Bespoke cutter and tailor - Cutter
Creative and design
Level 5 -
Producing tailored garments that are cut and made to a unique pattern for an individual.
Reference: OCC0055A
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5413/06 Tailors
- 3422/02 Clothing and fashion designers
- 3422/05 Textile designers
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Samuel Brothers, Holly Robins Bespoke, Lee Marsh Bespoke, Glyndebourne Festival Opera ,Kathryn Sargent, Hirsch Tailoring, Lawton Ltd, Dege and Skinner, Tailor Cutter Company, Golden Square Attire, Peralta Tailoring Ltd, UKFT
Summary
The UK has a well earned reputation as the home of bespoke tailoring with British tailors dressing everyone from royalty to rock stars across the world. Tailoring is an industry steeped in tradition and heritage. Bespoke garments are custom made and sustainable in nature - constructed to have longevity. Part of the ‘slow fashion’ approach - distinguished by quality garments, produced on a smaller scale and with slower production times.
Bespoke cutters and tailors are qualified artisans who need to be precise, have an eye for detail, a technical approach, good communication skills and work to a high standard of excellence.
A bespoke cutter is involved in liaising with clients to ascertain their individual requirements. They advise clients on the style, cloth and trim of their garment and have overall responsibility for the order. They construct the garment pattern and cut the components ready for assembly by the bespoke tailor. They also conduct fittings and record customer feedback as appropriate.
The bespoke tailor is responsible for assembling the garment, preparing the garment for fittings, amending the garment construction, completing final alterations and hand finishing the garment.
A bespoke tailor works closely with a bespoke cutter, as a team they create the tailored garment stage by stage, conducting fittings with the client along the way.
Training to work as a skilled craftsperson is extremely demanding. There are many specialities within the trade from coat makers to cutters and hand finishers.
Client relationship sits at the heart of this occupation and bespoke cutters and tailors will work with the client, through the complete bespoke tailoring process.
Bespoke cutters and tailors are traditionally and ideally based in a workshop within a tailoring house. The workshop is often attached to a shop where the tailoring service materials and accessories are displayed and business and fittings take place. The workshops contain specialist equipment, mannequins and a cutting table. There are many tailoring houses across the UK and some offer a travelling tailor service, giving employees the opportunity to work abroad.
In their daily work, a bespoke cutter would typically measure and analyse figure variations, carry out client fittings, construct garment patterns, lay, mark and cut cloth and organise and purchase materials.
In their daily work, a bespoke tailor would typically baste and stitch garments, prepare garments for fittings, make alterations, press and part hand finish garments.
This is an active role which requires bespoke cutters and tailors to be responsive to client and company needs. For example - prioritising workloads, working with varying materials and responding to client specification changes.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Samuel Brothers, Holly Robins Bespoke, Lee Marsh Bespoke, Glyndebourne Festival Opera ,Kathryn Sargent, Hirsch Tailoring, Lawton Ltd, Dege and Skinner, Tailor Cutter Company, Golden Square Attire, Peralta Tailoring Ltd, UKFT
Typical job titles include:
Keywords:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Liaise effectively with the client, maintaining regular communication.
Duty D2
Create, assess and evaluate the specification for the bespoke garment to be made. As examples: style, quality, fit, colour and longevity.
Duty D3
Identify and report issues internally throughout the production process, which affect quality and meeting deadlines.
Duty D4
Identify and report faults internally and externally throughout the production process, which impact quality and meeting deadlines.
Duty D5
Maintain equipment and the workspace, and store tools in line with health and safety requirements.
Duty D6
Prepare, test and use hand tools, machinery and other equipment to enable the formation of the bespoke garment.
Duty D7
Manage workflow, oversee the production of commissions to ensure deadlines are met, working closely with colleagues.
Duty D8
Handle and store the bespoke cut components or finished bespoke garment with utmost care.
Duty D9
Investigate requests for repairs to bespoke garments to assess viability and suggest remedies. For example, wear, breakage, asymmetry, stretch, poor stitching, and adjustments to improve fit, alteration or repair for longer sustainability.
Duty D10
Communicate with client to agree the bespoke specifications such as carrying out cost calculation to determine the price of a bespoke garment. Record client requirements.
Duty D11
Liaise with suppliers to order and recommend cloth, materials and trimmings ensuring timely provision. Control items, stock, products and suitably store these to maintain their fitness for use.
Duty D12
Quality check bespoke components, cloth, materials and trimmings before the bespoke tailoring process begins. For example, the number of components, cloth and material quality, pattern match and trimmings.
Duty D13
Construct bespoke patterns and carry out fittings ensuring the bespoke commission meets client requirements.
Duty D14
Identify issues that may lead to bespoke garment fitting problems and report findings and recommendations to improve them.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Technical Occupations
Levels 2-3
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Levels 4-5
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Levels 6-7
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