Bespoke Coat Making

(Full-Time)

COURSE DETAILS

Course: Bespoke Coat Making (5 Month - Daytime)

Tutor: John Davis (Freelance Savile Row Bespoke Coat Maker, take a look at John’s work here @tobiastailors)

Start / End date: TBC 2025

Weekly Schedule: Mon – Thursday / Wednesday optional independent practice.

Times: 10:00 – 16:00

Fee: £8000 (+ VAT) Payment plan available - to be confirmed at time of application. 

Course Content

Coat making training using traditional bespoke tailoring methods, via repetitive practice tutored by John Davis, Savile Row Bespoke Coat Maker.

You will begin working alongside John, so that he can establish a full understanding of your current skill set. In the first instance he will be looking to simply see how you use your needle and thimble. John will then open the first ‘bundle’ with her students, explaining each element with particular focus on how he as a working professional would approach a job. You will begin by working on a plain baste.

Please note there is time allowed on this course for students to complete three coats (three bundles). However, what you can achieve will be solely reliant on your own individual skillset & how you apply yourself throughout your course, & we will guide you to achieve your personal best every step of the way.

We will push you to exceed your boundaries and encourage you to have passion in motivating yourself! It is important that you are as open as possible about your current skill set. Seeing what you are already capable of will impact how much we can show and practice with you during your 5 months with us and the more of an asset this part of your training will be as you work towards reaching your full potential.

All materials needed to work on x3 bundles are provided on this course. We will also make sure you are using a correctly fitting thimble & provide you with a better fit if needs be.

So why are we only focusing on the construction of the coat during a whole 5 months?

The answer is simple – the goal is for our students to not only learn tailoring skills, but to instil in you the personal confidence to practice your new skills independently. The skills involved in being a bespoke tailor can take a considerable amount of time to learn and even longer to perfect – how long, depends on you as an individual. Nevertheless, we pride ourselves on recognising a student’s strengths, as well as any gaps in their tailoring knowledge, early in the training process. This information then allows us to adapt the learning process specifically, enabling us to teach in a way that helps you as an individual. Our goal is to effectively advance your progress in defining who you are as a bespoke tailor.

The bespoke ‘coat’ (including the following under the umbrella of this word, jkt/blazer/overcoat) encompasses practically every making skill and almost all techniques that you will need as a bespoke tailor practising traditional bespoke methods, no matter what garment you are making. This being the case, you will find that although we focus on one main garment, once you are fully capable in the art of coat making, you will be able to apply the techniques you learn, to other tailored garments with more ease. By completion of this course, you will have fully learned all the processes involved in making a tailored coat.

Ideal Learning outcome

The desired learning outcome is that each student will be equipped with the knowledge of how to make a bespoke coat, using Savile Row methods and that each student will have practiced the art of coat making under John’s tuition more than once – Our approach is ‘the more you can put in, the more we can achieve together in the learning environment’.  We are passionate about demonstrating the building blocks that will allow our students to begin a career in bespoke tailoring and, through this course students will learn and develop key skills that will benefit them throughout their tailoring careers.

How do we ensure our training is truely of industry standard

We work closely with our colleagues in the trade to ensure that our tuition continually meets not only the highest standard of traditional tailoring methods, but that our students are taught the specific skills required of any new apprentice which can vary from house to house.

Progression

Upon course completion it will be of the upmost importance that you continue to focus on practicing your new skills, you will quickly understand why we strongly emphasize repetition in order to refine, improve then master as a artisan of your craft.

If your goal is to become a bespoke tailoring apprentice, we will do our best to assist you in finding a place that is mutually suitable for you and the company involved.

Your progression past training doesn’t necessarily have to be within our very niche trade, the skills, and techniques you will learn on this course are transferable to many other garment production roles in areas such as costume & couture.

Aiding your progression from this course, you will be equipped with the following tools upon leaving – please note quantity & range of practical samples will rely solely on your individual capability:

• A full record of Johns coat making process.

• A portfolio of work including:

  • A body of bespoke coat making notes.

  • A least one final coat sample.

  • Various Pocket samples.

  • Samples of all stitches.

• The London Academy of Bespoke ‘Bespoke Coat Making’ Certificate.

• A signed reference. Please note a reference will ONLY be given on merit.

We are happy to provide references upon request, to support the body of work you have produced under our tuition. In addition, upon completion of the course we encourage you to keep in touch, so that you can continue to advance your training with us by staying connected to our network at The LAB.

Entry Requirements

Ideally each student will have previous experience in making garments - please be explicit about your experience when you apply.

We would also like each student to have practiced using their tailors thimble - which we are happy to assist with in advance of you starting your course.

about your tutor

John Davis, Master Coat Maker, Freelance. 

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. 

John has trained many apprentices on a one-to-one basis throughout his career & his next challenge is with us, teaching a small group of people. John says the thought of sharing his knowledge to those in the very early stages of their bespoke tailoring career/journey and hopefully in some way inspiring strong direction, whilst giving a true insight into the inner workings of the business is what interests him most. Teaching the fundamentals with good reasoning to back it up, John will enjoy pushing the boundaries of what we achieve in class – so we say fondly – ‘get ready!!’