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Five of Dubai’s Best Tailors For The Perfect Bespoke Suit

Looking for tailors in Dubai for a bespoke suit? Here, we bring you five of Dubai’s best.

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

In a city that’s widely known for its sartorial stamina, well-heeled Dubai dwellers are motivated not just by dressing up, but by dressing well—especially when it comes to suiting. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. While anyone can buy an off-the-rack set and look some semblance of smart, to dress with true style and confidence, a custom- made suit takes tailoring to another level.

What does it take to make the perfect bespoke ensemble of this sort? Exceptional fit and fabrics count, but it’s not solely about the suits themselves. It’s also about the creatives behind the clothes: designers with a respect for both craft and client; cutters who wield scissors with killer confidence; stylists with an intricate eye for detail. Above all, the right tutelage takes a tailor from someone who can simply sew to a craftsman creating customized magic. Because, when you’re forking out for bespoke, only the highest quality will do.

While DIFC might be Dubai’s breeding ground for the sleekest of suit wearers—with high-end tailors to match—there are plenty of other ateliers around the city that will elevate your game in similar ways. Many offer the same custom suit-making experience, just on a smaller scale (and often budget), while others are hidden gems that those in the know keep close to their chest. Trust us, when you’ve found the right tailor, there’s no letting go.

Here, we bring you five of Dubai’s best. These specialist ateliers use a combination of tradition, tech, expertise, and personal touch to offer everything you could possibly need—from monogramming and custom-made shoes to at-home appointments and even a gentleman’s club—allowing you to reap the true benefits of bespoke and ensure your look never goes out of style.

Quintessential British Style

Ascots & Chapels

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

For options steeped in history and style, meet Ascots & Chapels – a British heritage tailor founded in 1871 that brought its quintessential English roots from Mayfair to the Middle East in 2007. “We typically focus on the traditional British cut, which is different from the boxier American or the very slim Italian cut of tailoring,” says the label’s British-born brand and style director, Gary Sweeney (above). “It means a stronger shoulder, slightly nipped-in waist, and highly personalized and bespoke garments that redefine benchmarks in the creation of handcrafted bespoke clothing for men.”

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

The regional team – trained by their UK counterparts – uses traditional techniques mixed with modern design principles, along with 7 000 fabrics from the best Italian and English mills. With suits from AED 3 250 (including two pairs of trousers), it’s the best of British tailoring without the price tag. Top-end service is paramount, as is attention to detail, where the team “happily obsesses over minute details like buttonhole threads, the width of a lapel, or how the break in a pair of trousers falls,” says Sweeney.

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

The process comprises four appointments, 36 measurements, three fittings, and 100 man-hours. The crucial “baste stage” is when a half-made suit is created using temporary stitching to allow for radical alterations if required. The label also eschews technology, preferring a one-to-one approach with each client building a relationship with the tailors and wardrobe advisors. Taking the experience beyond the suit, Ascots & Chapels also invites clients to embrace a “lifestyle” through its gentlemen’s society. “We host dinners, yacht trips, and track and golf days,” Sweeney adds. The British tailor has three boutiques in the UAE – Dubai’s Marina Mall and DIFC, along with The Galleria Mall on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi. ascotsandchapels.com

Fashion-Forward Tailoring

Kachins Couture

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

A hallowed name since 1981, Kachins Couture’s suits go beyond a good cut, because what Indian founder and CEO Ashok Ramchandani doesn’t know about fabrics simply isn’t worth knowing.

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

Once a modest shop in Bur Dubai, Kachins now has four ateliers across the city. Ashok’s sons Anil and Ravi help run the business, and some of their skilled employees have been at the company since inception. Counting Emirates Airlines, Coca-Cola, and high-end hotels as clients, it’s Kachins’ unrelenting pursuit of perfection that sees it on the speed dials of Dubai’s sharpest dressers. With materials sourced from top international mills, over 1 000 fabrics from Ermenegildo Zegna to Thomas Mason (including a specially woven “Kachins Couture” fabric), and everything from monogramming and custom-made shoes to chinos and bomber jackets on offer, the entire experience is luxury led. Want 24ct gold or diamond fragments woven into your suit? Just ask Kachins.

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

“The suit-making process is intricate and leverages decades of expertise,” says Anil, who holds the position of director of Kachins Group. He adds that an ultra- customized suit starts from AED 4 000 and takes up to three weeks to finish. It’s a well- oiled process: styling consultation, fabric selection, meticulous measurement taking and fabric cutting (the pattern kept on file to streamline future purchases), sewing, fittings (as many as required to achieve perfection), and then the final flourishes such as buttons and hand-stitched detailing. Not 100% satisfied once home? Kachins follows up a few weeks after delivery and will make any tweaks you desire. And if you don’t fancy trekking into town for consultations, they’ll come to you, with private home or office fittings available at no extra cost.

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

Perhaps the biggest game-changer for this decades-old tailor is AI. “We’ll be introducing an AI tool in November to streamline the measurement process online,” says Anil, “which allows clients to place orders all around the world. We’re also developing an online 3D suit builder where clients can design their very own bespoke suits, choosing every detail and visualizing the suit in 3D—all without needing to visit the store.” kachinscouture.com

The Best-Kept Secret

Whistle & Flute

Dubai tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

While Dubai has plenty of big-name suit- makers, it also has plenty of gems hidden down back alleys in the old part of the city. Case in point: Whistle & Flute, a tailor tucked away off Plant Street in Satwa, behind the Iranian Hospital. You might wonder, like many before you, if you’re in the right place, but finding it will be just reward. Whistle & Flute, whose name comes from the Cockney rhyming slang for suit, opened in 2004, run then by an Indian tailor known as Shashi, who passed away in 2022. Now in the hands of his son, Latesh, brother Ramesh, and managing partner Sithara, the business is carried forward with a continued effort to honor the rich traditions of bespoke tailoring blended with modern style in what is arguably one of Dubai’s best-kept secrets.

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

The hallmark of Whistle & Flute is generational expertise and crafting “a perfect fit,” says Sithara. “Our head tailor comes from a long lineage of master tailors and was personally tutored by Shashi,” she says. “Our master cutter, Ramesh, has 25 years of experience perfecting the traditional techniques of hand-cutting, stitching, and finishing each garment to ensure a flawless fit.” Working with world-renowned fabrics, from companies such as heritage brand Huddersfield Textiles – which is known for having the finest English cloth – bespoke suits start from AED 2 200 (or from AED 3 500 for the Huddersfield cloth), with tuxedos, shirts, trousers, and waistcoats crafted to match. The team favors an age- old, hand-made approach and a well-trained eye over technology, with a turnaround time of only 10 days for a suit.

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

If Satwa feels like too much of a schlep, Whistle & Flute can come to you, taking measurements and fabric requests in the comfort of your abode. And if there’s a particular design you’d like to emulate, the team will do their best to replicate it. “We work hard to keep up to date with the latest trends and designs,” says Sithara, “and we always deliver the promises we make to our customers.” +971 4 342 9229

Tech-Driven Design

8th Lining

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

Taking 200 measurements in a second, 8th Lining’s cutting-edge 3D body-scanning technology will speak to the style-obsessed who appreciate exactitude. This kind of precision is key, says Syrian founder Tarek Al Husayni, who opened 8th Lining in 2019 – not only because the 3D scanner achieves an impeccable fit in just one consultation, but because it allows clients to spend more time on the customization process.

Rest assured, 8th Lining’s expedited process doesn’t compromise on quality. It just means that by requiring only two visits – an initial consultation and a final fitting – it offers a top-quality product and convenience for the time-poor. With a five- week production and delivery time, bespoke suits start from AED 2 990. While you wait, you can put in an order for a custom-made shirt and now, made-to-order shoes, which are masterly crafted in Spain.

Dubai Tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

At its boutique in Business Bay, every client is treated like a VIP, says Al Husayni. The team also offers style advice and consultations – with 1 800 fabrics (including from high-end European brands and an in-house Dino Filarte option that uses Australian Merino wool) and 150 different personalization opportunities, from collars and cuffs to monograms, pockets, and lapels. Measurements are kept on file, allowing clients to purchase a new suit with just a video call. “Our focus on innovation, paired with a respect for traditional tailoring, ensures every suit is both modern and timeless,” Al Husayni explains of the process and his team, many of whom have honed their skills at some of Europe’s most well-respected legacy brands, such as Tom Ford and Fendi.

Dubai Tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

With a recent upgrade to its 3D scanner technology for even quicker and more meticulous measurements, Al Husayni is now turning his attention to expansion across the region and launching a line of men’s fragrances soon. 8thlining.com

Savile Row Styling

Knights & Lords

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

Live in Dubai but only a Savile Row suit will do? Then Ashish and Pawan Ishwar are the men to know. They spent nine years learning the trade in the “birthplace of bespoke tailoring” – aka Savile Row – Pawan as a buttonhole maker and Ashish as a trouser undercutter. Having honed their craft and mastered the iconic Drape Cut – a method in which the garments are crafted to naturally flow over the contours of the body – the Indian brothers opened Knights & Lords tailors on Sheikh Zayed Road in 2010.

Their tailoring process is “technical, traditional, and intuitive,” says Ashish, and they’ve rustled up suits for the likes of Mike Tyson and Swizz Beatz, for royalty and heads of state. Such offerings start from AED 2 000, using up to 30 unique measurements and taking over 120 hours and four to six weeks to complete. The pair follows the traditional and technical guidelines set out by the Savile Row Bespoke Association and even perform a “ritual” before they begin, inspired by the founder of Drape Cut, Frederick Scholte. “It sets our intentions for the suit and visualizes the outcome,” Pawan says.

Dubai Tailors

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Allison

Ashish and Pawan push the boundaries of bespoke, making everything from loungewear to activewear to hybrid wear. They also have colorist consultants and stylists on board and partner with a private shoemaker in the UK to make handcrafted pairs of Oxfords, sneakers, and more. Women’s tailoring is available too.

“Fabrics are our canvas and threads our paint brushes,” Ashish says of Knights & Lords’ whopping 5,500 fabric options that run the gamut of fineness, from Super 100s up to Super 250s—the finest grade in wool. “We also work with some of the lightest cashmeres in the world,” Pawan says, “as well as plant-based and sustainable fibers like bamboo.” True bastions of bespoke tailoring, the brothers are busy keeping its legacy alive, with expansion plans across the GCC and beyond—one Savile Row-inspired creation at a time. knightsandlords.ae
Originally published in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Vogue Man Arabia

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