Bespoke tailor opens new shop in Vinohrady

An expat who moved to Prague almost 20 years ago to provide a bespoke tailoring service has recently opened a new space in the heart of Vinohrady.

Jacky Damwani - a native of Bombay, India - moved his tailoring business Suit & Me to a smart and chic space on Kolínská just off the centrally located street of Vinohradská in April and since then has seen a steady number of customers visit the new shop.

When Jacky moved to Prague in 1993 he established his first business which provided custom tailoring to diplomats, ambassadors and other high-profile clients throughout Europe, and in 2000 decided to set up his boutique Suit & Me which offers stylish, luxury formal suits available in a number of different price tiers.

“Originally, we mainly provided our services mainly to clients high up the corporate ladder like CEOs and managers, though as office workers saw us come into their place of work to measure their bosses and wanted the same kind of service, we decided to establish Suit & Me so that anyone could afford a good-fitting suit made from quality materials,” explains Jacky.

Jacky, who trained at the Synthetic and Art Silk Mills’ Research Association in Bombay and later at some of Hong Kong’s finest design schools, is certainly equipped with the skills and contacts necessary to provide Prague with stylish formalwear.

Using the finest Italian and English fabrics, a precise system of measuring and the knowledge of what makes a good-fitting and properly tailored suit – from appropriate jacket sleeve length to the ideal point at which a pair of trousers should ‘break’ and proper accessories like ties and cufflinks – Jacky custom fits each client’s suit before sending it to be made by talented tailors both within the Czech Republic and further afield in Hong Kong. The whole process takes only four weeks and any additional adjustments are easily made by local Prague-based tailors.

“I see it as our personal responsibility to make each client look and feel great,” says Jacky. “I think a formal suit is like a business card – it helps to project a professional image in a work or social environment. And a well-fitting, comfortable suit made uniquely to specific measurements is like a second skin on the body which helps give our clients extra confidence.”

If Jacky’s diverse clientele is anything to go by, his service is certainly something that Prague’s image conscious citizens are finding useful. With Jacky’s competitively priced ranges he is seeing everyone from high-powered CEOs to 17-year-old students take advantage of his fitted tailor-made suits.

“I think we are attracting more and more so-called ‘regular’ clients who are seeing that with Suit & Me they can buy unique, custom-fitted suit for as much as they would for a not-so-good fitting, off the rack suit from a retail store. Plus, here clients can choose from a range of fabrics and styles and have their items personalised with their own nametag,” says Jacky.

Jacky is finding that as his client-base expands, certain trends in Prague are coming to the fore – Suit & Me is seeing quite a number of requests for brightly coloured shirts, wide lapels and two button suits.

“Of course while we are here to advise our clients on the proper style of formal attire, we are always open to our clients own requests as we see formal suits becoming more of a trend in Prague. I see it as a two-way street – we both teach our clients and learn from them,” explains Jacky. “For example, I’m always convincing our manager clients to try lighter coloured suits and pinstriped fabrics, while some of our younger clientele are teaching me about current fashion trends, like more brightly coloured suits.”

With a range of items available for both male and female clients – from business suits to sports jackets and from tuxedos to dresses – available in three different price brackets according to how much customer wishes to spend, if you are in need of a stylish, fitted tailor suit that projects a professional image Suit & Me is the place to purchase luxury, unique formalwear.

For more information please visit: Suit & Me