Inside the Atelier

A piece arrives at the atelier as a drawing and a length of cloth, and the first thing that happens to it is nothing. The cloth hangs for a week. Fibre that has been on a roll holds the roll, and cutting it before it has relaxed produces a garment that changes shape the first time it is worn.

Then the toile — a version in plain cotton, made to be cut apart. It is not a rehearsal so much as an argument: the drawing proposes a shape and the toile says whether the cloth agrees.

Only after that is the real cloth cut, and it is cut once.

Only after that is the real cloth cut, and it is cut once. There is no second attempt built into the costing, which is the single largest difference between this and a factory, and the reason a piece takes the time it takes.

Finishing is the part no one photographs. Hems levelled after hanging, seams closed by hand where a machine would show, linings set last. It is most of the work and none of the picture.