quoting system for manufacturers

 To many of us, the phrase "bespoke" will conjure up the image of a tailor carefully measuring, cutting, and stitching together a suit from the best cloth. Indeed the phrase bespoke actually hails from London's world famous Saville Row where tailors would often refer to garments as being spoken for by their well-heeled clientele. Yet the term bespoke can also be closely connected with another English industry involving fine garments and exceptional technical expertise - that of the quoting system for manufacturers.

At first glance, it could not seem like there is a good deal in common between both professions. Fashion and home furniture are in the end too completely different industries, and it is clear that sofas and suits are two entirely different products to purchase for a typical shopper. However, if we make a historical comparison between both, we find a much closer semblance than meets the eye.

Both bespoke upholstery and bespoke tailoring trace their roots back again to the Renaissance era of European history. Previously clothing and furniture have been regarded purely in functional terms, as a means of clothing and seating the human body. However, as urban societies became more prosperous throughout the Renaissance, a brand new demand arose for designer products which served to decorate and emphasise both human form and the home environment. The twin arts of tailoring and upholstery were born.

Beginning with the Italian city states, followed closely by the Spanish and French royal courts, the art of bespoke tailoring emerged slowly with technical expertise passed from generation to generation before gradually developing some more formal structures. Through the 17th century, Paris developed into the centre for fashion and furnishing as ostentatious Parisian dress and home décor grew in popularity over the continent. As tailors cut and sewed ever more flamboyant costumes, upholsterers crafted spectacular furnishings gilded with flowing lines and ornate detailing. Each profession developed under the inspiration of the other.

Yet it wasn't before 18th century that English styles stumbled on dominate the scene as restraint, sobriety and understated elegance became the brand new aesthetic informing bespoke attire and home furniture. Subtly blending gentile, sporting and bourgeois clothing, English tailors established a brand new form of fashion emphasising fit and discreet detailing over gaudy displays of wealth. In an identical fashion, English upholsterers developed new techniques to advance comfort, elegance and technical expertise while the central principles guiding bespoke sofa manufacture - moving away from the elaborate, decadent style espoused by the French upholstery tradition at the time.

Even today, English bespoke tailoring and bespoke sofa upholstery remain at the forefront of global fashion and interior design. From Saville Row to Chelsea Harbour, modern cosmopolitan London remains the shop window for bespoke craftsmanship of the best quality and artistic flair. Behind each handcrafted item lies the accumulated knowledge, expertise and technical specialism of a rich and illustrious design heritage. Additionally, there's also the power, creativity and eccentricity of England's present day tailors and upholsterers, who continue steadily to push the boundaries of the possible within their pursuit of excellence within their field quoting system for manufacturers.

To view examples of bespoke sofas and to find out more in regards to the manufacturing process visit