Menswear Pattern Cutter
Forty Years A Menswear Pattern Cutter.
Why are there so few good menswear pattern cutters in the UK , while Ladieswear pattern cutters are two a penny ? Menswear is a highly specialised area of pattern cutting that requires a high degree of technical ability. In fact each area of menswear is in itself a specialised area of pattern cutting.
Tailoring, shirts, underwear, swimwear, sportswear, streetwear, and functionalwear are all categories of menswear that require highly experienced pattern cutters with great skill and knowledge.
It is really essential to have menswear patterns made by specialists in their fields. Good pattern cutting is the key to success for any new brand.
Bill is a master menswear pattern cutter, with over forty years experience. He is highly experienced in all aspects of menswear, and is a fully qualified gym instructor, with an enthusiasm for sports and movement.
PHONE 07905-965-305 BILL
EMAIL thelondonpatterncutter@gmail.com
New Startup Menswear Brands.
While big high street brands employ the best menswear pattern cutters, new fashion brands have to make do with whatever freelance pattern cutter they can find. But there is absolutely no point having a pattern made by a freelancer who is not highly experienced in your chosen genre.
Its not just the skill to cut the pattern shapes. It is the in-depth knowledge of menswear garment construction and the exact specifics of the genre.
Tailoring Patterns.
Mens tailoring is the most exact and exacting area of pattern cutting.
Each mans tailored jacket pattern contains around 40 – 60 pattern pieces. The internal construction is as important as the external. Various different weights and qualities of interfacing, canvas, pocketing and lining are used to ensure that the resulting garment is perfect. The size, fit, widths and lengths must all be exact.
Shirts.
Mens shirt patterns are not as complicated as tailoring, but they are just as exact. Lengths and collars still need to be perfect. Mens shirts are constructed in different ways. The collars alone may have sixteen separate pieces. If the collar is not right, then the whole shirt is not right.
Underwear.
This is an area of menswear that has become very popular lately. Pattern cutting for mens underwear come in two main categories – Stretch and non stretch. Some designs have more shaping than others. Seam position, shaping, and the use of gussets are the main factors with this genre.
Swimwear.
Mens swimwear also falls into two distinct categories of stretch and non stretch. These two areas are totally distinct from each other. Like underwear, seam position and gussets are main factors.
Sportswear.
Mens sportswear covers a very wide area of menswear, both for general leisurewear and for specific sportswear. Much activewear is made of stretch fabrics. But patterns made for specific sports are often very technical. The technical garments in particular require extensive knowledge and experience.
Streetwear.
There has been a massive explosion in streetwear, and many new brands starting up around the UK. Streetwear is a wide ranging genre of fashion that is closely related to sportswear. Pattern cutters need to have a wide range of skills.
Functionalwear.
This is another area of pattern cutting that really does need a lot of experience. Any garment that is created to be functional rather than purely fashionable needs to made to very exacting standards. Normally this type of pattern cutting requires making several samples before the final design is approved.
Why Is Menswear Different ?
What makes menswear so different to either ladieswear, or childrenswear, is that menswear needs to be very exact. There is very little flexibility in menswear pattern cutting, and it is so easy to get it disastrously wrong.
Men are very particular about exactness in their clothing. Designs tend to be based on tradition and culture. While there are variations in design, they generally do not vary too much from the general standard formula.
Menswear is more about style than pure fashion.
There are entire websites devoted to just one type of garment. Men discuss in precise detail how closely a modern copy garment mimics the original.
Other websites discuss the minutiae of shirt collar lengths, or how much cuff needs to show under a jacket.
PHONE 07905-965-305 BILL
EMAIL thelondonpatterncutter@gmail.com