Kimberley Lawton is one of a handful of up-and-coming tailors who are changing London’s heritage craft. With a focus on empowerment, quality and sustainability Kimberley’s tailoring house Lawton struck me as a truly thoughtful and meaningful brand – exactly what the fashion world needs right now. So we got together for a chat, learning about her journey, working in a male-dominated field and some of our favourite suit-wearing icons!

Let’s kick it off, can you tell me about your background and how you started Lawton?

I’m a Yorkshire gal, I did fashion at Barnsley College and my tutor told me that the hardest part of pattern cutting is tailoring, so if you can do that you can do anything. That was my favourite part already so I applied to the London College of Fashion, never thinking I would get in, but I got in!

There I did a bespoke tailoring degree and loads of work experience whilst I was studying, as it isn’t something everyone can afford to do after graduating. Once I did graduate, I managed to get an apprenticeship in Huntsman on Saville Row and did my cutting apprenticeship there. When I left, in 2022, I set up my own bespoke tailoring brand – Lawton!

I’m interested to hear what it’s been like being a female tailor, I imagine it still being quite male-dominated.

It’s incredibly male-dominated! So much so that when I was doing work experience I was told I’d never get a job as a pattern cutter on Saville Row because I’m a woman, and that I should just go into fashion instead. So I thought well… I’m going to prove you wrong!

It’s so disappointing that that attitude still exists!

It is horrendous. I think because back in the day it was seen as a ‘trade’ in the same sense as plumbing or being an electrician, which was deemed men’s work. Now it is seen as more of a craft, and a lot of people want to come in and learn this skill to grow or change the industry, new generations are bringing in a new lease on life.

We do have a pretty rich history of tailoring in London, do you feel inspired by the heritage of tailoring here, or are there old-fashioned ideas that you want to break out of?

I love the tradition of the craft and honing that skill set, still making things by hand, and it suits the modern world where we want everything to be more sustainable, we want to know who is making it, and bespoke tailoring fits into that.

We do things like leaving a lot of extra seam allowance so the suit can grow or be altered as you age, we do invisible ending repairing holes. It’s a higher price but the cost per wear is very low especially if you wear it often, or even pass it down to your children.

I do find that inspiring and in the modern world it’s great. It’s nice for us younger generations to infuse that heritage with new energy - especially with womenswear. There are a few upcoming women tailors who have also created their own brands like me and are making really good equivalents for women.

That’s something that hasn’t been touched on very much – why shouldn’t women have the same sexy, powerful suit options as men?

That’s so nice, I feel like not enough people think about bespoke as an option anymore but it’s such a good option to address these issues, more inclusive, more sustainable… it seems like an obvious solution.

Oh, definitely. I feel like we’ve been a bit indoctrinated into the fast-fashion, instantaneous world. You can get a t-shirt for £3 and it arrives the next day, but it feels like people don’t think about the ethical aspect. For example, all my tailors are paid a fair wage, we’re creating something that lasts, it’s not made of polyester, and it’s not going to break in the wash… we need to change the consumer mentality to understand that bespoke makes a lot of sense.

We’ve mentioned the power that suits have as a garment, can you tell me what it is that you love the most about them?

There are two things I love about my business. Making the patterns, because I’m a big nerd, and I get to be creative in that logical way, making something fit well.

The other aspect that I also love is getting to know my clients, it’s super personal. It takes about 3 months to make a suit, you’re getting to know your clients’ likes and dislikes, how they want to wear something, what their personality is like... and then getting that feedback of when they’ve been wearing their suits is amazing.

What do your customers say about wearing their suits?

I had one client who had been berated in a business meeting, and he was sitting there listening to what his client was saying and letting them get it off their chest, but also the whole time thinking ‘I look so much better than you’. That gave me so much joy! Another client had a really bad day and she had a meeting coming up and she knew that to sort herself out she had to put her suit on. It gave her that switch in mindset when she put her power suit on, like ‘Right, I’m ready to smash this meeting, it’s all going to be okay.’

Suits have been worn forever and changed styles so much over history, do you have a favourite era?

I have two. The 30s and 40s. Old Hollywood cinema and the beginning of women wearing trousers and the power it gave us. Especially in the inter-war period whilst they were all going to work. Then also the 70s, that maximalism, the big lapels, the big flares – that strong, bold silhouette.

I have to agree on a ‘70s shirt, the big collars are so good.

So good!

Since you founded Lawton how has the experience been & what have you learnt?

I’ve learnt a lot, I think I was never 100% planning to become an entrepreneur, but it happened and I love it. There are ups and downs. I’ve learnt so much about how to run a business: accounting, VAT, bills, you know... so that’s been a big learning curve. It’s interesting I don’t see myself as an entrepreneur, I see myself as a tailor. I have to remind myself of all the other things I do outside of making suits: running a business, replying to emails, doing PR, and scheduling social media… there’s a lot more to it than I imagined, and it’s a lot of hard work but I love it to bits.

There’s so much more to it, especially today with social media, it never ends! But I have a really fun question next. Who’s your style inspiration?

I have a list! There are quite a few.

From the 30s, definitely Catherine Hepburn. She is such a pioneer of the big wide trousers. Marline Dietrich as well, she’s just such an icon! The men back then like Fred Astaire, and Humphrey Bogart, and their beautiful 30s suits with big lapels… the suave as they walk around in their movie is so good!

Then to the 70s; Bianca Jagger, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux – that Rock N Roll vibe, and the men – Mick Jagger, Bowie, Charlie Watts… all suit-wearing icons!

Such a strong list! It’s a really hard question to answer though you can never just pick one person.

No I know, I had to say them all!

Finally, what’s next for you and Lawton?

So, I have just launched a shirt collection. Our suits are all fully bespoke, all made by hand, then in January this year, I launched the shirts which I want to expand on with more accessories and made-to-order in keeping with that sustainability focus. Basically, you pick your fabric and size and then it’s made for you.

I also want to bring out an evening collection; bow ties, scarves, cufflinks, earrings… I make a big point at Lawton that I want the same quality for men and women because I don’t feel that on the high street, women get the same options.

If you want a lovely tailored shirt the women’s option is always polyester and the men’s one is nice! So, everything we make is for everybody and we will keep doing that into the future.

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As a fashion researcher and writer myself, speaking with Kimberley was a joy. Not only is Bespoke tailoring an amazing traditional craft that I love seeing continued, but it is also such a powerful solution to so many of the issues that mass-produced fast-fashion has created… from standard sizes that don’t fit anyone, to items made based on micro-trends that end up in the landfill within a year of buying. Investing in an item made for you and made to last is always worth the time, plus – isn’t it special to have an ongoing relationship with the person who made it for you? Talk about customer service!

As a special bonus treat for C Word readers, the lovely Kimberley is offering you 10% off Lawton shirts, with discount code 10OFF.

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Daisy Riley is a Fashion and Culture writer and researcher based in London. Working across journalism, brand strategy and content creation she writes to explore the possibilities and meanings hidden in what we wear, and how we can change the industry for the better.

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