Garment Care
Following these guidelines should help your suit to develop well with age. When treated correctly, a legitimate handmade bespoke suit can often last well over ten years of wear.
Handmade suits tailored in fine natural fabrics continue to mold to the client’s physique and adapt with body heat as they are worn, settling around the client and following the contours of their body more naturally.
Storage
A jacket should be hung on a hanger that fits well into the shoulders to fully support them. The hanger provided with finished garments is appropriate for use in storing your garment at home. We advise clients wearing suits for business to ensure that they also have an appropriate hanger and hanging-space in their office, as hanging jackets on the backs of chairs should be avoided where possible as this can cause the shoulder line to irreparably drop.
Clothing also should not be stored in direct sunlight as this can cause the cloth to dry and fade. Similarly, garments should not be crammed into a wardrobe, but should have some space between them. This not only allows each garment the space to breath but prevents jacket shoulders from become squeezed or misshapen.
After each use a suit should be aired by hanging it outside of a wardrobe overnight, preferably in a well-ventilated area. A suit should be worn for one day and then left to rest for at least another 24 hours before being worn again.
Cleaning
We do not recommend dry cleaning. The natural fibres that make-up suiting cloths are essentially a form of hair. As with hair, soaking any type of wool, mohair, silk or other suiting cloths in harsh chemicals removes all of the natural oils that keep these fibres soft, glossy and crease-resistant. If you require your suits cleaned or refreshed, please bring them to me. The original tailor will spot-clean any stains, then steam-clean, sponge and press them. Steaming the suit will reinvigorate and refresh the natural oils in the fabric, rather than removing them. Of course, in an emergency if you manage to get an oil-based food stain (tomato sauce, dressings, etc.) on the suit, gently just dab as much as you can off with a dry cloth immediately and then bring it to the dry cleaner as soon as possible, but generally dry cleaning should be avoided otherwise.
Alterations
Likewise, local alterations tailors more often than not do irreparable damage to a handmade garment such as yours. Any garments requiring alterations should always be returned to me, where I will make sure the original tailor himself will perform any alterations necessary, guaranteeing no harm will come to them in the process.