JM: I first studied at London College of Fashion before going on to study bespoke tailoring at Newham College. I then learned my trade as an apprentice at Budd Shirtmakers, where I worked for 14 years before setting up Hume London.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: Have you any children or spouse (and how do they relate to your artisanal passion)?<\/p>\n JM: My husband is an interior designer, we challenge and inspire each other creatively everyday.<\/p>\n VR: …and your parent’s and siblings’ reactions back when you decided to become a shirtmaker?<\/p>\n JM: My parents are very keen on clothes, and always used to take me with them shopping; my dad is a customer of Anderson and Sheppard, a Savile Row tailor, so I was brought up surrounded by beautiful garments.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: What other hobbies or passions do you have besides craftsmanship?<\/p>\n JM: I love art and the passion you find in a brush stroke. I am a keen swimmer, I find gliding through the water very calming.<\/p>\n VR: How did you first become interested in shirts, and when did you turn your eyes to bespoke work? Why classic models instead of fashion?<\/p>\n JM: I knew I wanted to work in the clothing business, and at the London College of Fashion I quickly realised my real interest was not in the rapidly changing, seasonal world of couture but in making, and figuring out how things are put together. I followed that passion to the best place to learn about making high quality classic garments\u00a0 – to Savile Row.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: How have you gathered your knowledge of the craft — from books, in-house training, workshops or somewhere else?<\/p>\n JM: The best place to learn a craft is by watching and doing it, making mistakes, and learning from them. I learned most of what I know from my time at Budd Shirtmakers, but since setting up Quailors I have met a broad range of tailors from many different skill sets (stage costume, film costume, couture, and more) with whom we share our knowledge and expand our skills. I also love looking back at the development of shirt making over the decades, I find you can learn so much from what has gone before.<\/p>\n JM: Being a bespoke house the \u201cHouse Style\u201d is more a suggestion than a fixed thing, but in terms of a classic shirt it lands somewhere between traditional and contemporary. I love working with a customer to discover what really suits them and reflects their personality. I am known for my silk shirts of which I have a range of exclusive colours. I like to think my shirts are born out of craftsmanship but are always alive to contemporary influences.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: Do you have a favourite collar model and fabric weaver?<\/p>\n JM: My Cassius collar is my favourite, a long spear point, a very sexy, ’70s style collar. I love working with Alumo fabrics as they do the best quality cottons that are always lovely to work with.<\/p>\n VR: There are several fine shirtmakers in England — why should my readers try you ?<\/p>\n JM: There are only a few of us who still do the cutting and making ourselves and I can count on two hands the number of us trained the traditional way, and I would like to think we all do a good job. Someone might choose me because I have many years of experience, it is my passion to make the best I can for the client.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: What is your definition of a well-made shirt?<\/p>\n JM: One that lasts 10 years or so when looked after properly. It\u2019s all about a balance, small neat stitches but not so small it ends up ripping the fabric, a neat, sharp point on the collars but not over worked. I try to incorporate hand work into my shirts where I can without it affecting the lifespan of the shirt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VR: Who or what inspires you?<\/p>\n JM: A great many things inspire me: brands with personality inspire me professionally such as Maximillian Mogg, S.S Daley and Husbands Paris. A lot of my work is inspired by fine art portraiture. I am always looking at what people on the street wear and get inspired by trying to figure out why they chose that outfit or garment.<\/p>\n JM: With bespoke the options are endless; as long as I understand what you require, I can do it. I am not constrained by a computer system limited to its programming for economic efficiency, I will do anything so long as it\u2019s physically possible. Not to sound un-modest but if I can\u2019t do it, no one can!<\/p>\n www.hume-london.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" VR: Your age and occupation? JM: 35, bespoke shirtmaker\/founder of Hume London (a bespoke tailoring business) \/co-founder of Quailors (a … ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com.jpeg\")
<\/a>VR: Your educational background?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com2.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com3.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com4.jpeg\")
<\/a>VR: How would you describe the “House Style” of Hume shirts?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com5.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.keikari.com\/english\/wp-content\/pictures\/2025\/04\/An-Interview-with-Shirtmaker-James-MacAuslan-from-Hume-London-at-Keikari-dot-com6.jpeg\")
<\/a>VR: Finally, what’s the benefit of bespoke shirts over very well made MTM-shirts?<\/p>\n
keep reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","category-shirtmakers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t