Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Insights and Commentary - Jonathan Quearney

Jonathan Quearney is a bespoke tailor from London who travels to North America bi-annually to meet with customers. He is visiting Vancouver for the first time, and will be at the Wedgewood Hotel on October 21 and 22. Visit him at www.jonathanquearney.com/weblog to make an appointment.

You are…
Jonathan Quearney - Bespoke Tailor and Outfitter.

The road traveled…
My introduction to tailoring was through working in my father's business in Dublin, this then took me to fashion design college and then onto Savile Row. Here I worked for Airey & Wheeler lightweight and tropics specialist, followed by time spent with my mentor Thomas Mahon founder of English Cut. This gave me a grounding in British Tailoring and that lead to conversations about it where I met other people trained in shoe making, shirt making, textile printing and embroidery. These fortuitous meetings inspired me to establish Jonathan Quearney Bespoke Tailor, Outfitters & Clothiers in 2003.

The more things change…
A big change is how today fashion is consumed almost like fast food. Garments are produced mechanically and the relationship people have with fashion seems to be more about the experience or aspiration, than with the clothes we buy. The science of the retail experience may have gone too far.

The more they stay the same…
People's will to be individual has stayed the same. This decade the outlet people used to be individual was combining fashion from the mass market with vintage clothing. Being individual will always be a part of human nature as long as we have an outlet.

On style…
It's a process of discovery and I think generally speaking men and women approach it very differently. When men buy clothes from a bespoke tailor they choose practicality first. When they feel comfortable with the process they then take more risks and their personal style begins to emerge. Men want you to tell them what is going to work best for them whereas women are happy to try experimenting without considering what they want.

Favorite memory/experience…
My first Savile Row suit was a real moment. I was training on Savile Row and the boss gave me a length of cloth for my birthday so I was all set. The head cutter drafted the pattern and I struck the cloth and selected the trimmings and innards for its construction. I was on good terms with the best coat maker working for the firm who is now sadly no longer with us. The first fitting was prepared and I stood in the fitting room waiting to try it on. The cutter dropped it on the back of my neck patted it down on my shoulders. "So how does it feel" he said with a serious inquiring tone in his voice. God I thought how does it feel, I couldn't think of what to say. "Well" he said staring at me in the mirror, he could see that I was a bit lost for words. "I can't really feel anything" I replied. "Good that's how a bespoke suit fits. You can't really notice it because its cut to your body and so it feels the same everywhere and that creates the feeling of nothing" and it was as simple as that.

Your style…
I used to be very conscious of what others might have thought about how I dressed. In my teens my style had a nativity that sometimes created unexpected juxtapositions in my dress sense. In my twenties style was probably more about communicating and executing a style. So far my thirties style seems to have a nonchalance that I suppose is a confidence I have gained through my work. Ultimately style should be a discovery that changes as we become more aware of what we like.

Big fan of…
I love clothing that reminds me that I haven't been around for a very long time. Softness in my clothes that gives me a comfort and confidence. If an item of clothing can wear a stain for an evening I feel pretty comfortable in it. My tailoring construction is inspired by old clothing, lightweight canvasses, the thinnest 1/4" shoulder padding and bias cutting all give that softness and most importantly comfort when worn, so the clothes are immediately familiar.

Insights and Commentary (this is a blog after all)...
A large part of my work everyday is to assist, direct or observe the creative process. This is working with a client to build a wardrobe using color and cut to reflect who they are and has different results every time.

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