He wasn’t a quick writer. Not by far. Every word he wrote was taped with caution while he continuously worried about misspellings and ununderstandable terms. To be a self-employed tailor for 30 years, didn’t necessarily make you a good writer! But he needed to do this – he felt it was important.

As the hours went by, he tried to elaborate on that very first note he had written the other day. The first installment in that list was ‘Making’. Another, further down, was ‘Type Of Garments’. “If I start with these two easier ones, maybe the rest will come more naturally…?” That was what he hoped for, and that was, what he was trying to accomplish.

“I rather get some main areas written down first…” He had already made a list of type of garments he produced for customers, at least those that came into mind – the most distinct and recent ones. And now he was working on the more complex area of the whole tailoring experience – the actual making.

“But, with the vast possibilities in ways of making a garment… How do I know which combination that will be the most resourceful one to choose?” This was such a classic question within the tailoring community. The everlasting search for the most true of tailoring methods. How to do it correct! And even after the recent large addition of many external self-acclaimed bespoke experts, that had been thrown into the mix – criticising every stitch made and every garment cut, but from a customer’s perspective – things had not become any less complicated.

The problem with all of this was of course that bespoke garments were ment to be extremely personal, and individually made, catering to a certain specific person’s needs, both work-wise and privately, even including deeply personal movement and wear behaviour. And that ment of course, that everybody had their very own different ideas on what a correct garment for them should be! Even hailing their own or others opinions, as bonafide truths.

Frome a tailor’s point of view, on the other hand, it was more of a standardization thing. How could you differ a hidden good quality inner structure from a lesser one? By setting some standards of course. But how could you then explain these standards – very complex routines and choises – for someone who’s not knowing anything about it? Most likely by simplifying it.

And there it was. A power struggle between overly simplified descriptions (of technique and routine), and an ever changing opinion crowd – of some even not being customers, just mere opinion-makers. A certain segment wanted it stiff and neat, others wanted it soft and casual. And even some, just wanted to stay in the process not ending with a finished garment at all.

“I think I maybe just have to trust my own knowledge and experience in this area, and present just that, flat out.” he thought for himself. “And then add my own inner criticism!” He laughed. Well, that was the easiest part of it all! He had lots of that – inner struggling criticism. “So there it is!” he decided. And then continued his writing.

Sure, he didn’t have any academic training and wasn’t especially good with words or writing either. But, at the same time he was sure that this had to be done. He had a story to tell – a compelling need to share his love for his trade. Since he felt that many seemed to have given up on the idea of meeting ‘a locally based tailor, who made things from scratch and had a glowing will to make things as passionately thoroughly as just possible’ (as a local journalist had written about him some 10 years ago) he felt he had to make this documentation himself.

“Given up on the idea… well, maybe more lost contact with…” he corrected himself. He wasn’t sure that people in general had rejected passionate garment-making, maybe it was more of a communication thing – that people thought time had lost contact with skills like his, that they simply didn’t exist anymore. Thoroughly made garments, that is… “Well we have to change that, won’t we?!”

He was ready to get started!

• Durable
• Comfortable
• Black
• Practical
• Easy to get cleaned
• Warm
• Made into layers, to regulate one’s temperature with
• Breathable
• Combinable
• Easy to travel with
• Not too complicated, should be fairly easy to make, alter and mend if possible

The list was easy to make. But, he suddenly felt something was missing as he went down the line… He read it through once more. And then he got it. Non of the more traditional ‘tailoring-ish’ phrases had been penned into his list! “Hm… I’d better do another list – an additional parallel one.”

He wrote ‘Tailoring for others.’ to the right of his first list. “Now. Let’s see…”

• Luxurious fabrics
• Suits
• Shape
• Padding
• Pattern matching
• Individual slopers
• Pad-stitching
• Worked buttonholes
• Floating canvasses
• Horn buttons
• Sleeve setting
• Correctness
• Own ideas incorporated
• An excess of working hours
• A process of testing different solutions, until finding perfection

“Interesting!” He looked at the two lists and realized that the difference between them was striking. To the left was a list describing mostly practical things. To the right, more traditional techniques. How had it come to this? It seemed like there was a devide between what he made for him self, and what he made for customers. For him it was more practical. His customers often went for a more classical style. He needed more garments and didn’t have a lot of time making them. The customers often treated themselves with fewer, but more exclusive garments. So it seemed at least, from looking at the lists he’d just made.

“I really have to change the names of these lists… I don’t want them to be opposites!” He crossed out ‘… for me.’ to the left and changed it into ‘Practical Tailoring’ and to the right he changed ‘… for others.’ into ‘Classic Tailoring’.

“There! Much better.” It felt good to have turned the lists into two sides of himself – two parts of one – instead of two struggling directions. “I wonder what happens if I mix it all up, and add in a direction? A process?” He went back to tailoring he’s suits and thought some more… “Ah! Now I got it!” He paused from he’s work. “I have to add technique, of course!”

He took a new piece of paper and started writing.