Five new names were added to the ranks of Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA) diploma holders this month, proof positive that the name Savile Row will be remaining synonymous with the very best in bespoke tailoring for many more years to come.
The presentations of this year’s diplomas took place on July 10th at the splendid Merchant Taylors’ Hall, as part of the Bespoke Tailors’ Benevolent Association (BTBA) Summer Party. It was, as ever, both a wonderfully convivial and well-dressed occasion, with cutters, coatmakers, apprentices and cloth merchants and the like gathering in the courtyard for drinks before dinner.
The Savile Row Bespoke Diploma is recognised as the foremost qualification in bespoke Savile Row tailoring, and is awarded only after a testing, years-long apprenticeship served at the hands of a master at an SRBA member house. Since the scheme was founded in 2004, in excess of 100 young people have graduated through it and gone on to practise their unique craft on Savile Row and beyond.
This year’s graduates from Dege & Skinner are Eve Wilson, Coat Making, trained by Emma Martin, and Noemi Valletta, Ella May Ingram and Sheila Mirlohi, all here at Dege & Skinner as Trouser Makers and trained by Birtan “Burt” Salih. Our congratulations go to all of them.
Presenting the certificates, Mark Henderson, Chairman of the SRBA, praised the patience and care of the apprentices and their masters, and drew attention to the motto at the head of the new diplomas: “‘Ingeniorum cos aemulator’ – this is not just about copying but emulating and seeking to build on the skills of the past: ‘emulation is the whetstone of genius.’”.