TOM WHARTON

Tom Wharton set up Barrington Ayre tailors in Cirencester

Personalities

The week after the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and tailor Tom Wharton looks surprisingly relaxed considering he dressed more than his fair share of wellheeled racegoers.

“It was manic in the weeks before,” he says. “We were getting calls from those who wanted something almost at the last minute. But it doesn’t matter how much money they were prepared to pay – you just can’t rush good tailoring.”

Having worked around the clock for the month leading up to Cheltenham, what did Tom do during race week? “I went to play golf in Spain. It’s a great way to relax.”

Tom’s reputation for quality tailoring using the best British tweed has grown, helped by the endorsement of clients such as the cricketer Michael Vaughan, TV presenter Dan Walker (and his Strictly partner Nadiya Bychkova), The Feeling’s Richard Jones (husband of Sophie EllisBextor) and Gloucestershire celebrity, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

Barrington Ayre’s turnover grew around 40 per cent last year, but Tom emphasises this is a lifestyle business. “We want to spend time with our children and that means

By Nicky Godding, Editor

spending Thursday afternoons watching them play sport if we want to.”

Since the pandemic, Tom’s wife Kate has taken on the operational side of the business so he can dedicate more time to clients.

It’s all about customer service

“If people book an appointment at Barrington Ayre, they want to see me, not an assistant.”

He is also commuting regularly again to see clients, in London, Alderley Edge in Cheshire and across the South West.

While work is flowing, the pandemic was, initially, a massive challenge.

“Before Covid the business was building well. I have a great clientele in Gloucestershire as well as nationally.

“There aren’t many bespoke tailors here so local gentlemen’s outfitters such as Scott’s in Cirencester passed their bespoke work to me, and I would pass othe-peg enquiries back to them.

“And as we are a bit younger, and less intimidating than a Saville Row tailor, we were welcoming people who haven’t previously ventured into bespoke clothing.”

The pandemic not only a ected Tom’s business, but also his wife Kate who was working in luxury travel. Everything ground to a halt.

But not for long. “The tailoring world isn’t massive and we all kept talking. I suggested to a fabric supplier that we make face masks – so we ordered 2,500 smart ones just before it became mandatory. It got us through a month and kept some money coming in.

Tom then had an idea. “I love submariner jumpers and was introduced to a chap from Macclesfield who made them. We redesigned one to a style I’d always loved and hoped other people would like them too.”

The jumpers sold like wildfire. Then he came up with a range of knitted jackets which the business could sell without having to meet people.

“It gave us a few more income streams,” he said.

Sizing up and sizing down

When it seemed like half of London moved to the Cotswolds, Tom welcomed new clients who had previously used London tailors. “A few have returned to their old tailors, but many are still with us,” he said.

Another, perhaps surprising, thing that happened during lockdown was that a lot of Tom’s clients changed shape.

“Many larger customers dropped a considerable amount of weight. Perhaps the more mature gentlemen who had previously enjoyed life and long lunches began to realise that Covid was harsher on the larger frame. Many have stayed at their new lower weight, so we have not only remade their wardrobes, but as they take more pride in themselves, they’ve loved expanding their wardrobe.”

When the world opened again, the phone started ringing o the hook. “There were weddings everywhere as people were making up for lost time, but we were still running on 50 per cent manufacturing capacity because rows of machinists had been taken out thanks to social distancing.”

With Covid, hopefully behind them, Tom is once again looking to the future, but he reflects on the previous two years.

Trust, honour and loyalty gets you through

Barrington Ayre’s main workshops are based in Leeds, but it does have a small workroom on site which produces Tom’s “Made in Cirencester” range.

“We stuck with the people who make for us through Covid, because we’ve worked together for 10 years or more. There is trust, honour and loyalty there – on both sides. For instance, they asked us to put orders in during Covid when we really didn’t have the clients, so I asked them to make us jackets and a few other things to keep us going. The mills were the same. I bought some rolls of fabric, so they had some money coming in.”

British tailoring is back in fashion for another reason – Tom’s fabrics are completely sustainable. “Tweed is waterproof, which is why our tweed ski suits are becoming more popular. Customers love the fact that they are not heavy and help regulate body temperature on the ski slope and the après ski bar afterwards.”

Tom’s customers increasingly want to know where the fabric comes from. “Lovat Mill in Hawick makes our cloths and it welcomes visitors. I’ll give our customers the fabric code and if they’re visiting, they get a kick seeing it on a big roll.

The best tweed is made in Scotland and the North of England, says Tom, thanks in large part to the soft water, which gives it a unique finish and softness.

“The Italians do a soft version but real tweed comes from Britain. That’s where it’s made, the material is dyed, and where the colours are from. No one does it like us.”

Tom is the perfect model for his clothing. Dapper and perfectly presented. Does he own a pair of tracksuit bottoms? His face says it all, but he concedes “I do own a pair of jeans.”

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