Tailor to the stars – and to everyday people, Timothy Everest’s new generation approach to tailoring appeals to our busy lifestyles, astute tastes and enquiring minds. Alice Blackwood speaks with Timothy at the Paceman Pop-Up in Melbourne.

Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Colin Farrell – and more – have worn his threads with pride, but don’t be put off by this. The Timothy Everest range of clothes and accessories is for the common man and woman.

When Timothy launched his tailoring business in the East End of London in 1989, it wasn’t with a view to providing an untouchable, highbrow suiting service. It was with a vision for bringing design-savvy customers back into the loop.

“When I started the business, it was really difficult to get people to buy in to bespoke tailoring,” says Timothy.

“I was reaching out to a consumer that was not ‘Savile Row’, who had been schooled on designer brands, and getting them to buy something that was really quite cool”, rather than throwing out ‘old season’ to make way for ‘new season’.

“We had to demystify it [tailoring], by making the process more interesting. The perception at that time was that it was long-winded, boring, old fashioned, expensive, elitist.

“But it’s not elitist,” says Timothy. Timothy talks about ‘reversing’ his customers into his brand, so the customer can access information easily and learn about stories and processes quickly.

“It’s important to empower that person who is on a quest for information and knowledge,” he says.

“When you come to our place the door opens, the curtain goes up, we empower the people in the process. It sounds good in there, it smells nice, you can have a great cup of tea, a beer” – take your pick.

“That’s our reversal.” Customers can see for themselves a three-piece suit coming together at the hands of Timothy’s expert team; they can ask the questions, enjoy the experience and feel informed.

In Melbourne last week to launch his showcase at the Paceman Pop-Up store in Prahran, Timothy introduced MINI customers and local fans to his Bespoke Casual range.

Bespoke Casual represents a fresh approach to tailor-made clothing, appealing to a new generation of customers who “aren’t really suit wearers, but are collectors of pieces.”

Here, each item carries the essence of tailoring with hand stitching and attention to the finer details, but the pieces are easier to “consume”, says Timothy.

“It’s not the 19 course chef’s special” – referring to his Made-To-Measure suits. 

“We’re definitely seeing the younger generation wanting to dress up, but not necessarily suited and booted.” Viewed from this perspective, dressing up might be the addition of a clean white t-shirt, thrown on as you leave work and dash out to dinner.

It could be the layering of a new piece upon your original outfit, or the versatile nature of a clothing item that allows you to wear it both night and day, working and socialising.

“We have to accept we’re very busy and time precious,” says Timothy. And appearing cool and casual is achieved in a much more fleeting way – as opposed to hours spent in front of the mirror.

Timothy, who has been a Mini fan since age 17 – “my first car was a MINI, and by chance we now drive a MINI” – is currently in-store at the Paceman Pop-Up.

The synergy with Mini is a strong one for Timothy, who says the Paceman Pop-Up is an excellent way to ‘reverse’ into MINI, allowing you to engage, experience, and get to know the brand from a completely different perspective.

Timothy Everest
timothyeverest.co.uk

MINI Paceman
minipaceman.com.au