A little bit

About Us

The London Academy of Bespoke is A private bespoke tailoring school, based in London.

Our tailoring school (also fondly known as LAB) holds private classes in a wide and varied range of topics within bespoke tailoring. Our team of teachers currently, or previously work/ed for, tailoring houses on London’s prestigious Savile Row. Every lesson that we deliver is designed to closely assimilate attributes of a traditional bespoke tailoring apprenticeship. We keep class numbers small to maximise the learning potential of everyone involved – tutors included! Our aim is to share knowledge through a network of skilled artisans, from within a niche area of expertise, to foster and nurture the next generation of bespoke tailors, cutters and master tailors. Furthermore, to do so generously, with the objective of maintaining standards in teaching the necessary skills and history of Savile Row bespoke tailoring and cutting. Our first promise is that you will be taught genuine tailoring techniques as practised in businesses along Savile Row. Our second promise is that we will individually do everything we can to allow you the freedom to learn fully and to have confidence in the work that you produce, both in practice with us in the studio and thereafter.

(Here one of our summer school groups, visiting Holland & Sherry, Summer 2022)

“Much like self-taught brain surgery, learning coat making by oneself is a recipe for headaches, tears and disaster. The brilliant tuition and support I’ve had from the team at LAB has revolutionised my sewing and taught me tricks I’d have never found in any article, book, blog or video.”

— Lionel Nierop, LAB Student (2018)

meet

Our Team

All members of our teaching team are Savile Row trained, professional tailors and cutters. Each one of us has been where our students are now. We promise to use our individual training experience, as well as our professional experience, to make your learning environment the very best it can be.

Victoria Townsend

BESPOKE CUTTER (FORMERLY OF RICHARD JAMES, SAVILE ROW)

Victoria Townsend has single-mindedly focused her career towards excellence in fine bespoke tailoring. Her Savile Row training with master tailors along the Row, has earned her the accolade of becoming the Row’s first to receive multiple Savile Row Bespoke qualifications. Before forming her own bespoke label, Victoria’s principal role was both assisting and working alongside head cutter of Richard James Bespoke, Christopher Foster-Hicklin, where she steadily built a strong reputation in her own right. With a definitive goal of understanding all aspects of fine tailoring, Victoria has added to her knowledge since qualifying by working on various projects with British heritage brands outside of the Row, including Daks of London. Combined with her own practised technique, Victoria’s sole interest is founded in applying traditional technical skill as it has been passed down to her, in order to reach ultimate perfection in the fit, design and balance of each garment she works with.

Forming The London Academy of Bespoke was a very natural decision for Victoria. In ‘making it work’, she says she will continue to love, respect and very much welcome every challenge it will undoubtedly send her way.

Jinny Seals

Coat Maker (Henry Poole & Co. savile Row)

Jinny first joined the trade in 2003, straight from a diploma in Tailoring at The London College of Fashion in 2002. Her first tailoring debut was in the fine art of Finishing. Once this was truly mastered, she moved on the coat making for Henry Poole. Jinny finished her training in 2009. She worked independently alongside her master for another two years before joining Norton and Sons in 2011. Jinny then went on to run her own workshop outside of the Row, until she realised, she missed being in the Savile Row tailoring workplace environment, at which point Henry Poole were very keen to welcome her back in-house. Upon her return she was given her first apprentice – Jinny has now trained two apprentices in the past 8 years from beginner to full term & her next challenge is with us. Teaching the fundamentals with good reasoning to back it up, Jinny will enjoy pushing the boundaries of what we achieve in class.

James MacAuslan

Bespoke Shirt Cutter (Budd of Picadilly, London)

James studied at Newham College, after which he was offered a position at Huntsman on Savile Row. Here James learnt the basic key elements of bespoke tailoring, before realising a love for traditional handmade shirts. Drawn to Budd of Piccadilly, renowned London based shirt makers, James was fortunate to become the first ever apprentice to Budd’s Head Cutter, Mr Butcher, thus keeping alive the traditional techniques of bespoke shirt making. He has now spent over a decade specializing in shirt making and in 2019 co-founded The Quailors a LGBTQ+ tailoring community to help support the youth and diversity in the trade. He is passionate to begin helping to support and protect the future of the bespoke tailoring trade through teaching the next generation of craftspeople the skills he has dedicated his life to.

Emma Sans

Bespoke Finisher

Emma joined the trade in her teens, she immediately exceled in the finer hand-sewing that bespoke tailoring requires. Emma became a finisher 4 years ago & her growing reputation since, has enabled her to build a client base including several of the established bespoke tailoring houses & beyond.

Emma has a cool, calm, and concise approach to teaching, which fits extremely well into The LAB team. Most importantly this approach enables her to create an ideal environment for our students to achieve their best results.

Albert Nelson

BESPOKE COAT MAKER (DEGE & SKINNER, SAVILE ROW)

Albert began his career working for an old and established tailoring house, Wells of Mayfair, in his twenties.

Since then he has worked with some of the most prestigious houses on Savile Row. He currently works for Dege & Skinner.

He brings a wealth of knowledge to LAB, spanning a 44 year career in the bespoke trade. The way he explains ever finite detail truly commends the vessel of bespoke tailoring knowledge he holds

John Davis

Master Coat Maker, (Tobias Tailors Ltd, London)

John Davis, Savile Row trained Master Tailor, specialising in Coat Making.

John joined the trade in 1964, aged 19 – this was considered ‘a little late’ back then. His first interview was with Fred Stanbury of Kilgour French and Stanbury. Following this interview John recalls that Fred called the workshop and found a tailor willing to take him on. His apprenticeship began from that moment.

John apprenticeship was three years, until he was entrusted with his own jobs.

John worked for Kilgour for another year before leaving to explore his keen eye for fashion, and what a time to explore London’s swinging 60’s fashion scene. This journey led John to iconic boutiques , such as ‘Take 6’ on Wardour Street, then on to the infamous Kings Road.

Whilst John had built up a reputation for making beautiful coats, in his own right, he missed Bespoke Tailoring and decided to return to Kilgour. Nevertheless, his reputation quickly caught up with him again as he was head hunted by Mr Fish, Tailor to the rock and pop aristocracy on of London at that time. John cut and made several of the garments for his 1970’s and continued working for Mr Fish until the business closed. He was then asked to join Benson & Clegg, for who he worked for several years.

John was then Headhunted again, this time by Tobias Tailors of Savile Row. John went on to eventually buy this business, running his own successful Savile Row Tailors for the next 15 years.

Johns next challenge was one he had maybe hoped for but couldn’t necessarily plan for, training his daughter! Roxy joined her dad in their own private workspace, where she began as his apprentice and has taken to the trade beautifully, making her dad very proud.

We are over the moon that John now joins The LAB team to teach our 5 month coat making programme, sharing and celebrating his 60 years in the industry!