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