A fillip for the future of bespoke Savile Row tailoring: our pre-apprenticeship training programme has doubled its student intake. This month, for the first time, our official partner, The London Academy of Bespoke (LAB), is running two concurrent courses. And both of them are full, with ten future cutters or makers on each.

The two groups are currently working through their foundation stitches, and from there they will move on to drafting, before basting their first garment together. Each stage is taught at the bench in tutorial time, and independent practice time is also built in so the students are able to go back over the previous day's lesson at their own pace.

“I am hugely proud to welcome twenty pre-apprentices to begin their training this September,” says Victoria Townsend, LAB's Founder. “That is twenty hearts and minds looking for expert tuition and guidance, and we take every one of those journeys seriously - which means being honest with each of them, from the first day, about what this course entails.

“Our pre-apprenticeship aims high. It offers a real insight into our world and craft, and it helps the participants understand what the industry is truly about - what each job role asks for in terms of practical skill, and where they might fit within it. Being based on the Row matters hugely. Our students are surrounded by the trade they aspire to join, and we introduce them to the Savile Row network at every opportunity.”

Full details of the Savile Row Bespoke Association’s Pre-Apprenticeship Bespoke Tailoring courses can be found here.