It excites me to find artisans who live, and work in Singapore...especially passionate young ones. I said that before. Then I was writing about Edwin Neo, and now I am writing about Kevin Seah...a comrade in arms with Edwin, so to speak...as they share the same premises together at Dominic Khoo's indescribable white space.
Talking with Kevin, I sense the passion he has for fine and beautiful clothing...in particular, bespoke cloths. He carries a bewildering range of fabrics...well, like many tailors, he doesn't actually carry them as stock, but he carries the books, and can supply the cloths. From illustrious mills like Fox Brothers, W. Bill, JJ Minnis, Harrisons...these books are available for your bespoke choice.
Below a selection from the W. Bill tweed...Kevin is a big fan of tweed...as I am.
He also carries Nackymade...a quirky, Japanese bespoke spectable frame house. And the magnificent Gammerelli and Mazarin socks. Shown below, Kevin's immaculately dressed foot with Cleverly shoes:
I took a quick inspection of his work..impressive! Here on his own coat. A double breasted 6x4 with very light coloured, natural horn buttons.
The back...smooth and clean, note how the collar hugs his neck.
The hand made button holes...and beautiful buttons
And the shoulder line. This shoulder is a little exaggarated. For my personal taste, I would have preferred a more relaxed shoulder. But Kevin wanted to build up the shoulder to show the mini-pagoda-esque shoulder. Note pocket square.
Examining another customer's suit hanging on the rack...to show the hand work. The blind stitching of the floating chest piece as it connects to the lapel. View of the lapel inside as it is turned out.
The hand made button holes, and the roll of the lapel's belly:
The melton used in the collar...again evidence of a great deal of handwork
The interior of the suit also shows a significant amount of hand work...hand stitched seams joining the lining to the shell. I believe Kevin uses silk for linings. Many colours and patterns are available.
And for the all important sleeve...hand stitched with a stretchable silk thread. Note the wriggly and uneven stitch lines. Though this may seem to be untidy, this is evidence of handwork, and indeed allows the sleevehead to stretch and move a bit within, allowing for a more comfortable fit.
And a quick look a the inside of a pair of bespoke trousers, showing the label and hand work within.
Very interesting fellow, this Kevin. Knowledgable of fabrics...even the more traditional fabrics, as he prefers English mills (hurray!!) to Italian ones. These days, many tailors are more interested to push the high tech fabrics by Zegna and Loro Piana, and neglect the magnificent mills of England, Wales and Scotland. I have a few suits made from the beautiful materials of Lovat Mills in Scotland, as with Fox Brothers flannel from England, and have had bad experiences with the expensive cloths from Loro Piana and Ermenegildo Zegna.
Fine taste. Great workmanship. I might be tempted to spring for a bespoke suit by Kevin to see how he fits. But with an active stable of probably 20 suits...many made by Gordon Yao and WW Chan, I think I might have to endure the temptation a while. Maybe my son's first bespoke suit....:-)
I will recommend those in Singapore seeking a bespoke tailor to check out Kevin and see if it works for you. As I have mentioned in this blog...working with a tailor is sometimes a lifelong relationship. The relationship blossoms after a few suits, and then if the tailor is any good...perfection. Once you reach this stage, as I have with Gordon...you stick to your tailor...possibly for life. Kevin Seah Kevin Seah Bespoke Dominic Khoo's 28th Fevrier 5 Jalan Kilang Mobile: 91884681 kevin@kevinseah.com.sg
11 comments:
Kevin is by far the best tailor in this region! I have tried a few and nobody came close to Kevin! He is passionate, knowledgeable, perfectionist and carries the greatest range of fabrics out there! And on top of that, he is a very cool and friendly chap!
Peter, are you sure you know how to critique a jacket?!!
There is no discernible back drape, there is no pocket of ease over the prominent shoulder blades, and the upper back is just plain too tight.
The shoulders are not in any way concave, much less pagoda, or do you see something I do not?
The buttonholes are atrocious.
This is the truth.
Thanks for your comments Jeremy.
I understand you are a tailor, so you have your own stylistic standards to judge.
I am judging from an enthusiast, and someone trying to promote good suits to Joe Public.
I wasn't critiquing Kevin's suit above, merely showing him wearing it, and pointing out the handwork.
In the stylistic sense, I believe he was trying to achieve a tight fitting style, with no drape. So your observation that there is no discernable back drape and tight upperback is spot on, but also what I believe is his intention.
For me, I would also prefer a generous or semi-generous back and front drape, but that is imposing my style ideas. Certainly not what he intended that suit to be.
Thanks for your comment, however. And appreciate your views.
Great cast of designers here. Nice post.
I think that jacket cut/style that Kevin is modelling, is too boxy, typical problem when we buy of the rack. It defeats the purpose of bespoke, as its suppose to be cut to follow your body curves
Good to know!
Kevin is really passionate with his career that made him the best tailor. Lots of businessmen love his work actually.
custom wardrobe designer
what a post. this man carry each and everything that he whores. great..!!
Men's Tailors
Many thanks for discussing this blog. Very useful details and well-explain. I might try to have company with him. Suits singapore
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