Meet the supplier
'I started a long time ago. My father is a tailor and it's a family business. There are five brothers and we all trained as tailors and went on to be whatever we wanted after that.
'I'm the one who's carried on the tradition. My son's 19. I'm trying to make him into a tailor, but he's not interested. He wants to be a chef!
'I'm very local. I went to school down the road: Highbury Grove for boys, it was then. My father made suits for us to wear to school. Most of my brothers have gone on to do other things accountant, pattern cutter, architect but Joe's a tailor as well.
'I started in Islington on my own in 1984. I've shown in Paris, New York and Japan. It's always been tailoring with a design influence.
'I studied art at the Chelsea College and menswear at the Royal College of Art. I started doing printing and the next thing I knew I was making up the prints into shirts. I couldn't get away from it.
Suits you, Sir
'We do a lot more detailing than most suit companies. I'm concerned about what goes inside the garment, construction-wise.
'Most suits are fused, but we use what's called a floating chest piece. This works with the outside fabric because it's the same: wool canvas and wool outer. It moves with the body; it's got life to it. It's true of my range for John Lewis. The garment is engineered but it has a bespoke look.
'I've always loved John Lewis. When Jones Brothers was on the Holloway Road, they were the one place that had haberdashery and I used to go in there and get buttons, cloth, lining, everything. I miss that store. But since my suits have been in John Lewis it's like I've been rediscovered.
'When someone chooses their first suit, they always ask why it costs so much. But it's made to last. A joiner would use good timber, not balsa wood, and the same applies to fabric.
'I tell them how it should look. There are rules as to how to wear a suit, but a lot of people don't know them.
Shocking pink
'Common mistakes? Sleeves that are too long: they should show a little bit of cuff. Shoulders should fit at the edge of the shoulder, not hanging off. A lot of guys think they're hiding a multitude of sins, but when a suit doesn't fit it just exaggerates whatever faults they have.
'When people come in, I can advise what suits them. They'll know what colour they want but they don't know about style. You have to say, slanted pockets will elongate the body or a more fitted sleeve makes your arm look longer. It's all tricks and optical illusions you do to make people look and feel better.
'We make suits for Lenny Henry, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead. The one thing they have in common is that they're not a standard size. That's one reason why they have suits made.
'People normally have a particular occasion in mind when they come here. Sixty per cent are for weddings.
'Unusual requests? We had a vineyard owner who produced Rose Champagne and he wanted a suit the same colour as the drink. So you can imagine what colour it was: we spent hours looking at cloth until we got this shocking pink. It was a Rose suit with a bubbles pattern on it. I've asked him to send photographs.'
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'I'm very local. I went to school down the road: Highbury Grove for boys, it was then. My father made suits for us to wear to school. Most of my brothers have gone on to do other things accountant, pattern cutter, architect but Joe's a tailor as well.
'I started in Islington on my own in 1984. I've shown in Paris, New York and Japan. It's always been tailoring with a design influence.
'I studied art at the Chelsea College and menswear at the Royal College of Art. I started doing printing and the next thing I knew I was making up the prints into shirts. I couldn't get away from it.
Suits you, Sir
'We do a lot more detailing than most suit companies. I'm concerned about what goes inside the garment, construction-wise.
'Most suits are fused, but we use what's called a floating chest piece. This works with the outside fabric because it's the same: wool canvas and wool outer. It moves with the body; it's got life to it. It's true of my range for John Lewis. The garment is engineered but it has a bespoke look.
'I've always loved John Lewis. When Jones Brothers was on the Holloway Road, they were the one place that had haberdashery and I used to go in there and get buttons, cloth, lining, everything. I miss that store. But since my suits have been in John Lewis it's like I've been rediscovered.
'When someone chooses their first suit, they always ask why it costs so much. But it's made to last. A joiner would use good timber, not balsa wood, and the same applies to fabric.
'I tell them how it should look. There are rules as to how to wear a suit, but a lot of people don't know them.
Shocking pink
'Common mistakes? Sleeves that are too long: they should show a little bit of cuff. Shoulders should fit at the edge of the shoulder, not hanging off. A lot of guys think they're hiding a multitude of sins, but when a suit doesn't fit it just exaggerates whatever faults they have.
'When people come in, I can advise what suits them. They'll know what colour they want but they don't know about style. You have to say, slanted pockets will elongate the body or a more fitted sleeve makes your arm look longer. It's all tricks and optical illusions you do to make people look and feel better.
'We make suits for Lenny Henry, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead. The one thing they have in common is that they're not a standard size. That's one reason why they have suits made.
'People normally have a particular occasion in mind when they come here. Sixty per cent are for weddings.
'Unusual requests? We had a vineyard owner who produced Rose Champagne and he wanted a suit the same colour as the drink. So you can imagine what colour it was: we spent hours looking at cloth until we got this shocking pink. It was a Rose suit with a bubbles pattern on it. I've asked him to send photographs.'
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