Charles Campbell Bespoke tailor

[DFR]

Has anyone ever patronised Charles Campbell of Clitheroe who purport to offer both bespoke and semi bespoke tailoring?

http://www.charlescampbellbespoke.co.uk/

The description of the latter suggests factory made such as by Wensum or Cheshire Tailoring (the former Chester Barrie business presently owned by Lutwtche I believe) but the former gives no clues as to whether they have their own work room, use outworks or whether in fact it is factory made with a veneer of 'small tailor' credibility.

They have a vaguely helpful web site with examples of their work but it would be good to hear if anyone has any experience of them especially of their 'bespoke' services.

Provincial tailors can be good, my late father used one although that firm closed many years ago. Indeed Edward De Boise and Thomas Mahon whilst Savile Row trained and still renting rooms on the Row could be some stretch also have the epithet 'provincial' applied to their houses.

[cathach]

As a matter of interest do you have any comment to pass on Cheshire Tailoring at all? It appears Wensum & Bladen are no longer made in the UK.

[DFR]

As a matter of interest do you have any comment to pass on Cheshire Tailoring at all? It appears Wensum & Bladen are no longer made in the UK.

Not really: They have a history of bankruptcy as Chester Barrie and others although that does not affect their quality necessarily . Beyond that they are the type of factory that I prefer to avoid, despite claims that "craftsmen" work on garments. Whilst appearances may be OK that is very different from the supervision of the Master Craftsman who owns the work room with a few craftsmen in it and who has to look you in the eye and check fit etc and then stand by his workmanship..

[aston]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

[cathach]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

Curioser and curioser, it seems there is a Cheshire Tailoring and a Cheshire Bespoke in operation: http://cheshiretailoring.co.uk/ & http://www.cheshirebespoke.co.uk/ both different and both saying they offer bespoke tailoring, which is which when it comes to the above comments??

[Rowly]

http://www.cheshirebespoke.co.uk/

This is the one from Crewe, as recommended.

[DFR]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

Curioser and curioser, it seems there is a Cheshire Tailoring and a Cheshire Bespoke in operation: http://cheshiretailoring.co.uk/ & http://www.cheshirebespoke.co.uk/ both different and both saying they offer bespoke tailoring, which is which when it comes to the above comments??

One would suspect that both emerged from the Chester Barrie debacles: How the name has been passed around is not immediately obvious although without running Companies House checks on both.

[Rowly]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

That's interesting...Do you know what rtw brands they make for, and have they a variety of blocks to chose from?

[Russell]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

Curioser and curioser, it seems there is a Cheshire Tailoring and a Cheshire Bespoke in operation: http://cheshiretailoring.co.uk/ & http://www.cheshirebespoke.co.uk/ both different and both saying they offer bespoke tailoring, which is which when it comes to the above comments??

One would suspect that both emerged from the Chester Barrie debacles: How the name has been passed around is not immediately obvious although without running Companies House checks on both.

DFR,
One may suspect the above but one would also be wrong to do so. Aside from the one of the people at 'Cheshire Tailoring' having worked for 'Chester Barrie' in the past there's never been any corporate connection between them & 'Cheshire Bespoke'.

Cheshire Bespoke are what's left of the hands-on tailoring side of Chester Barrie/Austin Reed. Their workshop (hardly a factory) is still at Crewe.

Assuming they take your order - you can go to Cheshire Bespoke & look the 'master-craftsman' in the eye, check fit, paddle in the tub of water they shrink their canvas in, have a word with the lady hand sewing your button holes - or gain whatever reassurance you wish.

[Russell]

Cheshire Tailoring became Cheshire Bespoke, revived a few years back by Tony Lutwyche.
They sew for a number of Row houses, and many others as well. I have two suits made by them, fitted and cut at their place in Crewe. Flawless, timeless quality.

Aston,

It is confusing but ‘Cheshire Tailoring’ didn’t become ‘Cheshire Bespoke’.

Briefly: Chester Barrie were taken over by Austin Reed in the late 70’s. In 2000 Austin Reed ran into financial problems & decided to stop producing garments in the UK & ‘off-shore’ production so the factory at Crewe & the Chester Barrie name was sold to an investment company who eventually sold the Chester Barrie retail side in London & would have finished production at Crewe. Production was saved in a far smaller form via a management buy-out & traded for several years as the Cheshire Clothing Company making garments under their own name & for the trade (Savile Row etc). The CCC ran into financial trouble & were bought by Tony Lutwyche & re-named ‘Cheshire Bespoke’.

A tale of trying to produce garments in the UK as opposed to overseas.

However, as you've found out - in the workshop that remains the quality is still there.

[aston]

Hello Russell

You are absolutely correct. Too many Cheshires! Cheshire Clothing was indeed the failed firm rescued by Tony Lutwyche, and which was reborn as Chesire Bespoke.

Regards