*‘AT SCABAL, EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH CLOTH, FOR OVER 80 YEARS WE HAVE STOOD AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION AND SOPHISTICATION IN WEAVING’.*

On 19 July 2024 I had the pleasure of revisiting SCABAL in Savile Row, London after discovering the store during the Concours on Savile Row event back in May.

While there I met Vivienne Davis, Head of Marketing based in Brussels where the Head Office is. Vivienne introduced me to the world of SCABAL. She explained how SCABAL produce and manufactures all the cloths they use for their tailoring and supply cloth to a vast array of leading fashion designers, many of whom are based in Savile Row too.

The investment in fine cloth and bespoke tailoring lasts a lifetime and more – often passed through generations.

Let me enlighten you a little more…

Savile Row has long been the home of British tailoring. In 1972, SCABAL settled into number 12 Savile Row and has been crafting traditional and modern style suits from this coveted address ever since. More than 5,000 of the world’s finest fabrics are on offer, from cotton, silks, and linens to vicuna and fittings that can be made anywhere – at home, in the office, or at a hotel. It is also home to a selection of elegant ready-to-wear pieces and shirts, belts and other accessories.

Vivienne says:
’One of the best things about my role within Scabal is its diversity – Scabal has three divisions, the weaving mill in Yorkshire, the fabric merchant business which trades in over 75 countries and the tailoring division in Portugal so the marketing approach needs to vary to support all the different business needs, but also compliment each other so we are viewed as one brand – it can be a challenge sometimes but it ensures that no two days are the same and that’s what makes it so interesting. I love seeing the new collections each season and then working with the teams to think of new ways to present them to our clients’.

A recreation of the criss-cross pattern of the metal of the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Japan.

Vicuna sample cloth

Ready made jackets to purchase

Buttons and embroidery to suit any design

Vicuna – Made from South American vicuña camelids, which roam the Andes Mountains, the super-soft, fine, and resilient wool has been coveted for decades—particularly by Incan royalty. Today, it is in scarce supply because vicuña is an endangered species and, therefore, is shorn under tightly controlled conditions. The hairs are finer even than cashmere and are covered in tiny interlocking scales which trap air.

The Incas considered it to be the cloth of gold.

There is also a cloth with 24 carat thread woven into the fabric. And for something extra special – a cloth with diamond fragments and particles woven into the fabric. SCABAL really do go the extra mile ensuring every taste is catered for.

Cloths are weighed in grams as well as measured by the metre.

A wonderful selection of fine tailoring ready for the summer.

Cloth supplied to an array of fashion designers.

Cloths supplied worldwide.

A choice of collar styles.

Wool from sheep in New South Wales

Scissor handles in the dressing room. An innovative way to use a pair of scissors for hanging clothes on!

Fine tailoring and craftsmanship.

A contrast in cloth

Ricky the manager on the shop floor.

The below images are in the office area at the back of the shopfloor and tell the history of SCABAL .

The text is too small to read on the photographs, follow this link to the Heritage page on SCABAL’s website to read more .. and a fascinating story it is too!