Thomas Mahon is an
English tailor, noted for outfitting the
British royal family
The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...
and other VIP clients.
Early life and education
Mahon was born in
Carlisle, Cumbria
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve castra, forts along Hadrian's ...
, and grew up in the small village of
Corby Hill,
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
. He was educated at the local village school and went on to the former grammar school, White House in
Brampton, Carlisle
Brampton is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cumberland (district), Cumberland unitary authority of Cumbria, England. It is east of Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle and south of Hadrian's Wall. Historic counties of ...
. He entered the tailoring trade by taking a summer job at bespoke tailors S. Redmayne Ltd. He stayed at Redmayne and completed his apprenticeship whilst studying industrial pattern construction and grading at a local polytechnic. After seven years of training, he left Redmayne for London and furthered his skills as a ''striker'' (apprentice cutter) to Dennis Halbery at
Anderson & Sheppard
Anderson & Sheppard is a bespoke tailor on Savile Row, London, established in the Row in 1906. In 2005, its shop moved to Old Burlington Street and has remained there since. It also sells ready-made menswear from its shop in nearby Clifford Stre ...
of
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
.
[English Cut: Savile Row Tailors. Documentary. Retrieved 9 January 2011.]
Independence and Weblog
In 1995, Mahon started ''Steed Bespoke Tailors'', a bespoke tailoring company, with Edwin Deboise, before going independent in 2001. In 2005, he began his weblog ''English Cut'' with aid of cartoonist and internet entrepreneur Hugh McLeod to share his knowledge of the traditional tailor's craft.
Mahon's wife, Claire, also studied tailoring, fashion, and design at
University College for the Creative Arts at Epsom. Together, they have three sons: Patrick, Francis, and John. In his spare time, Mahon teaches sailing and navigation with the rank of
Petty Officer
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers.
Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...
in the
Sea Cadet Corps, the UK's Naval Cadet Force.
Ousted from English Cut
In late 2012, Mahon began working with Christian Irving, a long-time colleague who wished to offer a "made-to-measure tailoring service". Mahon began searching for a suitable manufacturer, which he found in Japan. Mahon supervised this new service for the next four years. He visited Japan in May 2017, two months before leaving as founder, head cutter and creative director of English Cut.
In 2015, Mahon was approached to sell a 20% stake in English Cut Ltd to Todd Enright on behalf of White Winston LLC, Boston, MA. Although the purchase was never completed, a loan note from White Winston was enforced as the main creditor on 31 July 2017. Mahon was invited to stay under new terms but left the same day, saying the conditions were "unacceptable".
Redmayne 1860
Mahon returned as head cutter and creative director of Redmayne Ltd.
References
External links
Savile Row Tailors, English Cut: The Weblog of Bespoke Tailor Thomas Mahon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Thomas
English tailors
Living people
English bloggers
Year of birth missing (living people)
British male bloggers
People from Carlisle, Cumbria