Brit tailor Thom Sweeney opens in New York

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 29, 2017

Bespoke-to-ready-to-wear menswear firm Thom Sweeney has opened its first US store with a 3,000 sq ft space at 362 West Broadway in SoHo, New York City. It’s the British brand’s first international location and includes its RTW line as well as a space for its made-to-measure service. The brand is holding an official opening event Wednesday evening.

While Them Sweeney is already available in the US at Bergdorf Goodman and via Mr Porter, the partners said it was “imperative for [them] to open their own space in order to communicate the Thom Sweeney lifestyle effectively.”

“We want to provide our US customers with an experience of Thom Sweeney that’s reflective of the destination we’ve created in the UK,” said co-founder Luke Sweeney. “The only way to do that was to bring our vision to the states ourselves.” 

The visual concept behind the boutique combines components from the separate bespoke and ready-to-wear stores in Mayfair, while incorporating distinct design elements that are exclusive to the US. With private bespoke and cutting rooms for fittings and fabric selection, the boutique centres around a living room and bar area surrounded by ready- to-wear. 

“It is more interesting to us that each store we open be unique and individual, but have a consistent feeling of a household,” said the other co-founder Thom Whiddett. “We want customers to feel welcome and at ease.” 

It offers a full range of ready-to-wear, including tailoring, outerwear, knitwear and accessories, plus down-filled outerwear pieces rendered in Harris Tweed that is exclusive to the store, along with Globetrotter luggage and footwear from UK-based Edward Green and Crockett & Jones. 

Thom Sweeney was founded by Whiddett and Sweeney who met when working for tailor Timothy Everest and later started a bespoke business from a small space in Mayfair. They opened a bespoke studio in 2009 and their first full store on Bruton Place in 2014, a year after launching into RTW.

Its original launch into RTW was in association with Mr Porter for two seasons and since then the line has grown to account for half of the firm’s total turnover. 

The brand has resonated with the modern luxury shopper through its blending of traditional British tailoring with slimmer cuts influenced by modern Italian styling.