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About Us

The London Academy of Bespoke teaches bespoke tailoring on Savile Row, by the tailors and cutters who work there.

The London Academy of Bespoke (The LAB) offers private classes across a wide range of bespoke tailoring disciplines. Our tutors are working tailors and cutters, past and present, from the houses of London's Savile Row.

Every lesson is modelled closely on a traditional bespoke apprenticeship. We keep classes small so that everyone in the room learns as much as they can — tutors included.

We share knowledge through a network of skilled artisans in a small, specialist craft. Our aim is to nurture the next generation of bespoke tailors, cutters and master tailors, and to keep the standard of teaching high. That means passing on the skills of Savile Row, and its history, generously.

We make two promises. First, you will be taught real tailoring techniques, as practised in the houses of Savile Row. Second, each of us will do everything we can to help you learn fully and to trust the work you produce — in the studio with us, and long after you leave.

(Here one of our summer school groups, visiting Holland & Sherry)

“Much like self-taught brain surgery, learning coat making by oneself is a recipe for headaches, tears and disaster. The brilliant tuition and support I’ve had from the team at LAB has revolutionised my sewing and taught me tricks I’d have never found in any article, book, blog or video.”

— Lionel Nierop, LAB Student (2018)

meet

Our Team

All members of our teaching team are Savile Row trained, professional tailors and cutters. Each one of us has been where our students are now. We promise to use our individual training experience, as well as our professional experience, to make your learning environment the very best it can be.

Victoria Townsend

BESPOKE CUTTER (FORMERLY OF RICHARD JAMES, SAVILE ROW)

Victoria Townsend has single-mindedly focused her career towards excellence in fine bespoke tailoring. Her Savile Row training with master tailors along the Row, has earned her the accolade of becoming the Row’s first to receive multiple Savile Row Bespoke qualifications. Before forming her own bespoke label, Victoria’s principal role was both assisting and working alongside head cutter of Richard James Bespoke, Christopher Foster-Hicklin, where she steadily built a strong reputation in her own right. With a definitive goal of understanding all aspects of fine tailoring, Victoria has added to her knowledge since qualifying by working on various projects with British heritage brands outside of the Row, including Daks of London. Combined with her own practised technique, Victoria’s sole interest is founded in applying traditional technical skill as it has been passed down to her, in order to reach ultimate perfection in the fit, design and balance of each garment she works with.

Forming The London Academy of Bespoke was a very natural decision for Victoria. In ‘making it work’, she says she will continue to love, respect and very much welcome every challenge it will undoubtedly send her way.

Jinny Seals

Coat Maker (Henry Poole & Co. Savile Row)

Jinny first joined the trade in 2003, straight from a diploma in Tailoring at The London College of Fashion in 2002. Her first tailoring debut was in the fine art of Finishing. Once this was truly mastered, she moved on the coat making for Henry Poole. Jinny finished her training in 2009. She worked independently alongside her master for another two years before joining Norton and Sons in 2011. Jinny then went on to run her own workshop outside of the Row, until she realised she missed being in the Savile Row tailoring workplace environment, at which point Henry Poole were very keen to welcome her back in-house. Upon her return she was given her first apprentice – Jinny has now trained two apprentices in the past 8 years from beginner to full term & her next challenge is with us. Teaching the fundamentals with good reasoning to back it up, Jinny will enjoy pushing the boundaries of what we achieve in class.

James MacAuslan

Bespoke Shirt Cutter (Budd of PiCcadilly, London)

James studied at Newham College, after which he was offered a position at Huntsman on Savile Row. Here James learnt the basic key elements of bespoke tailoring, before realising a love for traditional handmade shirts. Drawn to Budd of Piccadilly, renowned London based shirt makers, James was fortunate to become the first ever apprentice to Budd’s Head Cutter, Mr Butcher, thus keeping alive the traditional techniques of bespoke shirt making. He has now spent over a decade specializing in shirt making and in 2019 co-founded The Quailors an LGBTQ+ tailoring community to help support the youth and diversity in the trade. He is passionate to begin helping to support and protect the future of the bespoke tailoring trade through teaching the next generation of craftspeople the skills he has dedicated his life to.

Albert Nelson

BESPOKE COAT MAKER (DEGE & SKINNER, SAVILE ROW)

Albert began his career working for an old and established tailoring house, Wells of Mayfair, in his twenties.

Since then he has worked with some of the most prestigious houses on Savile Row. He currently works for Dege & Skinner.

He brings a wealth of knowledge to LAB, spanning almost a 50 year career in the bespoke trade. The way he explains every fine detail truly commends the vessel of bespoke tailoring knowledge he holds.