Movie from inside a suit factory

[johapers]

Good day to you all! I found this movie whilst surfing the web and thought it might interest some of the users here at SF.

http://www.tigerofsweden.com/inside/

Just scroll down until you find it.

Pretty far from a bespoke tailor? Are some of the processes used in modern manufacturing similar to the ways of old masters?

 

[jefferyd]

Originally Posted by johapers

Good day to you all! I found this movie whilst surfing the web and thought it might interest some of the users here at SF.

http://www.tigerofsweden.com/inside/

Just scroll down until you find it.

Pretty far from a bespoke tailor? Are some of the processes used in modern manufacturing similar to the ways of old masters?

It depends on the factory, of course. What you saw in this video is a highly engineered, fused garment. A lot of the processes can now be automated to take seconds instead of hours, but some operations are still better when done by hand.

Once thing you will notice in the video is the speed at which they sew; it is considerable, but should not be attributed to carelessness. RTW patterns are made with extreme precision (we work with a 1/32" precision) and carefully tested before they hit the production floor so there is no guesswork for the operator. Generally they line up the start and finish of seams, matching notches (little guide marks) and sew. They will do the same operation perhaps hundreds of times a day so with time they develop the ability to sew with great care and speed. This all works very well in an ideal world.

We do not live in an ideal world, however, so the standard of quality determined by management determines what passes and what doesn't. Little things creep in- poor cutting, poor seaming, poor pressing; the ability to recognize the problem along the production process, the willingness to invest the time to correct it and the knowledge of what must be done to correct it, are some of the main things that distinguish the better from the lesser factories, and this is to say nothing of the production method.

There a very many ways in which to make a suit and it is generally up to the designer to decide how the garment is to be made in order for it to fit in to the price bracket which has generally been predetermined by the customer (the retailer). While most factories produce their garments in a very rapid, engineered way as shown in the video, there are still factories around which do things the old way. There is a fair bit of information on this and other fora about the factories which still adhere to a traditional method of construction.

 

[SirSuturesALot]

Has anyone been able to find videos of suits being "hand made" from start to finish? There are videos of the same for shoes, but I've yet been able to find one for suits.

 

[johapers]

Originally Posted by jefferyd

It depends on the factory, of course. What you saw in this video is a highly engineered, fused garment. A lot of the processes can now be automated to take seconds instead of hours, but some operations are still better when done by hand.

Once thing you will notice in the video is the speed at which they sew; it is considerable, but should not be attributed to carelessness. RTW patterns are made with extreme precision (we work with a 1/32" precision) and carefully tested before they hit the production floor so there is no guesswork for the operator. Generally they line up the start and finish of seams, matching notches (little guide marks) and sew. They will do the same operation perhaps hundreds of times a day so with time they develop the ability to sew with great care and speed. This all works very well in an ideal world.

We do not live in an ideal world, however, so the standard of quality determined by management determines what passes and what doesn't. Little things creep in- poor cutting, poor seaming, poor pressing; the ability to recognize the problem along the production process, the willingness to invest the time to correct it and the knowledge of what must be done to correct it, are some of the main things that distinguish the better from the lesser factories, and this is to say nothing of the production method.

There a very many ways in which to make a suit and it is generally up to the designer to decide how the garment is to be made in order for it to fit in to the price bracket which has generally been predetermined by the customer (the retailer). While most factories produce their garments in a very rapid, engineered way as shown in the video, there are still factories around which do things the old way. There is a fair bit of information on this and other fora about the factories which still adhere to a traditional method of construction.

Thank you for the elaborate explanation! Very nice to get some inside information.

 

[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by johapers

Good day to you all! I found this movie whilst surfing the web and thought it might interest some of the users here at SF.

http://www.tigerofsweden.com/inside/

Just scroll down until you find it.

Pretty far from a bespoke tailor? Are some of the processes used in modern manufacturing similar to the ways of old masters?

Thanks for the link!