A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men'
s clothing.
Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the
late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers, and similar garments, usually of wool, linen, or silk.
The term refers to a set of specific hand and
machine sewing and pressing techniques that are unique to the construction of traditional jackets. Retailers of tailored suits often take their services internationally, traveling to various cities, allowing the client to be measured locally.
Traditional tailoring is called bespoke tailoring in the United Kingdom, where the
heart of the trade is in
London's Savile Row, and custom tailoring in the
United States and Hong Kong. This is unlike made to measure which uses pre-existing patterns. A bespoke garment or suit is completely original and unique to each customer.
