Bespoke tailor Dmitriy Chernikov came a long way before he started cutting and sewing handcrafted suits for men and women, working in many directions — as a journalist, marketing specialist, and more. Yet, he felt that what he was doing wasn’t his true passion.
One day, he decided to take up what fascinated him the most: tailoring, and dove into training, seeking to deepen his knowledge in tradition that goes up to the London street of Savile Row, on which men’s bespoke suit was born over 200 years ago.
«Bespoke» derives from «be spoken» which means every detail of a suit is spoken through between the cutter and the customer. The pattern is made from scratch and altered during in-between fittings to achieve the best possible fit for any figure type. After 5 years of training and practicing, Dmitriy founded his own brand making personally tailored suits which take around 120 hours of meticulous hand work to be produced.
Tell us about your hobby-turned-business.
Before 2014 I’ve worked in the cinema and book companies as a marketing specialist, but even during that time clothing was my personal passion. One day I realized my work wasn’t bringing me enough pleasure, and so I decided to learn something new. I’ve attended professional tailoring courses for 1,5 years. At first it was more like a hobby, making suits for myself and my friends, but then I became a fashion editor for the international magazine, my reputation and experience grew and by the start of 2019 I was sure it was a good idea to put my name on the brand. It shows people that I personally create things for them: from just measurements and paper into a beautifully fitted garment made from top Italian or English wool, cashmere, linen or natural fibers blend. Now I’m honored to offer my services to clients in Georgia.
What was your source of inspiration?
I think it’s impossible to narrow inspiration down to just one source, but of course there are some things giving me professional insights. I’m a fan of traveling and watching how people create their style all around the world, what are the small details that make the difference. I notice and love the Georgian sense of fashion: in both traditional and modern ways. Older films are a very big inspiration for me, since in the 1930-1960s there was no product placement of fashion brands and real tailors made beautiful suits for their actor customers. There’s a lot to learn from. Although now it’s impossible for me just to watch a movie — I’m always looking at the suits!
I also pay a lot of attention to my clients’ style while working, so that the clothes I make for them fit well in the existing wardrobe and represent their personality. Sometimes a person might prefer a traditional business style, sometimes there’s more rock-n-roll to it and there are even cases when you have to «marry» both! It’s always challenging but very interesting.
The customer’s manner of wearing suits or more casual pieces like jackets, trousers or coats, and finding the right fabric for them, which I order directly from the top woolen mills of the world, is planned carefully to be in harmony with each other. Each of my customers inspires me in their personal way.
What would you advise young people inspired by your story?
I would tell that learning from your own experience is the best thing you could do. If you hear something posed as an axiom, take it with the grain of salt, try it out before believing blindly. Results might surprise you.
Never stop investing in your abilities and don’t let others devalue the work you do. You’ll have to prove yourself in life and sometimes it’s harsh, but be bold (and competent) enough and you’ll make it.
In terms of style, I think it is important to experiment with different options and looks until you get the best combinations of colors and materials that suit you personally. It’s not about quantity, but about quality: you can have just one well-made suit or jacket and successfully base the whole other wardrobe around it.
Tell us about your future plans.
Of course my main plan now is to establish my favorite project in Georgia and be able to provide great quality to my customers here. Besides I’m considering to start the made-to-measure line, which is more affordable than bespoke, but still gives you a good idea of how personal tailoring feels. We’re also preparing educational programs in this field — lectures for those who are passionate about fashion history and tailoring and want to study it just as I did.
Interview by Mariam Mtivlishvili
