In search of the meaning of the term "bespoke".

[David Thorpe]

Interesting. I was not aware that the term had be come a technological and industrial buzzword.

[The Wizard of BC]

Perhaps I can help here with a few examples from my kilt shop.

I currently offer three ways for a customer to get a Kilt Jacket.

The first is Off-The-Rack. I usually need to measure only the customers chest size and perhaps their height to fit them with a jacket from my shop. This works well for those who need a jacket right now and as long as I can fit them with a stock size they are happy.

The second option is Made-To-Measure. This option is usually for the customer who will not fit in a stock jacket due to their shape or needs. This can also be used in the case when a customer wishes a fabric other than black Barathea or the standard Lovat green or blue. For a MTM jacket I take seven measurements and the jacket is made to fit perfectly. But a MTM jacket will be made in a "standard" style.

The third option is for the customer who wishes a total unique jacket. This is the bespoke jacket. One made from a fabric not usually from a stock fabric list or of a style other than Prince Charlie, Argyle or Wallace. For a bespoke jacket the customer specifies everything about their jacket including buttons and even the pocket placement.
I take quite a few measurements for a totally bespoke jacket. I usually photograph the customer to insure that the tailors can see the slope of the shoulders and the curve of the back.
I spend quite a bit of time talking to the customer about their jacket so that when it arrives it is exactly what they had in mind when they walked into my shop.

Much the same applies to kilts.

If the customer wants a kilt today I will do my best to fit them well from my racks. I may not have the exact fabric in stock and the kilt will not be custom made but they do get to walk out in a kilt and the fit is usually pretty good.

Most of my customers are familiar with the styles of kilt I offer. They will usually walk in saying something like "I want one of your Cargo Model Kilts." They want the kilt to fit perfectly and be custom made or perhaps they have a shape that off the rack won't work for. This is my standard custom made kilt. MTM if you will. The customer is fully measured, they pick their fabric from my stock book and they tell me how many pockets they want and where they should be placed. This is also true if they want a Tartan Kilt.
A customer who orders a custom kilt may have a special need such as one leg shorter than the other or some other special requirement.
The customer who orders a custom made kilt knows that it will take a while but they know what they want and are usually willing to wait to get it.

Some customers however want a truly unique kilt. Perhaps they want a specific fabric that must be custom woven. Perhaps they want a kilt that is just a bit different or a bit out of the ordinary.
In this case I will create a kilt to the exact specifications of my customer. I often create a whole new type of kilt for a bespoke customer. What I do in each bespoke case is create a totally one of a kind garment. We measure and re-measure. Of course we talk about waist height and hem length but we also talk about the other stuff such as what will go best with the kilt for a particular look or event. What I do for a bespoke kilt is make a dream come true.


This is the other aspect of a bespoke garment. Bespoke is about the experience. A customer who is interested in a truly bespoke kilt has the expectation of a certain level of personal service. That little extra, personal touch, that you seldom get ordering off a website. They are offered a cup of coffee and we spend quite a bit of time sitting and talking about their wants and needs.
When they walk out of my shop in a bespoke kilt they get the bragging rights that go along with it. They have purchased a totally unique garment. Of course it fits them perfectly, but they know that they have made all the decisions about all the details that went into it.

Now I'm not talking about pleating to the Sett or Stripe here. That's standard. I'm talking about that little extra that makes them feel special. An experience that they can't wait to brag to their friends about.

I figure that if someone is willing to spend a few hundred dollars in my shop they deserve an experience they don't get walking into Sears, pulling a pair of pants off the shelf and paying the clerk for their purchase.

This the magic of truly bespoke. For your hard earned money you get pampered a bit. I don't talk to the customer about how I will make their kilt, I listen to them tell me about their dream kilt. Then I make it for them and them alone. The experience and process of getting that personal touch. Of getting exactly what you want and having someone create your dream is what bespoke means to me.

I guess this is what I am trying to say......
When I was young the word Bespoke was always followed by a second word. That second word was always service. You were buying Bespoke service.

If I hear a customer say "I have a custom made Freedom Kilt in XYZ Tartan" I probably did my job well. If I hear them say "Steve is my kiltmaker" I know I probably offered that personal, bespoke level of service.

[OC Richard]

So does the term properly apply to made-to-order items other than kilts and jackets?

Can be anything.

A friend who is a sword collector contacted a sword maker in England, inquiring about purchasing a particular sword he had seen. He received the pithy reply "Sorry, sword bespoke". My friend came to me about it and I explained that it meant that the sword was a "one-off" or custom-made as we say here.

The opposite of bespoke BTW is off-the-peg. Here it's custom-made and off-the-rack.

Another interesting phrase I've seen British shops use is to hand, which here is in stock.

[Chas]

In my experience, every tailor has their own definition of the term bespoke.

Regards

Chas