Savile Row Tailors Face Remakes as Weight Loss Drugs Drive Rapid Customer Size changes
LONDON – A surge in the use of weight loss drugs is forcing significant adjustments within the bespoke tailoring industry, according to a leading Savile Row tailor. Sean Dixon, co-founder of richard James, reports that cutters are increasingly required to make considerable alterations – or even entirely remake suits – due to customers experiencing rapid weight loss.
The trend is particularly noticeable among male clients in their 40s and 50s, dixon explained to the PA news agency. “Male customers of ours are obviously taking these drugs and losing quite a lot of weight in the process… probably for health reasons, so it’s a positive thing,” he said. “It’s not just half an inch here, maybe an inch there, it’s a considerable amount of weight loss and that means a whole new wardrobe – specifically tailoring.”
Bespoke commissions typically take up to three months to complete, a timeframe in which a client’s measurements can change dramatically. “That has massive repercussions,” Dixon stated. “Bespoke tailoring is made to fit precisely.” He noted that some customers are losing up to 25 kilograms in a short period, necessitating a complete overhaul of the garment. “You can’t just alter a suit – you have to remake it, start from scratch.”
Richard James, known for dressing celebrities like Sir Elton John, Stormzy, and the Gallagher brothers, is currently exploring solutions to address the issue without increasing costs or causing offense to clients.
The impact comes as estimates suggest approximately 1.5 million people in the UK are now using GLP-1s – the class of drugs driving the weight loss trend. A recent poll by chequp, an anti-obesity drugs provider, found that over 10% of Britons anticipate having a guest using GLP-1 medication this Christmas, and half of those surveyed indicated they would reconsider gifting clothes due to weight loss sensitivities. More than half of GLP-1 users surveyed also plan to reduce portion sizes and limit treats during the festive season.
