FAQs

Bespoke tailoring is a centuries-old tradition that is the art of making clothing for the specific customers needs. The word bespoke is derived from the 17th-century old English adjective meaning “been spoken for.” In the context of tailoring, it denotes a garment that has been made for you and you only. It offers the opportunity for an individual to create a truly exclusive garment, not just in shape but in material, detail, and finishing.

Our Alderley Edge, Cheshire showroom is open Monday – Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday from 10am-4pm.  

Our Chester showroom is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm

Upon request our clothiers are able to accommodate outside of opening hours and can visit you at your home or at your office.

Our Houston, Texas and Scottsville, Arizona showrooms are opened by appointment only.

We typically work with discerning professionals and appreciate the demands already placed on our customer’s time. Our visiting clothiers allow for you to put time aside and visit you in the comfort of your own home or within the privacy of your office at a time most convenient to you. they can be as discreet or as overt as you would like them to be. 

We often find that our new customers are pleasantly surprised by the thoroughness and attention to detail that is often neglected in the usual dreary retail environment. Our clothiers can give you uninterrupted time and attention to alleviate some of that pressure to get the correct fit and find you exactly what you’re looking for. 

Yes, certainly. Our clothiers can either visit you at your home or office or you’re welcome to come see us at one of our beautiful Cheshire showrooms in Alderley Edge or Chester.

Our showrooms both boast a room stocked with hundreds of cloths, a private fitting room, and a dedicated alterations workroom. Of course, there’s also a fully catered bar area over-flowing with the most excellent wines, whisky, gin, and beers, as well as a variety of teas and coffees – so you can sit down, relax and fully enjoy your bespoke tailoring experience.

For the initial consultation we usually meet a customer for 30-60 minutes, either at our showrooms or in their office or home, and choose the cloth, linings, buttons and trimmings. Then we discuss the details and advice on the best cut, colours and styles. 

We also have a selection of accessories such as shoes, belts, ties and cufflinks to complete your look and to maximise the impact of your investment. An investment that will last many years.

It’s important to understand that the bespoke process should not be rushed and depends on the fabric, cut and style. We recommend allowing at least 4 weeks for your shirts and 6 weeks between consultation and fitting for your suit to give time for craftsmanship of the highest quality. For a  small fee, these times can sometimes be reduced slightly if the order is urgent.

A great bespoke mens suit is set apart by the smallest of details such as hand sewn buttonholes - our signature lapel buttonhole takes an hour to sew but looks amazing and cannot be achieved by machine. Hand sewing in the rest of the garment, such as the armholes feels much better, and a full canvas construction allows the garment to take the shape of the wearer and actually improves the fit over time.

You can tell if someone has had a suit made for them. With a  bespoke suit the fabric is made to suit you, so it fits better and makes your whole posture improve. It is not just the finer details you can see up close.

Our prices start at £1,249 inclusive of VAT for a two-piece suit.

After you’ve finished designing your garment and we’ve taken all the necessary measurements to start the tailoring process, we’ll ask for a 50% deposit, then we do not ask for the balance until you’re fully satisfied with the finished piece.

At Harris & Howard Bespoke, to maintain our exclusivity, quality, and presence, we scour the globe looking for only the highest quality cloth and trimmings: Australian Merino Wool, Egyptian Cotton, Scottish Tweed, Irish Linen, South African Mohair, and Vicuna from Peru.

We have relationships with the finest mills and merchants across the world, including Dormeuil and Dugdale Bros in Huddersfield, England, and Vitale Barberis Canonico and Reda in Biella, Italy.

Paying close attention that every detail from the original garment is retained, we offer a competitive alterations service where we will improve the fit or repair your existing garments or suits. From shortening to the complete rebuild of a garment, we cover all aspects of clothing alterations for your convenience.  Whether you’ve bought a new favourite, dropped a hem, or a few pounds, we will take the utmost care of your garment to ensure you look and feel your very best. Click here for more information and prices.

We here at Harris & Howard Bespoke are always looking for determined individuals to join our team. Experience in bespoke clothing is not a prerequisite as we provide full comprehensive training and development. If you’re interested in joining please send your CV and cover letter to careers@harrisandhoward.com.

Harris & Howard Bespoke continually raise the bar and set benchmarks to others in our quality and attention to detail in the tailoring and construction of our bespoke garments. We use a layer of canvas in the construction rather than bonding man-made fibres, creating the very finest, high-quality garments.