To the majority of us, the term "bespoke" will bring up the picture of a tailor meticulously measuring, cutting, and stitching a suit from the very best cloth. Certainly the term bespoke actually originates from London's world famous Saville Row where tailors would typically refer to garments as being spoken for by their clientele. Yet the term bespoke can also be closely related with another English business involving fine fabrics and exceptional technical knowledge - that of the Upholsterer.
On the outside, it may well not look like there's a wonderful deal in common among the two professions. Fashion and furnishings are after all too extremely different industries, and it's obvious that sofas and suits are two entirely different goods to purchase for a typical shopper. Nonetheless, if we make a historical contrast in between the two, we uncover a much closer resemblance than meets the eye.
Both upholstery and tailoring trace their roots back to the Renaissance time of European history. Previously clothes and furnishings had been regarded solely in functional terms, as a means of clothing and seating the human form. Nevertheless, as metropolitan societies became more prosperous during the Renaissance, a new demand arose for designer items which functioned to decorate and emphasise both the human form and the home environment. The twin arts of tailoring and upholstery had been born.
Starting with the Italian city states, then the Spanish and French royal courts, the art of tailoring emerged slowly with technical knowledge passed from generation to generation before gradually developing a series of more formal structures. Throughout the 17th century, Paris developed into the centre for style and furnishing as over the top Parisian dress and home dcor grew in popularity across the continent. As tailors cut and sewed ever more flamboyant costumes, upholsterers crafted magnificent furnishings gilded with sweeping lines and ornate detailing. Each profession developed under the inspiration from the other.
Yet it wasn't until the 18th century that English styles came to dominate the scene as restraint, sobriety and understated elegance became the new cosmetic informing attire and home furnishings. Subtly blending gentile, sporting and bourgeois clothing, English tailors established a new form of fashion emphasising fit and subtle detailing over showy displays of wealth. In a similar style, English upholsterers developed new techniques to advance elegance and technical expertise as the central rules guiding bespoke sofa manufacture - moving away from the elaborate, decadent style espoused by the French tradition at the time.
To this day, English tailoring and sofa upholstery remain at the forefront of worldwide style and interior design and style. From Saville Row to Chelsea Harbour, modern day cosmopolitan London continues to be the shop window for bespoke craftsmanship of the finest quality and artistic flair. Behind each handcrafted item lies the accumulated knowledge, expertise and technical specialism of a rich and illustrious design heritage. Additionally, there is also the energy, creativity and eccentricity of England's modern day tailors and upholsterers, who continue to push the limits of the possible in their quest for excellence in their field.
On the outside, it may well not look like there's a wonderful deal in common among the two professions. Fashion and furnishings are after all too extremely different industries, and it's obvious that sofas and suits are two entirely different goods to purchase for a typical shopper. Nonetheless, if we make a historical contrast in between the two, we uncover a much closer resemblance than meets the eye.
Both upholstery and tailoring trace their roots back to the Renaissance time of European history. Previously clothes and furnishings had been regarded solely in functional terms, as a means of clothing and seating the human form. Nevertheless, as metropolitan societies became more prosperous during the Renaissance, a new demand arose for designer items which functioned to decorate and emphasise both the human form and the home environment. The twin arts of tailoring and upholstery had been born.
Starting with the Italian city states, then the Spanish and French royal courts, the art of tailoring emerged slowly with technical knowledge passed from generation to generation before gradually developing a series of more formal structures. Throughout the 17th century, Paris developed into the centre for style and furnishing as over the top Parisian dress and home dcor grew in popularity across the continent. As tailors cut and sewed ever more flamboyant costumes, upholsterers crafted magnificent furnishings gilded with sweeping lines and ornate detailing. Each profession developed under the inspiration from the other.
Yet it wasn't until the 18th century that English styles came to dominate the scene as restraint, sobriety and understated elegance became the new cosmetic informing attire and home furnishings. Subtly blending gentile, sporting and bourgeois clothing, English tailors established a new form of fashion emphasising fit and subtle detailing over showy displays of wealth. In a similar style, English upholsterers developed new techniques to advance elegance and technical expertise as the central rules guiding bespoke sofa manufacture - moving away from the elaborate, decadent style espoused by the French tradition at the time.
To this day, English tailoring and sofa upholstery remain at the forefront of worldwide style and interior design and style. From Saville Row to Chelsea Harbour, modern day cosmopolitan London continues to be the shop window for bespoke craftsmanship of the finest quality and artistic flair. Behind each handcrafted item lies the accumulated knowledge, expertise and technical specialism of a rich and illustrious design heritage. Additionally, there is also the energy, creativity and eccentricity of England's modern day tailors and upholsterers, who continue to push the limits of the possible in their quest for excellence in their field.
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