Industry Tailoring Founded 2008 | Type of business Private | |
 | ||
Founders James Sleater, Ian Meiers Website www.cadandthedandy.co.uk Profiles | ||
Cad and the Dandy is an independent tailoring company based in London, England with premises on Savile Row and in the City. It sells bespoke suits, manufactured from English and Italian fabrics, and using traditional tailoring methods, at a lower price than the traditional Savile Row houses. The company was founded in 2008 by James Sleater and Ian Meiers, two City of London bankers who were both made redundant from their jobs in the 2008 financial crisis. It has attracted local, national and international press coverage, including being listed by The Guardian in the Courvoisier Future 500, and in July 2010 the founders won the Bento Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Macworld Awards.
Contents
History
Cad and the Dandy was founded in 2008. The founders met through a supplier as both pursued a similar business idea independently, and they agreed to work together to start the company, each contributing £20,000 of initial capital. Both had family connections to the tailoring industry, giving them knowledge helpful in launching the new company.
After initially conducting fittings in rented office space, they came to an arrangement with Chittleborough & Morgan to allow appointments in their shop on Savile Row. In October 2009, the company opened its first permanent store in the City of London.
The company achieved a turnover of £1.3M in 2010, and was listed by The Guardian in the Courvoisier Future 500. In July 2010 the founders won the Bento Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Macworld Awards and in July 2013 they opened permanent premises on Savile Row.
Operations
Based in London, where the company employs 10 tailors in three workshops, it also employs an additional 40 in a workshop in China where most of its entry-level, machine-sewn suits are made. All suits are made from British or Italian cloth, and are available either in "machine grade" or "hand stitched". Suit prices vary based on the cloth that is used as well as the amount of hand-stitching that is done on the suit. The fully hand-made suits require around 50 hours of stitching, include a basted fitting, and conform to all the specifications for a bespoke suit suggested by the Savile Row Bespoke Association. Prices are kept lower than the average for bespoke tailors by requiring payment up-front. This allows Cad and the Dandy to negotiate discounts of 30% to 40% with their suppliers.
Cad & the Dandy launched a new flagship store at 13 Savile Row in June 2013. The store is the first on the iconic tailoring street to hand-weave a cloth before making it up into a fully finished suit. Believing that Britain’s bespoke tailoring industry was facing a shortage of master tailors, the company established an apprenticeship programme in London, with young would-be tailors joining Cad & the Dandy’s 22 staff members at its three London locations, Savile Row, Birchin Lane and Canary Wharf.
Fittings are now conducted across the UK, Europe and the United States.
Marketing
In 2010, the company began an association with former boxer Chris Eubank, who now designs a range of clothes for the brand. Since September 2010, the company has run an annual competition to look for the "best dressed banker", with the winner receiving two bespoke suits and two bespoke shirts as the prize.
Critical response
Cad and the Dandy suits have received positive reviews from style commentators and bloggers, who note the high quality of cloth and tailoring, the strong customer service and the flexibility in customisation options. User reviews on sites such as Qype have been positive, with reviews praising the fit, the service, and the willingness to cater to unusual requests.
Mainstream news sources such as the Daily Telegraph have focused on the company's growth and strong financial performance, and on the entrepreneurship of its founders, especially following the loss of their jobs.