Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner launch their first ever ready-to-wear collection
After 150 years in the business, the tailors are going off the peg
Words: Jonathan Wells
After celebrating their 150 year anniversary in 2015, bespoke Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner are taking their next step – by launching the brand’s first ever ready-to-wear collection.
Boasting suits and blazers, there are to be four 9oz Super 110s suit cloths to choose from – plain navy, navy herringbone, dark grey and mid-grey pick. But what’s really exciting are the designs.
Each of Dege & Skinner’s ready-to-wear suits are two-button, single-breasted affairs featuring straight pockets – with flaps – and single-pleat trousers with side-adjusters.
The new navy blazers are made from a 9oz plain weave worsted wool and are available in single and double-breasted styles. All the blazers have straight pockets with flaps and side vents.
Sizes range from 38” to 46” in regular fit, and 40” to 44” long, and prices start at £950 for the suits, £750 for the blazers and £245 for the grey trousers.
So why have such a prestigious brand launched their first untailored garments in their 150-year history?
“Our RTW collection was conceived to appeal to a wider audience,” says William Skinner, Managing Director at Dege & Skinner, “who had not perhaps considered D&S as a destination for a new suit.
“Our core business will always be bespoke tailoring & shirt making,” Skinner continues, “which is all done on the Savile Row premises.”
Dege & Skinner wanted an affordable ready-to-wear collection to attract a new customer to their business. So, to achieve this, they approached Wensum – a British company based in Norwich with a London office. Their manufacturing, however, is all done in Mauritius.
The suits, blazers and trousers that have resulted from this partnership are all hand-cut to a specific design that Dege & Skinner worked closely with Wensum to perfect.
“The coats are half canvassed using a light weight canvas, horse hair and soft alpaca felt in the chest area,” says Skinner, “and the lapels are padded to create a natural roll which will remain for the life of the garment.
“Our suits and blazers do not have hand sewn button holes, as this would make sleeve shortening difficult. However, the cuff holes can be ‘cut’ to allow the buttons to be opened.
“The stitching on the front edges and lapels is not done by hand, but is visible and gives the impression of hand-sewn edges,” says Skinner, proving that whilst these garments may not have the luxury detailing of the tailor’s bespoke fare, they remain a worthy addition to any wardrobe – and the Dege & Skinner brand as a whole.
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