Cad & The Dandy
07-07-2010
About Cad & The Dandy:
Cad & The Dandy, bespoke tailors, were founded by banking professionals James Sleater and Ian Meiers in 2008 after they were both made redundant from their City jobs at the same time – James worked for BNP Paribas and Ian for Barclays – and were independently researching the tailoring market with a view to starting their own companies.
They teamed up after being introduced by a fabric supplier and formed Cad & The Dandy, armed with the conviction that high-end bespoke tailoring should and could be accessible to all people. Today, customers can choose from hundreds of design permutations, a vast library of premium English and Italian fabrics, and a co-ordinated spectrum of stylish linings.
Cad & The Dandy targets customers aged between 25 and 45 who would not traditionally buy a bespoke Savile Row suits, taking customers from every walk of life, from policemen and plumbers to bankers and barristers and is also still making suits for a number of celebrities. The company offers fitting sessions across London at its shops in Savile Row, the City and Canary Wharf, at customers’ offices or online ordering using its unique, interactive design tool. Prices range from £425 to more than £1,000 and suits take about six weeks to make.
All suits start with pattern creation, done by hand and retained for all future orders. Suits are cut by hand to match stripes and patterns and instil quality touches such as working cuffs, rubber trim on the trouser waistband to prevent shirts riding up, a semi-floating canvass for better shape and durability, and complete flexibility for personal touches such as customer name or even team emblem.
Keeping prices so competitive, James and Ian employed a full-time team of just three, and using a network of seven self-employed tailors in the UK with a further 32 in China. The company takes employee conditions very seriously and all employees are paid well over the local minimum wage. Many of the tailors start at 16 or 17 and embark on a Cad & The Dandy-endorsed training scheme, allowing them to learn the trade and move up through the ranks, progressing to more advanced stitching, finally becoming a cutter and then Master Tailor.
Cad & The Dandy is growing fast and will turn over £1.3m in 2010.
