Interview with Russell Howarth
1April 22, 2013 by Ville Raivio
‘Russell Howarth, 44, Head Cutter at Graham Browne Bespoke Tailors with 8 Years City and Guilds apprenticeship. When I was a teenager I was a mod and that interest in sharp suits made me want to make suits. I got a job at a East End CMT workroom. For the first three years I did nothing but tailoring, spending my evenings remaking patterns and trying out different ways of making sleeves. My knowledge has come from as many areas as possible, from the people I’ve worked with, from books and experience trying out things for myself. If something works, then I used it, if not, then you know not to do it again.
Products from Pukimo Raivio
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Ralph Lauren, Black Label suit, size 52EU
I dress in a classic English style, traditional suitings and strong English structuring. Our house cut is military-influenced due to past experience as a military tailor. A waisted suit with a semi-roped shoulder. However, we have a very flexible approach to house style and take into account what the customer wants. Recently there has been a lot of demand for Neapolitan style soft tailoring, so we have been making a lot of softer, lighter suits and jackets.
The shop, Graham Browne, is fourty-years-old, mostly producing suits for city workers. I bought the business 5 years ago and have continued to produce suits that fit well for city workers. In the last few years we have also started to expand our repertoire to Neapolitan jackets and more unusual work. We have undertaken everything from capes to Norfolk jackets to uniforms. I used to play lacrosse when I was younger and play golf now.
It’s best to invest in classic pieces that are well made. A good piece of tailoring will last many years, so choose something you will want to wear for many years. Don’t get wrapped up in buying brands. Know what is well made and what fits you. This will last longer and look better than a suit that is from a brand, but is not well made. It’s good to get informed about quality.’
Pictures: © Russell Howarth
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My experience with Graham Browne i.e. Russell was not that good. Too many errors. Even after several commissions new errors would arise . If you do not have a sharp eye and do not complain yourself, they will let you go with a jacket or pair of trousers that does not fit well. There does not really seem to exist kind of a quality control. The problem for you as a customer is that things go very fast at Graham Browne, too fast. It is a difference of day & night with real bespoke at Savile Row. So is the price, of course. But there have been so many errors at GB that in the end you pay much more then you had calculated. Just my 2 cents.