FAQ

We are always happy to see you, whether you have an appointment or not. However, if you come without an appointment, there may be no specialist available and you may have to wait until someone becomes free. In addition, the specialist can only assist you until the next scheduled customer arrives. We usually have gaps between appointments, as we schedule extra time for complex cases. While you wait, we always offer delicious coffee and interesting books in our waiting area. To minimize your waiting time, you can always call ahead and ask if we can see you soon.

We usually work weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, as we often work outside the office, the door may be closed if you visit during working hours without an appointment. If we are away from the office for the whole day, this will be indicated in our Google opening hours. Selecting fabrics in Italy, France, and the UK, or attending fashion shows and other official events can take up a lot of time.

If for any reason you are unable to book an appointment via the online calendar, you can call us or send us a message at any time, and we will do our best to find a suitable appointment for you.

We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to find time to visit the studio. That’s why we offer this service to our regular customers. Unlike the services provided at our premises, home consultations are always charged. Many of our busy customers prefer to place complete orders for men’s clothing, from measurements and fabric selection to fittings and delivery of the final product to their home or office. We do everything we can to achieve the desired result with minimal time and maximum quality. Unfortunately, it is not possible to take our entire fabric stock, fittings, and product samples with us. For the best selection and most options, it is therefore best to visit the studio.

Maria Gavel is a seventh-generation seamstress with a master’s degree in fashion design and over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry.

Our studio works with fabrics and tasks of any complexity. However, it is important to understand that sometimes the necessary work is so complicated that it would be cheaper to buy a new garment. But if it is a beloved piece that you do not want to part with, then “the impossible just takes more time.” We are reluctant to work with low-quality synthetic fabrics. Given the cost of custom work, the use of synthetics does not make sense.

When you receive your garment, you will be informed of the acceptable care procedures. Most garments have care instructions on the label. We provide a printed care guide with each item. If your garment does not have a care label, you should remember or keep the information from the guide.

This depends on usage, but we can provide approximate guidelines. A business suit should be cleaned after 3-5 wears. The same applies to pants and skirts. Outerwear such as coats or jackets should be cleaned twice per season if worn regularly (50% of the time). The same applies to knitwear. Evening dresses made of delicate fabrics should be cleaned after each wear, while everyday dresses should be cleaned after 4-5 wears. Blouses and shirts vary depending on the body and weather conditions; they need to be cleaned after 1-3 wears.

Probably sewing on a single button. We accept orders of any size. It is important to understand that the size of a garment does not always correlate directly with the amount of work required to make it, and a small custom-made swimsuit can be much more complicated than a full evening gown.

We offer two types of discounts. Regular customers receive a 5% discount on all our products and services, and VIP customers receive a 10% discount. This discount does not apply to fabrics used for manufacturing, which we sell at cost price when a garment is ordered. The criteria for granting and revoking VIP status are not disclosed.

If the completion date of your order is known immediately, we suggest arranging a pickup date when placing the order. If notification is required, this can be done by email, WhatsApp message, SMS, or phone call. When placing your order, you have the option to choose the notification method. If you would like to be notified in a way that is not offered, we will check the possibility and try to accommodate your request.

We currently accept cash, debit and credit cards, and TWINT payments. If there is consistent demand for another payment method, we will quickly introduce it. We are prepared to accept cash payments in euros, US dollars, British pounds, Polish zloty, and Ukrainian hryvnia at the market exchange rate, except of course in Swiss francs.

You will be informed of any additional services when you place your order, if your order requires such clarification. If you have been quoted a specific price but additional services are required due to an error in the assessment, you can choose not to pay for these services. Many orders are created without specifying the price of materials to be purchased if we do not know their cost. However, you can always purchase such materials yourself if you are unsure whether we can find the best price for them.

All our fabrics come from Italy, France, and the UK. We usually select interesting fabrics based on their properties and photos, and then receive samples by courier. In cases where it is urgently necessary to select fabrics for orders, our designer visits the suppliers to make quick but correct decisions when choosing fabrics. More than 95% of the fabrics we currently use are manufactured in Italy, as it has the world’s largest production of high-quality fabrics.

For orders over 300, we offer free delivery within the city of Zurich. Orders below this amount can be delivered for 30. VIP customers have special delivery terms. Orders must be paid in full before delivery. Delivery will be made within the working day, but the courier will try to come at a convenient time if you specify such a time in the delivery request. It is important to understand that sometimes the final fitting is very important. Regardless of whether you receive a completely new, significantly altered, or slightly modified garment, minor additional adjustments may be necessary, which can be made in the studio in 5 minutes for a perfect result.

The same type of work can vary greatly in complexity. For example, shortening pants may require an open seam, a sewing machine or an overlock, adhesive tape, handwork, a false seam, preserving the original seam, slits, lining, and widening the hem, or asymmetrical alterations. Sometimes the fit problem seems to be in one area, but in fact it is in another or in several areas. Only after inspection by a specialist can the exact scope of work be determined. We have removed the price list from the website because customers often came with incorrect price expectations. Sometimes it is impossible to give an exact price without opening the garment, as it is not clear from the outside how it was constructed. You can assume that the cost is based on a specialist’s hourly rate of 60 Swiss francs. Sometimes we advise customers against making alterations because they will not achieve the expected result and it is impossible to achieve the desired result with the item.

It is very rare that a photo is sufficient. Sometimes conclusions can be drawn from a well-taken video or a video call. However, it is sometimes impossible to determine the exact scope of work (or even the possibility of carrying it out!) until the garment is opened and inspected from the inside. We value our customers’ time, but in most cases, a personal visit is necessary to assess the amount of work required and the costs involved.

It is always possible to reduce the size of clothing, but this sometimes requires design decisions that can slightly alter the appearance. Enlarging the size is possible if there is extra fabric in the relevant areas or if you are happy with designer inserts where fabric is missing. These inserts often make the garment very unique and significantly improve its look. To find out what can be done with your garment, you can make an appointment and bring it in for a personal consultation. All brief consultations are free of charge.

You should understand that the aging of materials is irreversible and sometimes repairing old items requires a complete replacement of the material and/or fittings. The result could be a new garment that contains only 5% of the original, which may not make sense for collectibles. In any case, we are happy to carefully examine your old piece and discuss all possible options for its preservation. We find such attention to old things very touching.

The standard time for this service is 14 calendar days. If certain materials are required for the work, the timeframe may be extended, but you will be notified immediately. In urgent cases, we can usually make the necessary changes to your item within 24 hours. There have been situations where a customer who came by couldn’t continue walking in damaged clothing, and we solved the problem in 20-30 minutes. You should expect that urgent work may cost more than usual, but the quality will not be affected by the timeframe.

In fact, some people don’t notice any difference between suits made from different materials. For them, it doesn’t matter what the suit is made of, and synthetic materials are generally more durable than natural ones. However, there are very few such people. The vast majority of people who try on a suit made from natural fabrics don’t want to go back to cheaper alternatives.

For many people, a suit is a work tool that they use all day long, and comfort is crucial not only for wearing pleasure but also for work efficiency. We have corporate clients who understand this and provide their employees with high-quality workwear.

In a high-quality suit made from natural materials, you feel cooler in summer and warmer in winter, skin irritation does not occur, and your appearance remains as presentable as possible.

Therefore, we not only recommend suits made from natural materials, but also do not sell suits that contain synthetic materials.

1. The first meeting involves selecting fabrics and materials, taking measurements, gathering customer information, and determining design details, style, configuration, and personalization of the garment. Depending on the complexity of the garment and the speed with which the customer makes decisions on all possible questions, this meeting can last between 40 minutes and 2 hours.
2. The components of your suit are then ordered and delivered to the production facility, where the fabric is cut, the main elements are sewn, and the suit is initially assembled. Depending on the production location, availability of all materials, and priority of the work, this phase can take between one and twelve weeks.
3. The first fitting takes place during the second meeting, during which the tailor notes any special features of your body that are difficult to take into account during the initial measurements and marks them on the suit. This meeting usually lasts 10-15 minutes, unless unexpected complications arise, which are extremely rare.
4. Completion of the garment with any necessary adjustments, if identified. This phase takes between 24 hours and two weeks, depending on the urgency of the order and the studio’s workload.
5. The final fitting of the garment. Everything is ready—you can pick up your new suit! This meeting usually takes no less than 10 minutes.
6. The customer writes a review about the tailor-made suit and the service provided by our studio on Google, with or without photos. This takes about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, many customers ignore this step, making it difficult for new customers to evaluate us objectively. Remember, the process cannot be considered complete without this step!

We work with most of the leading global suppliers of suit fabrics and sometimes find opportunities to purchase fabrics that are not available for public order.

We can order and use any type of pure elite fabrics and their blends for your suit: Winter options – 100% wool or blends of wool types (vicuna, alpaca, cashmere, llama, Super 200s+, diamond chip), wool blends with silk and bamboo; summer options – all blends of linen, silk, wool, tropical wool, and bamboo.

Buying a suit is rarely a high-priority task, so we fully understand how often situations arise where a suit is urgently needed. More than half of people find that a standard suit is not entirely comfortable due to their body shape. For such people, we have two main offers.

We usually have a collection of suits for sale that are made to the highest standards from excellent materials and fit the customer’s figure. In urgent cases, such a suit can be altered within 24 hours or even faster. Only about 2% of people have body shape characteristics that make it too complicated to alter such a suit. But this is very fast and of high quality, so it is always worth trying it first.

The second option is to order a suit in accelerated production using available fabrics. We do not specify deadlines for such orders, but if we can put your suit into production ahead of schedule, we are ready to surprise you.

Let’s discuss your case in detail. Normally, a weight gain or loss of 2-3 kg significantly changes your mass, making the suit too small or less perfect in fit. For example, if your weight always fluctuates between 100-105 kg, there are three main solutions:

1. You need to take measurements at both your highest and lowest weights in order to create a suit for the maximum size and minimize gaps in areas that shrink (everyone gains and loses weight differently).
2. You can have three separate suits made for 100 kg, 102.5 kg, and 105 kg so that you can switch between them depending on your current condition.
3. There are suits made of stretch fabrics with appropriate lining and padding materials, which must be manufactured for a minimum weight of 100 kg with maximum gaps for an ideal fit. However, the quality assembly of such a suit is very complex, requires much more time, the highest qualification of the tailor, and has corresponding costs.

When ordering custom-made items, we require a deposit equal to the cost of materials and half of the labor costs, which is usually 65-75% of the total price of the item. Most competitors charge 50%, but the total amount is roughly the same. You know why that is.

In addition to obvious customization, there are several options when ordering a custom suit.

The basic option is a wide selection of fabrics: material (wool of any grade, linen, cotton, silk, and their blends), weight (light, medium, heavy), texture (smooth, ribbed, textured), color (from classic navy blue, gray, or black to all possible colors and shades), origin (Italy, England, Scotland, Switzerland).

The second option is the choice of cut and fit of the suit.

The third option is the choice of jacket details: type of lapel; number and type of buttons; number of slits; number and type of inside and outside pockets; presence, fabric, and pattern of the lining.

The fourth option is the choice of trouser details: presence of pleats at the waistband, adjustable side closures, belt loops; presence of cuffs; cut and length.

The fifth option is small nuances: selection of thread colors for buttonholes, buttons, topstitching; hand or machine embroidery of initials or names on various elements of the suit; use of contrasting details under the collar, in pocket edging, and inner jacket details.

The last option is exclusive features: use of special handmade buttons and/or their personalization with engraving or inlay; hand embroidery according to individual customer requests, possibly with heraldic elements; antibacterial fabric treatments; inserts made of exclusive leather, suede, or velvet; personalized labels with hand-embroidered options; accessories in the same style as the suit; selection of materials in compliance with environmental standards and ethically produced materials.

Our regular customers can also order, try on, and receive their suit on site if required.

If it is not an urgent order, you usually have two to seven business days before the order is cut. Changes are possible up to this point. You can ask us at any time if there is still a possibility to make changes. We recommend that you only place an order once you are sure about all the details of the suit you want.

Unfortunately, starting and stopping an order is a very costly process. You can cancel an order after placing it and even reject the finished product without giving any reason, but in such cases, the deposit you have paid will not be refunded.

In fact, the profit margin on the items we sell is the lowest on the Swiss market. If you see a well-tailored suit at a lower price, one of the following situations is likely to apply: Cheaper fabrics are used (check the label for the composition); the suit is sewn by low-skilled personnel, resulting in a much lower quality standard compared to the sample shown; the suit is manufactured in countries with low labor costs (the risks of such orders are usually reflected in Google reviews, for example, through problems with fit, delivery times, and materials). In the latter case, it is sometimes possible to get a good suit for less money, but we do not offer our customers gambling options; we simply sell excellent suits and accessories at a fair price.

For men, the comparison with cars should be understandable here. There is the Indian two-seater Tata for 3,500 in India, and there is the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, which was purchased by a Swiss man for 17,000,000. You can commute to work, visit friends, and even drive to the sea in Monaco with both, but there are still differences. And it’s not just because it’s easier to find a parking space for the Tata.

The production costs for a cheap suit made of synthetic materials and inexpensive components mass-produced in Asian or African countries with cheap labor do not exceed 5. If you pay 100, you are mainly paying for logistics, advertising, the seller’s administrative costs, customs duties and local taxes, and the profit margin. Usually, but not always, such a suit is poorly cut, and finding one that fits your figure well is a matter of luck. Even in this case, suits made with cheap technologies cannot hold their shape for long and soon look more like a sack than a suit.

If a mass-produced suit can be made by a seamstress in just two hours, a high-quality suit requires much more manual labor, and a high-quality suit requires between 40 hours (with minimal mechanization, where manual labor does not compromise quality) and 120 hours (for special orders with a large number of complex elements and a very difficult customer figure) of work by an experienced tailor. A more standard suit requires 60 hours of manual labor. And that’s just the tailor. Add to that expensive fabrics, pattern development, equipment, and all the same costs we listed for a cheap suit, but with higher requirements and therefore higher costs.

This results in the cost dependency on the production location. In low-cost European countries, a tailor without a well-known name who is capable of making a good suit costs from $9 per hour including taxes. For a suit made from the cheapest Super 100 wool fabric with viscose lining, the fabric and equipment costs are from 160. In total, we pay 520 for 40 hours of labor and materials.

Now you can check out many offers yourself. A tailor of this caliber costs from 4/hour in China, Vietnam, or Thailand. Can you buy a quality suit there for 250 with delivery? Obviously not.

Italian suits have long been popular in Switzerland. Italy has traditionally produced a large quantity of high-quality fabrics. Historically, it made sense to have quality suits sewn there. Unfortunately, young people in Italy are becoming less and less interested in the hard work of tailoring, and many tailors are retiring without passing on their skills to apprentices. More and more often, an “Italian suit” in Switzerland is no longer a quality product, but a marketing ploy for the trusting buyer. The classic “sartorialist” tailors a suit in the standard 60 hours and values his work at a minimum of 30-40 euros/hour, producing no more than three suits per month. The actual waiting time for such a specialist is 3 to 18 months. Taking into account the fabric, taxes, and retail markup, such a suit can be purchased in Switzerland for at least 5,000, but more and more often, even for this price, you will only be offered a bottle of champagne, good Italian fabric, and a familiar name.

With expensive and very expensive suits, an important part of the price is the fabric and the trimmings. Vicuna wool from the most expensive fabric manufacturers can cost you 20,000 for the main fabric of the suit alone. Special abrasion-resistant linings with a high silk content, handmade buttons, and other such “little things” can cost another $1,000.

Now, you might say that the hourly wage of a tailor without a well-known name in Switzerland is 45/hour, while world-renowned tailors from Savile Row charge up to 100/hour, so even if they make me a suit out of vicuña wool, it shouldn’t cost 50,000. Unfortunately, you’re right. Very often, the high price is not due to what you get, but to the brand, the cost of renting a store on Bahnhofstrasse, or the greed of the seller.

It’s good that you now understand what determines the price of a good suit. Whether you pay for the name and local production is a decision that everyone has to make for themselves. After all, if you’ve paid a lot of money not for a beautiful legend, but for a good suit, it will always give you the feeling you deserve.

I bought a suit at a bargain price and can’t see any difference between it and yours. So why should I pay more?

The steps involved in making a dress, as with any other item except men’s suits, depend on what you bring us. In the most comprehensive case, the following steps are required:

1. Define the requirements for the garment, its intended use, and style. (Not necessary if you know exactly what you want.)
2. Create a sketch of the garment. (Not necessary if you have a picture of the desired item, a sketch, or a good drawing.)
3. Procurement, coordination, and purchase of materials and accessories for the garment. (Not necessary if you already have everything you need)
4. Measuring.
5. Cutting and initial assembly of the garment.
6. First fitting. (At this stage, the garment usually looks very different from the final product.)
7. Refinement and complete assembly of the garment.
8. Second fitting.
9. Refinement (if necessary) and final completion of the garment.
10. Final fitting of the finished garment.

The costs depend on the necessity of the initial steps and the time required by the specialists. You can estimate them based on the hourly rate of the designer and pattern maker of 100 per hour and that of the seamstress of 60 per hour. We are always happy to offer a free consultation on your desired project and clearly explain the work required and its costs, as the complexity of garments is often not obvious to our customers.

Of course, that’s possible. One important point to note is that it’s often more difficult to find suitable components for your materials than to put everything together from scratch, which may take more time. On the other hand, we try to keep a certain selection of fabrics and accessories in stock so that many customers can find the missing materials directly in our studio.

We manufacture all types of clothing: men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, sportswear, theater costumes, business attire, casual wear, and evening wear. We have experience in producing costumes for music videos and movies, kimonos for international competitions, and swimsuits for fashion shows. We have created corporate collections of business attire for offices, hotels, and shops in a uniform style for men and women, as well as a collection of leather clothing in a uniform club style for motorcyclists. Everything we create is distinguished by first-class design, high-quality workmanship, fabrics, and tailoring.