The Tailoring Academy

… for your place on our 2023/24 Level 5 Diploma course:

We have had an exiting academic year culminating in the award of accreditation by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and approval of our new International Programme by the UK Fashion and Textiles Association, UKFT (more on this shortly). But the Academy also just received another ringing endorsement of its highly acclaimed course for UK students. The testimonial comes from no other than Liveryman Alan Cannon Jones MSc. F.FCDE, Chairman of the Judges of the prestigious Golden Shears competition:

“The Tailoring Academy is the benchmark for Bespoke Tailoring education and this should be celebrated and encouraged as the exemplar in the UK.”

We are thrilled to announce that, following a rigorous process of inspection, the Tailoring Academy was awarded
accreditation by the British Accreditation Council, obtaining the leading mark of educational quality within the independent further and higher education sector. The council’s independent panel of experts judged that we meet all their standards in the following areas:

… once again!

Our previous cohort left the academy having signed employment contracts, accepted freelance offers or getting ready for the launch of a company. We are immensely proud of our graduates and will keep following their progress. Our new cohort is only a few weeks into their training but students already impress us with work that would typically be expected of trainees much further into their course or apprenticeship.

The secret lies in the fact that students follow a structured programme with us, rather than running alongside their employer, to pick up odd jobs here and there – the nature of the traditional apprenticeship! But let’s not forget the fact they are, first and foremost, immensely talented and determined to learn. It is a joy to see them soaking up the new knowledge and skills, transferring them into sterling results, even this early on.

Following our move to larger, beautiful new premises we are ready to welcome new candidates to our Level 5 Diploma 2022/23 intake. We will keep student numbers low as is our well-proven custom, allowing everyone ample space keeps being important, not just for health reasons but also because our craft demands freedom of movement and of course each student needs room to accommodate their alter ego – the tailoring dummy (long time followers know they have a special place in my heart).

Get in touch if you’d like to hear more, including about our Community Tailoring scheme that allows you to earn whilst you learn. Drop us a line using the contact form or come and see us for a tour and chat on either of our Open Days. The dates are:

Our dual qualification has just been confirmed as a pathway to a fulfilling career – the ABC Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring opens up veritable progression routes for those with previous experience in garment making:

John joined our very first cohort studying for the newly launched qualification in September 2018, as a recent fashion design graduate from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. During his admission interview, he explained he was looking for solid traditional tailoring skills, as well as training in pattern construction – both areas the more conceptual BA fashion design courses do not generally deliver. His admiration for meticulous hand craft was immediately evident and he knew that adding this specialist expertise to his existing skill set would enable him to follow a more ambitious career path than the fashion degree alone would have afforded him.

His previous experience in design and garment making helped him to hit the ground running. His diligence and inquisitive mind played a significant role in maximising the learning opportunities the qualification has on offer. He was particularly appreciative of the fact that the academy delivers both pathways of the qualification – the cutting and tailoring route – to all students.

From the second term onwards, John began working on customer commissions within the academy’s ‘Community Tailoring’ scheme. He engaged in bespoke selling, advised customers on style options, material choices and technical detail concerning individual figure and posture. He carried out cost calculations, provided quotations and placed orders for materials with suppliers. He then moved on to tailor, fit and supply the bespoke garments.  John worked hard and achieved extremely positive outcomes on each occasion, which was evidenced in the feedback he received from customers – valuable experience he will be able to build on in the future. He passed the final assessments with flying colours in July 2019. His practical work is of professional standard and his exemplary portfolio received particular praise: meticulous and beautifully accomplished, it will serve him as reference throughout his future career.

The Level 5 curriculum is an intensive programme, hands-on and within the real environment of a working bespoke house, with all the challenges this entails. It is designed to equip graduates for a career role with considerable responsibility, including setting up their own bespoke business, if they so wish. John made full use of this opportunity and I was delighted to learn that, following his graduation from the academy, he accepted the offer of a tailoring position within the men’s costume department at the prestigious Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The application process at Glyndebourne involved two interview stages, both entailing a practical exam. John was able to demonstrate his proficiency on both occasions owing to the practical skills training he received as part of the qualification.

John was generously supported by a student grant made available by the CapitB Trust, in recognition of the fact that the qualification, designed by the Savile Row Bespoke Association as an alternative to the traditional apprenticeship, is becoming available outside of London.

The concept of delivering the ABC Level 5 Diploma as a stand-alone alternative to the traditional apprenticeship is officially award-winning! I am delighted to have received the Textile Society’s Professional Development Award, for offering this Ofqual regulated programme, the highest standard in UK Tailoring training, outside of London. 

The Society states in their announcement: “The selection panel were particularly interested in bringing an ABC qualification of tailoring to the North” and continues: “the application shows initiative and enterprise, specialist knowledge and strong professional experience. The strength of this application is its potential to disseminate knowledge through vocational education”.

As part of ITV’s ‘Tonight’ programme, I spoke about the skills shortage in the UK and how emphasis is now being laid on increasing the provision of practical skills training in response to that shortage. 

Filming took place at the Tailoring Academy, which I founded in response to what I know is an enormous demand for traditional tailoring skills: young people up and down the country – not just in our field but across all disciplines – want to learn to make things by hand again, a powerful antidote in an era of relentless consumerism.

Much of my work focuses on developing skills in those older than school age. Typically, applicants are self-taught, have a segmented background of different roles in the industry or are fashion design graduates with a degree under their belt. These candidates are aware they don’t have the technical skills, pattern and garment construction in particular, they need to progress in their chosen career.

At the Academy, which shares premises with my bespoke tailoring house, students receive the entire bespoke skill set, giving them control over the process from start to finish. Once they have completed the one-year course, they are in a position to deliver the highest quality in garment making, enabling them to set up their own business or seek employment equipped with an acknowledged qualification.

We are VERY proud to have been selected to show at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester from 10th to 13th October. Now in its 12th year, the exhibition is the North’s largest and most established annual celebration of contemporary craft. This is a curated show and the Tailoring Academy has been selected to participate as the only UK training provider offering the highest level of tailoring training outside of Savile Row, London.

There is a craft renaissance underway, and it’s not limited to our sector: people are getting tired of cheap, disposable goods that are manufactured at the other end of the globe, because they hold no real value.

The concern for our planet plays a massive role in this, of course, and it is first and foremost young people who are now actively taking a role in halting the destruction relentless consumerism has caused. Knowing how to make things that last is a powerful antidote to the unsettling feeling of losing control. Human hands are our most capable tool.

Sustainability is at the forefront of our work, and we respond directly to our students’ desire for a more resourceful way of production by sourcing our materials locally, or even producing our own cloth to use in our tailoring.

The Academy offers the highest level in UK tailoring training: the ABC Level 5 Diploma, an alternative to the traditional apprenticeship. Designed by the Savile Row Bespoke Association and approved by the UK Fashion and Textiles Association (UKFT), the double qualification opens up a route to those looking to learn traditional tailoring skills in a life changing course, delivered in real-life work environment.

Our state-of-the-art workshop is housed on the top floor of a majestic former silk mill and is flooded with light. The textile heritage is tangible and hugely stimulating in our work.

At the Tailoring Academy, we believe that students should receive a full education and acquire, alongside their practical training, a sense of responsibility and accountability for their work.

Traditionally, apprentices receive training in only one area of the craft: they must choose between different pathways and become trouser/coat makers, or cutters. From an employer’s perspective, this secures a succession of specialists as part of their in-house production. From an employee’s point of view, however, following years of commitment, they often haven’t had the chance to acquire skills needed to move on or set up their own company.

At the Tailoring Academy, we adopt a more holistic approach and deliver the ENTIRE bespoke skill set to all students: graduates leave the course with TWO acknowledged qualifications, as fully rounded specialists.

We believe that practice is essential for any craft and encourage our students to spend time in the workshop outside teaching hours. During term time, students have the facilities exclusively to themselves each Friday.

Pattern construction is an important part of our curriculum, and students learn to draft individual paper patterns from scratch. The Tailoring Academy is the first UK training facility to follow the renowned German Müller & Sohn construction system (in English), which allows a truly individual pattern draft for each new set of measurements. 

To provide students with practical experience in measuring, fitting and consulting individual customers, we pride ourselves of our ‘Community Tailoring’ scheme: students take on bespoke commissions from members of the community, and work with them through all stages of the bespoke process. Participation is voluntary but students are encouraged to embrace this opportunity, enhancing their skills through practice and seeing their efforts rewarded at the same time.

Students learn to work independently, capable of fulfilling both the bespoke cutter and tailor roles