Atlas of Fashion Designers

551

Timothy Everest

Timothy Everest

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Timothy Everest is one of the best representatives of the renovation in tailoring that seeks

to grant a contemporary and progressive touch to a trade which, for years, has been bound

to tradition and craftsmanship.

Timothy’s impeccable and punctilious work is directed at customers seeking both elegance

and sophistication. He is sensitive enough to appreciate the sober grace of good tailoring

while seasoning it with a touch of color or an unusual accessory. For this reason, musicians,

artists, actors and many other clients have visited his Georgian workshop in Spitalfi elds in

search of an exquisite suit with a personality all its own.  is ingenious tailor received his

fi rst commission in 1989, followed by his fi rst pret-a-porter collection in 1999. Since then,

he has been met with unceasing success, combining work on his own projects with that for

other brands and labels like Marks & Spencer, whose “Autograph” line he has collaborated

on for some time, or designer Kim Jones, whose successful Spring/Summer 2005 collection

he also contributed to, or the denim suits he created for Levi’s.

Everything that Timothy puts his hands on becomes a standard for quality, innovation

and good taste. A balance between the classical and the contemporary, between research

and the legacy of tailoring. An ingenious artisan not afraid to explore beyond the limits of

the known, a trait exemplifi ed by his foray into the increasingly expansive Asian market. A

designer without frontiers whose far-reaching vision allows him to explore new avenues for

reinterpreting a trade so traditional it must situated ahead of its time.

Photography courtesy of Timothy Everest

552

Timothy Everest

In the fi rst sketch, a knee-length

button-down town coat with concealed

fl y front opening and bespoke detail

cuff . In the second, a single-breasted

two-button jacket with double-jetted

half-moon pockets and a four-button

cuff .

Sketch courtesy of Timothy Everest

553

Timothy Everest

Sketch courtesy of Timothy Everest

554

Timothy Everest

- Are you responsible for all the creative direction, or is it shared with a creative team?

Yes, it’s my creative direction.

- What percentage of you is a designer and what percentage a tailor?

I would say it is 50/50, in the sense that I think it is important that we are tailors who design, not designers who have

discovered tailoring.

- Is the main aim of Timothy Everest the worship to detail?

Yes, we worship detail. It is very important. Tailoring is all about attention to detail and what might need adjustment.

 ose little things that are very subtle are very important.

- Which are the advantages of being tailor when designing a collection?

 e advantage is actually knowing about shape proportion, fi t and how garments go together. We have people that are

very good at drawing and can design ideas but would not necessarily be able to put them together. It is a big advantage

to be able to put things together, but also to understand how they are all built in order to make a much better garment,

a much better look.

-  e selection of fabrics is a crucial part of designing a collection. How do you develop this process?

We constantly evolve the fabrics that we use; our benchmark has always been very British, but it also has an element

of luxury, and Susan and I are always looking for new things. For example, we were looking for tweed for the autumn-

winter away and we managed to fi nd some tweed in Japan, tweed yarn mixed with denim yarn that ended in something

traditional but very modern.

- Which can be the course of tailoring? Can it walk beside fashion or, as it happened in some countries, does it run the

risk of disappearing under the dressmaking industry?

When we started the business, tailoring was in great danger of disappearing, but fortunately now it is probably more

popular than it has been for a long time.  e problem is the craft and the custom made is becoming smaller and smaller.

Having said that, “ready to wear” is becoming very popular just in time. You are talking about fashion versus tailoring.

It’s talking about something very individual; it’s for that person. After the infl uences of the 60s and the 80s in fashion,

there is really nothing very new, so I think tailoring it is a great vehicle, because the only way to be modern it is to be

yourself, and tailoring is a big expression of that.

Timothy Everest

Unit B24 Corbet Place

London E1 6NH

United Kingdom

[e-mail]/www.timothyeverest.co.uk