A cut above

Bringing tailoring into the modern age, a Bucharest start up is helping businessmen build a new look in made-to-measure suits without leaving their desk

April 2011 - From the Print Edition

One centimetre of the sleeve of the shirt revealed by the jacket - yes sir - the top button secure, the bottom button open - no sir - a wide tie for the gentleman of a generous frame, a thinner tie for a fitter body - of course, sir - a lower jacket for the taller gentlemen, a higher waistline for those of average height - naturally sir - maybe a looser style for manly shoulders and such a hearty waistline...
The subtle suggestions of styles and patterns, the sizing up of the body with non-intimate gestures, the compliments whatever the physical shape of the client - the gentle art of male tailoring has a rich heritage in Romania, but many of its traditional enterprises are now dying out.
Across Bucharest one can see the rusted iron fascias of the tailor stores - Croitorie - often boarded-up, as shoppers prefer cheap two-piece off-the-peg suits from shopping malls.
But hoping to fill a gap in made-to-measure suits is start-up Tudor Tailor, run by three young Romanians, who aim to kit out Bucharest’s business population in Italian-sourced, but locally-made suits, shirts and ties.
Founder and managing partner Marius Dan believes the made-to-measure market in Romania could be “huge”.
“Romanian men have started to learn that there is more to dressing than a simple black or grey suit,” he says.
While younger businessmen tend to prefer the tighter and fitter looks styled in Milan, Romanians over 40 years of age opt for more classic materials and cuts from London. These two influences have contributed to Tudor Tailor - which uses Italian materials and techniques, but has a subtle Anglo-Saxon approach to presentation.
The materials include mostly wool, cashmere or silk and linen suits for the summer months. Prices for suits are between 350 and 800 Euro and 68 Euro for a shirt and, in the future, the firm aims to offer tie-pins, cuff-links and shoes. “We can personalise the name and soon we will offer more garish and interesting linings,” says Dan.
The team can turn around a suit in two weeks using tailors working in north Romania. Since starting up in 2009, Tudor Tailor has a capacity of up to 100 suits per month, but the team is focused on Bucharest. “Expansion comes when clients want more,” says Dan, “but the made-to-measure market in Romania is growing.”
The project is run by Dan, alongside colleagues Alexandru Tudoroiu and Alin Copindeanu, none of whom are called Tudor.
So what is the reason for the name?
“I enjoy the style of the British Royal House of Tudor,” says Dan.
The team has a showroom in south Bucharest, but its unique selling point is that its fitting crew is mobile - it can visit offices to measure businesspeople at their desks.
The next step for the company is to build up a database of measurements. Providing they retain the same girth since their last fitting, customers can choose a wardrobe online, then ask the tailors to put this together and send it over, meaning a made-to-measure suit, shirt and tie may be no further away than a mouse-click in a coffee break. ■

Tudor Personal Tailor
95 Strada Cuza Voda
Tel 0722 278 679
Email: contact@tudor-tailor.com
www.tudor-tailor.com