It takes experienced hands to provide the best possible custom tailoring.
Here at Family Britches, our tailors Munzer Ezeizat and Albert Tedesco bring many years of skill in bespoke outfitting. Both were apprenticed at very young ages where they were rigorously taught the techniques of a master tailor.
Reaching a level where an apprentice is considered to have learned the craft, takes years. The best bespoke tailors are very well-studied and have spent years honing their craft – and receive a diploma certifying completion of their apprenticeship.
Meet our old world custom tailors – Munzer and Albert:
Munzer Ezeizat
Munzer was apprenticed at 10 years old to a tailoring school in Jerusalem. There he spent three years following the master tailor’s instructions, learning the mathematics and intricacies of becoming a tailor.
Over his time as an apprentice, Munzer learned a wide range of skills: “We learned to make clothing for men and women from scratch and how to fit, stitch and sew according to the old world standards,” he says.
Following his three-year apprenticeship in Jerusalem, Munzer returned home to where he continued to hone his trade. He worked with other tailors, assisting customers with their clothing needs.
Part of his early training also involved spending time working in a number of clothing factories. “As the foreman, I was responsible for cutting, preparing the day’s work and also working with clients,” he says.
Munzer’s preferred method for working with a customer is to take the necessary measurements, while spending time interacting with the client. That conversation is important – Munzer learns about their preferences for colors and patterns. He finds out where customers are going to wear the clothes.
“I find out anything that will help me advise them on fabric and fit preferences for their selections,” he says. “Do they travel a lot? Are they hard on their clothing?” A tailor needs to be skilled at engaging with customers and finding out the small details – these often matter for the fabric selection, pattern and details of their final product.
“Like a barber, an accountant or any professional with whom you have a relationship, a tailor satisfies the customer by understanding what their requirements might be and based on my experience and expertise, completing the finished alterations.”
Albert Tedesco
“I started my apprenticeship at the age of twelve in Carolei, Italy,” Albert says. “By sixteen I was able to construct a suit from scratch.” He moved to the U.S. in October of 1967 and took a job in a small tailor shop in the Bronx, NY.
Albert has been with Family Britches since 2001. “I believe communication between the client and tailor is essential. My advice for finding a “perfect fit” is to shop in a quality men’s specialty store with a trained and experienced sales staff and a tailor who listens!”
Traits of top tailors
Munzer and Albert highlight a few traits of top tailors that are worth looking for. Impeccable hand tailoring is not something you find on the internet, nor is it easy to come by in a store.
It takes years of training to reach a high level of knowledge and skill. Learning to sew correctly and with dexterity takes around five years, while cutting is a skill that takes about three years to learn well. Both of those skills are developed further over time.
For this reason, talented old world custom tailors like ours, provide customers with a product and experience that can’t be easily replicated elsewhere. A skilled tailor has passion for quality fabrics and achieving the right look for the customer. They have a knowledge of textiles which can only be learned through careful study and working with different fabrics.
Top tailors are problem solvers. For example, there might be any of a few different issues affecting the balance of a coat – the tailor knows where to look and how to get to the bottom of the issue. They’re detail-oriented and take pride in precision.
Tailoring is a skill set that allows the customer and his tailor to develop a special relationship – and become close friends. Customers tend to come back season after season to see their tailor and get new outfits. It’s important for top tailors to have great customer relationship skills to do their job well.
A tailor soon learns that no two people are alike. Even among identical twins you will get subtle differences in the fit of clothing. The skilled tailor knows how to fit people so that they look impeccable and so that the style is appropriate for their needs. Whether you select from hanging stock or want to purchase a garment from scratch, an expert tailor will give you the best fit you have ever enjoyed.
Final thoughts
You’re in great hands at Family Britches with the skill and experience of Munzer and Albert to custom-tailor any outfit. It’s less common to find true old world custom tailors these days – the training alone takes a lot of time before someone has reached a high level of skill.
In a world where there is so much emphasis on “fast”, sometimes it pays to slow down a little. You will never get the fit of a bespoke suit by ordering off the internet. You won’t get the relationship with a tailor who truly understands you and your needs either. Come to our store and enjoy the fit of clothes that have been truly made for you.
