FAQ

We’re always happy to see you, whether you have an appointment or not. However, if you come without an appointment, a specialist may not be available, and you may have to wait until someone becomes available. In addition, the specialist can only assist you until the next scheduled client 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 wait time, you’re welcome to call ahead at any time to ask if we can see you soon.

We are usually open on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, since we are often out of the office, the door may be closed if you stop by during business hours without an appointment. If we’ll be out of the office all day, this will be indicated in our Google business hours. Selecting fabrics in Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, 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 through 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 location, in-home consultations are always subject to a fee. Many of our busy customers prefer to place complete orders for men’s clothing—from measurements and fabric selection to fittings and receiving the finished product—at home or in the office. We do everything we can to achieve the desired result with minimal time investment and the highest quality. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to bring our entire fabric inventory, trims, and product samples with us. For the best selection and the widest range of options, it’s therefore best to visit the studio.

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

Our studio works with fabrics and projects of any complexity. However, it’s important to understand that sometimes the work required is so complicated that it would be more cost-effective to buy a new garment. But if it’s a cherished piece that you don’t want to part with, remember: “The impossible just takes more time.” We are reluctant to work with low-quality synthetic fabrics. Given the cost of custom tailoring, using synthetic materials simply doesn’t make sense.

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

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

Probably sewing on a single button. We accept orders of any size. It’s important to understand that the size of a garment doesn’t always directly correlate with the amount of work required to make it, and a small custom-made swimsuit can be much more complicated than a full-length 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 in production, which we sell at cost 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 that you schedule a pickup time when placing your order. If you would like to be notified, we can do so via email, WhatsApp message, text message, or phone call. When placing your order, you’ll have the option to choose your preferred notification method. If you’d like to be notified in a way that isn’t listed, we’ll look into it and do our best 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 implement it promptly. We are prepared to accept cash payments in euros, U.S. dollars, British pounds, Polish zlotys, and Ukrainian hryvnias 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 were quoted a specific price but additional services are required due to an error in the estimate, you may choose not to pay for those 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 will find the best price for them.

All of our fabrics come from Italy, France, and the United Kingdom. We typically select interesting fabrics based on their characteristics 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 yet informed decisions regarding fabric selection. More than 95% of the fabrics we currently use are manufactured in Italy, as it is home to the world’s largest production of high-quality fabrics.

For orders over 300.-, we offer free delivery within the city of Zurich. Orders under this amount can be delivered for 30.-. VIP customers have special delivery terms. Orders must be paid in full before delivery. Delivery takes place within one business day, but the courier will try to arrive at a convenient time if you specify one in your delivery request. It’s important to understand that sometimes the final fitting is crucial. Whether you receive a brand-new, significantly altered, or slightly modified garment, minor additional adjustments may be necessary—these can be made in the studio in just 5 minutes to ensure a perfect result.

The same type of work can vary greatly in complexity. Shortening pants, for example, may require opening a seam, using a sewing machine or an overlock machine, adhesive tape, hand stitching, creating a false seam, preserving the original seam, making slits, working with the lining, widening the hem, or making asymmetrical alterations. Sometimes the fit issue appears to be in one area, but is actually in another or in several areas. The exact scope of work can only be determined after an inspection by a specialist. We have removed the price list from the website because customers often came in with incorrect price expectations. Sometimes it’s impossible to give an exact price without opening up the garment, since it’s 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 francs. Sometimes we advise customers against making alterations because they won’t achieve the expected result, and it’s simply impossible to achieve the desired outcome with that particular item.

It is very rare that a single photo is sufficient. Sometimes, conclusions can be drawn from a well-shot video or a video call. However, it is sometimes impossible to determine the exact scope of work (or even whether the work can be done at all!) until the garment is opened and inspected from the inside. We value our customers’ time, but in most cases, an in-person visit is necessary to assess the amount of work required and the associated costs.

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

Please understand that the aging of materials is irreversible, and sometimes repairing old items requires a complete replacement of the material and/or hardware. 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 look forward to carefully examining your old piece and discussing all possible options for its preservation. We find such care for old things very touching.

The standard turnaround time for this service is 14 calendar days. If specific materials are required for the work, the turnaround time may be extended, but you will be notified immediately. In urgent cases, we can usually make the necessary alterations to your item within 24 hours. There have been instances where a customer who stopped by couldn’t continue walking because their clothing was damaged, and we resolved the issue in 20–30 minutes. You should expect that rush jobs may cost more than usual, but the quality will not be compromised by the turnaround time.

In fact, some people don’t notice any difference between suits made of 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 of natural fabrics never want to go back to cheaper alternatives.

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

In a high-quality suit made of natural materials, you’ll feel cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter; skin irritation won’t occur, and your appearance will remain as presentable as possible.

That’s why we not only recommend suits made from natural materials, but we also do not sell any suits that contain synthetic materials.

1. The first meeting involves selecting fabrics and materials, taking measurements, gathering customer information, and finalizing the garment’s design details, style, configuration, and personalization. Depending on the complexity of the garment and how quickly the customer makes decisions on all possible questions, this meeting can last between 40 minutes and 2 hours.
2. After that, the components of your suit are 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, the availability of all materials, and the priority of the work, this phase can take between one and twelve weeks.
3. The first fitting takes place during the second appointment, during which the tailor notes and marks on the suit any unique features of your body that are difficult to account for during the initial measurements. This appointment usually lasts 10–15 minutes, unless unexpected complications arise, which are extremely rare.
4. Completion of the garment, including any necessary adjustments, if identified. Depending on the urgency of the order and the studio’s workload, this phase takes between 24 hours and two weeks.
5. The final fitting. Everything is ready—you can pick up your new suit! This appointment usually takes at least 10 minutes.
6. The customer writes a review on Google about the custom-made suit and the service provided by our atelier, with or without photos. This takes about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, many customers skip this step, which makes it difficult for new customers to rate us objectively. Please remember that the process cannot be considered complete without this step!

We work with most of the leading global suppliers of suit fabrics and sometimes find ways to purchase fabrics that are not available through public procurement.

We can order and use any type of pure, high-end fabrics and their blends for your suit: Winter options – 100% wool or blends of wool varieties (vicuña, 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 top priority, so we fully understand how often situations arise in which a suit is urgently needed. More than half of people find that a standard suit isn’t entirely comfortable due to their unique body shape. For those people, we have two main options.

We typically have a collection of suits for sale that are crafted to the highest standards from excellent materials and tailored to 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 shapes that make altering such a suit too complicated. But the service is very fast and high-quality, so it’s always worth trying it first.

The second option is to order a suit through expedited production using available fabrics. We do not specify deadlines for such orders, but if we are able to fit your suit into our production schedule on an unscheduled basis, we’ll be happy to surprise you.

Let’s discuss your situation in detail. Typically, a weight gain or loss of 2–3 kg significantly affects the suit’s fit, causing it to become too small or less comfortable. For example, if your weight consistently fluctuates between 100 and 105 kg, there are three main solutions:

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

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

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

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

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

The third option involves choosing the jacket’s details: the type of lapels; the number and type of buttons; the number of vents; the number and type of inside and outside pockets; and the presence, fabric, and pattern of the lining.

The fourth option is choosing the details of the pants: whether there are pleats at the waistband, adjustable side closures, and belt loops; whether there are cuffs; and the cut and length.

The fifth option involves small details: choosing thread colors for buttonholes, buttons, and topstitching; hand- or machine-embroidering initials or names on various parts of the suit; and using contrasting details under the collar, on pocket facings, and on the jacket’s interior.

The final option is exclusive features: the use of special handcrafted buttons and/or their personalization through engraving or inlays; hand embroidery tailored to individual customer preferences, possibly incorporating 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; a selection of materials that comply with environmental standards and are produced ethically.

Our regular customers can also order, try on, and pick up their suits in-store if needed.

Unless it’s a rush order, you usually have two to seven business days before the suit is tailored. Changes can be made up until that point. You can ask us at any time if it’s still possible to make changes. We recommend that you wait to place an order until you are certain about all the details of the suit you want.

Unfortunately, placing and canceling an order is a very costly process. You can cancel an order after it has been placed and even refuse to accept the finished product without giving a reason, but in such cases, the deposit you 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 likely applies: Cheaper fabrics are being used (check the label for the composition); the suit is sewn by less-skilled workers, resulting in a much lower standard of quality compared to the sample shown; the suit is manufactured in countries with low labor costs (the risks associated with such orders are usually reflected in Google reviews, such as issues with fit, delivery times, and materials). In the latter case, it’s sometimes possible to get a good suit for less money, but we don’t offer our customers a gamble—we simply sell excellent suits and accessories at a fair price.

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

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

While a mass-produced suit can be made by a seamstress in just two hours, a high-quality suit requires much more handwork, 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 challenging customer’s body type) of work by an experienced tailor. A more standard suit requires 60 hours of manual labor. And that’s just the tailor. On top of that come expensive fabrics, pattern development, finishing, and all the same costs we listed for a cheap suit—but with higher standards and, consequently, higher costs.

This explains why costs vary depending on the place of production. In low-cost European countries, an unknown tailor who is capable of making a good suit charges as little as 9.- per hour, including taxes. For a suit made from the most affordable Super 100 wool fabric with a viscose lining, the cost of fabric and trims starts at 160.-. In total, we pay 520.- for 40 hours of labor and materials.

Now you can check out many offers for yourself. A tailor of this caliber charges as little as 4.- per hour in China, Vietnam, or Thailand. Can you buy a quality suit there for 250.-, including delivery? Obviously not.

For a long time, Italian suits were popular in Switzerland. Italy has, in fact, traditionally produced a large quantity of high-quality fabrics. Historically, it made sense to have quality suits tailored 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. Increasingly, an “Italian suit” in Switzerland is no longer a quality product, but rather a marketing ploy aimed at unsuspecting buyers. The classic “sartorialist” tailors a suit in the standard 60 hours and values his work at at least 30–40 euros per hour, producing no more than three suits per month. The actual wait time for such a specialist ranges from 3 to 18 months. Taking into account the fabric, taxes, and the retail markup, such a suit can be purchased in Switzerland for at least 5,000, but increasingly, even at this price, you’ll be offered nothing more than a bottle of champagne, good Italian fabric, and a familiar name.

For expensive and very expensive suits, an important component of the price is the fabric and the details. Vicuña wool from the most expensive fabric manufacturers can mean that you’ll have to spend 20,000.- just on the suit’s main fabric. Special abrasion-resistant lining fabrics with a high silk content, handmade buttons, and other such “little extras” can cost an additional 1,000.-.

Well, you could say that the hourly wage of an unknown tailor in Switzerland is 45.-/hour, while world-renowned tailors on Savile Row charge up to 100.-/hour—so even if they made me a suit out of vicuña wool, it shouldn’t cost 50,000.. Unfortunately, you’re right. Very often, the high price isn’t due to what you’re getting, but to the brand, the cost of renting a store on Bahnhofstrasse, or the salesperson’s greed.

It’s good that you now understand what determines the price of a good suit. Whether you’re paying for the brand name or local production is a decision each person must make for themselves. After all, if you’ve spent a lot of money not on a beautiful legend but on a good suit, it will always make you feel that way.

We greatly appreciate people who want to understand every detail, and we’re always happy to explain and demonstrate the essence of our work to them. Come see us in your suit, and we’ll explain, demonstrate, and help you appreciate all the nuances that justify the price you paid. These consultations are free of charge.

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

1. Define the requirements for the garment, its intended use, and its style. (Not necessary if you know exactly what you want.)
2. Create a sketch of the garment. (Not required if you have a picture of the desired item, a sketch, or a good drawing.)
3. Sourcing, coordinating, and purchasing materials and supplies for the garment. (Not required if you already have everything you need.)
4. Take measurements.
5. Cutting and initial assembly of the garment.
6. First fitting. (At this stage, the garment usually looks quite different from the final product.)
7. Finishing touches and final assembly of the garment.
8. Second fitting.
9. Refining (if necessary) and final finishing of the garment.
10. Final fitting of the finished garment.

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

Of course, that’s possible. One important point to note is that it’s often harder to find the right components for your materials than it is 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 materials they need right here in our studio.

We manufacture all types of clothing: men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing; athletic wear; 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 stores in a unified style for both men and women, as well as a collection of leather clothing in a unified club style for motorcyclists. Everything we create is characterized by first-class design, high-quality craftsmanship, fabrics, and tailoring.