When it comes to ‘suit life’, Sydney tends to be a pretty eclectic place. Unlike most historic fashion cities, the NSW capital plays host to a wide spectrum of lifestyles year-round. Men here are about as likely to spend their time beachside as they are downtown: meaning that classic tailoring, whether of the made-to-measure (MTM) or bespoke variety, is the very definition of a luxury – something inessential, largely without salience in most daily wardrobes.
That being said, the city’s traditional status as the financial hub of Australia -in addition to its expansive community of menswear enthusiasts – mean that there are, pleasantly, quite a robust selection of Sydney tailors and custom clothiers.
RELATED: The Difference Between A $500 Versus A $5,000 Custom-Made Suit
Not to be confused with international retailers of off-the-rack suits (that’s a separate but related topic equally deserving of its own attention) we’ve cut together our shortlist of the best tailors in Sydney for a bespoke tailored suit. For convenience, this accounts for a broad swathe of budgets and levels of customisation: ranging from MTM numbers where price and speed are your chief allies, all the way through to genuine bespoke – culminating in a truly personal garment that is laden with handcraft and likely to command 5-figure starting prices.
On the receiving end of wedding, black tie and fundraiser event invitations and need a bespoke suit? Then sift through our guide to finding the best suit shop in Sydney below.
Note that some others like Bespoke Corner and Germanicos Bespoke Tailors, both very popular, are not on this list as we haven’t had enough experience with them as of yet. Consider them honourable mentions for now.
Where To Find The Best Tailors In Sydney
The Finery Company
Why We Rate It: Founded by the impossibly elegant Korean industry veteran Joe Ha – who has been working in classic menswear for well over 20 years – The Finery Company is less of a tailor and more akin to a private gallery.
Operating out of a charming Paddington townhouse conversion (populated by Calder mobiles and mid-century furniture), Ha is able to fit discerning clients on behalf of various East Asian tailors. Each individual’s pattern is taken personally by Ha, with their measurements then communicated to partner workshops in Shenzhen and Seoul.
It would, however, be a mistake to conflate this Asian provenance with mediocre quality. At a clip, The Finery Company’s ‘TFC Bespoke’ line of suits will set clients back north of $6,600. This requires three fittings, features a huge amount of handwork – concentrated largely in the blazer/jacket – and is crafted out of a small atelier in Gangnam (yes, that Gangnam) that makes no more than 14 jackets per month. Can’t rush perfection, we guess.
House Style: A la other notable East Asian tailoring outfits – ergo, B&Tailor and The Armoury – The Finery Company’s aesthetic incorporates the best of both British and Italian influences. For suits and jackets, a longer skirt and extended shoulder are favoured, with the resulting silhouettes exhibiting a gently sculpted look, flattering a range of different body shapes.
Pricing: Two-piece suits starting at $6,600.
Provenance: Handmade in private atelier, located in Seoul.
J.H. Cutler
Why We Rate It: One of Australia’s few genuinely ‘homegrown’ sartorial institutions, J.H. Cutler is a privately owned tailoring house evoking the image and clubby exclusivity of Savile Row stalwarts like Huntsman. Head Tailor John Cutler – whose family have been cutting suits in the harbour since the late 19th century – is himself an alumnus of the Row, having trained at Anderson & Sheppard before making his way back to Sydney to oversee the eponymous label.
For those who find starting prices at J.H. Cutler a touch too formidable, the house’s young apprentice tailors, Carl Sciarra and Sam Hazleton, also operate CANVAS – a more affordable, contemporary offshoot that offers both bespoke and MTM services.
House Style: True to John Cutler’s own background on Savile Row, suits and sportcoats from JHC propound a classic British style.
Shoulders are structured; lapel gorges sit high on the wearer’s chest; jackets are fully canvassed; and the fit is has a generous, fulsome quality (akin to what you might find in your favourite Cary Grant flick).
Pricing: Two-piece suits starting at approximately $5,000.
Provenance: Handmade locally in Sydney.
BELANCĒ
Why We Rate It: Founded over a decade ago by menswear e-comm operators Oscar Lealback and Theodore English, Belance’s first and most visceral departure from the oak-paneled tailors of yore is experiential. The brand’s Paddington boutique (in very good company, a stone’s throw from Haulier and 10 William Street) looks more like a luxury fashion retailer crossbred with a Swiss sanitarium – and that’s precisely the point.
Strengthened by a very fashionable palette of creams, blacks and gunmetal, Belance’s speciaty pivots around occasionwear – a great foil for contemporary reinterpretations of fit, finish and silhouette.
House Style: Razor-sharp lines, stark minimalist details and considered use of asymmetry make for clothing that is ‘classic’ in construction but aesthetically contemporary.
Ideal for men who prefer the slinky nightclub-geared aesthetic of runway labels like Tom Ford or Saint Laurent, translated into the realm of MTM.
Pricing: Two-piece suits starting at $1,100.
Provenance: Made in partner workshops, located in Hong Kong or Shanghai (depending on exact commission).
Zimma Tailors
Why We Rate It: Launched in 2017 by Roger Shamoun – a self-taught fitter who is careful not to bill himself as a qualified ‘tailor’ – Zimma is an established presence to those familiar with reliable suit stores in Sydney.
A firm believer in letting the professionals do their thing, Zimma’s biggest USP is its operation and ownership of the ‘Sartoria Zimma’ workshop – a 2.,000m2 facility in Northern China (long a holdfast for off-the-rack quality suiting sans the usual hefty price tag).
This scale enables Shamoun and his team to draft a unique pattern for each individual client, without passing too much of the associated costs on to consumers.
House Style: Having gotten its start amidst Sydney’s infamous Ivy precinct, suits at Zimma still possess a touch of the raucous good-time vibe one might associate with Miami Vice and drinking amidships.
Shamoun himself has a fearless appetite for dressing up- resulting in classic tailoring that goes heavy on drama. Think punchy windowpane checks; double-breasted jackets; powder pink fabrics; and lapels so wide (over 8cm!) they need their own landing strip.
Pricing: Suits (partially hand-made) starting at $1,800, shirts at $340.
Provenance: Made in the brand’s own vertically integrated facility, located in Tianjin.
Sartorial Bay Tailors
Why We Rate It: If you’re adamant about that widely applicable axiom “do as the Italians do”, then you couldn’t fare a whole lot better than Sartorial Bay. Founded by native Roman Massimo Guglielmi (who cut his teeth learning the craft of tailoring in London and Italy before moving down under) this Surry Hills outfit specialises in vibrant custom made suits that are geared towards Sydney’s coastal, at times Mediterranean climes.
Like many competent su misura tailors before him, Guglielmi asserts that the Sartorial Bay product is as close as you can come to a perfect suit because of his personal attention to detail. The erudite Roman doesn’t delegate any aspect of the fitting process to staffers: preferring to focus on a smaller clientele (of satisfied customers) who can be assured of an evolving relationship with their clothes.
House Style: Despite Guglielmi’s Roman roots, the Sartorial Bay looks bears more in common with tailor-made suits of the Neapolitan tradition. Shoulders are soft and unpadded; canvassing ranges from minimal to absent; and there is an extensive range of ‘statement’ jacketing (ideal for all your Spring Racing needs).
Pricing: Two-piece suits (machine-made) starting at $1,180. Shirts starting from $240, with a minimum order of 3 pieces.
Provenance: Made in partner workshops, located in either Germany or Italy (depending on exact commission).
Mawson Óssa
Why We Rate It: Now in swish new premises located a few hops from the BH mothership, Mawson Óssa is an exciting – and still relatively nascent – suit shop concept from Grant Streater: a local menswear veteran who cut his teeth working in textile development, before going on to build deep, A-level connects with East Asian tailors.
Judging by his exactingly developed sense of personal style, it’s easy to see why Streater struck out on his own. At Mawson Óssa, the young fitter-slash-designer champions an aesthetic that is equal parts Scandi minimalism and high concept: in essence, providing what lovers of cerebral fashion brands like Our Legacy or Lemaire might look for when compelled to wear tailored suits.
House Style: Contemporary (yet generous) proportions, tailored to accentuate Streater’s eye for the finest fabrics like Loro Piana wool-silk-cotton. Jackets feature a moderately high lapel, soft extended shoulder and generally relaxed fit.
Pricing: Two-piece semi-bespoke suits starting at $2,250; full bespoke at $3,000. Shirting, handmade in Naples, from $550.
Provenance: All bespoke tailoring made in Hong Kong atelier. Made to measure suiting via partner facility in Shanghai.
Oscar Hunt Tailors
Why We Rate It: A widely liked choice among Aussie men buying their first suit made-to-order, Oscar Hunt Tailors is a nationwide operation with showrooms in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Exclusively MTM, the famed Melbourne brand foregoes the (often gratuitous) level of intimacy associated with bespoke tailors in favour of quality suits that don’t take months to produce and, on balance, offer comfort and a large quotient of versatility.
House Style: Although the ‘default’ aesthetic at Oscar Hunt feels “a little Neapolitan and a little British”, there’s a healthy dose of classic Australian insouciance thrown in.
Silhouettes are straight-cut, proportions are in a pretty classic style – so your commission remains wearable even as fashions shift – while many of the 3,000 fabrics+ on offer (heavy on drill cotton and linen) come in clean primary shades.
Pricing: Made-to-measure suits starting at $999, shirts from $199.
Provenance: Made in the brand’s partner workshop, located in Shanghai.
P. Johnson
Why We Rate It: Formerly known as P. Johnson Tailors, the eponymous label of winemaker-turned-designer Patrick Johnson is, unequivocally, one of the most well-known custom suit shops in the entirety of Australia.
What started as a downstairs showroom in the inner east of Sydney has since morphed into a global phenomenon, with Johnson’s range of sports apparel and RTW as popular (if not more so) than his elegant, vibe-centric made to measure suit program.
The brand operates showrooms all over the country – and further afield in London and New York – yet, for our money, the OG homestead in Paddington is the one to pay a visit to; replete with characterful bric-a-brac, sourced by Johnson’s wife and acclaimed interior designer Tamsin.
House Style: A soft and charismatic silhouette that does its best work when made up into linen suits or formalwear. Jackets feature featherlight or even no canvassing, with the overall silhouette being fulsome, with marginal amounts of ease in the sleeve and body.
Pricing: Italian-made suits starting at $2,895. Chinese-made suits from $1,495.
Provenance: Depending on exact commission, either the brand’s own atelier in Tuscan (Sartoria Carrara) or partner workshop located in Shanghai.
REMY.
Why We Rate It: Owned and operated by veteran tailoring professional Remy Ghougassian (ex-P Johnson Tailors), this namesake label takes an elegant and unfussy approach to the task of making the average bloke look a million dollars.
When it comes to tailored suits, Ghougassian’s own preference is to wear these in a simple, easygoing and fairly contemporary way – all qualities that come across in the garments he fits at REMY.
True to this preference for marvelous clothing made simple, the brand also stocks a whole range of complementary off-the-rack product: including suede ‘sports loafers’, handmade cuffs in precious metal, crewneck knitwear, and artisanal bowties from the gents at Le Noeud Papillon.
House Style: Timeless cuts and styling cues that lean (very gently) into the 21st century – no faux-vintage nonsense here. Jackets are made with a neat ‘rolled’ sleevehead, medium height buttoning stance; while trousers are made true-to-size with a slight taper below the knee.
Pricing: Italian-made suits starting at $2,200. Chinese-made suits from $1,500.
Provenance: Made via partner workshops located in Northern China or Lazio, Italy (depending on exact commission).
M.J. Bale
Why We Rate It: We know – we’re kinda cheating with this one. Once an upstart Sydney retailer that now clothes everybody from the Australian Rugby Sevens team to Guy Pearce, M.J. Bale doesn’t do bespoke tailoring in the strict sense of the word; although the brand has a robust, seldom-advertised custom program.
House Style: Made-to-order Bale suits, of both the custom fabric and fully MTM variety, are produced to the same specifications as the brand’s ‘Made In Japan’ collection – its top-shelf offering.
To that end, each features the kind of timeless stylistic traits you’d expect out of a high-value wardrobe staple: made give the garment a long lifespan years into the future. Jackets are fully canvassed and hand-finished, while – as a general rule – the fabrics used for these commissions must include wool sourced from Kingston, a 114-year-old conservationist farm in Tasmania.
Pricing: Made-to-Measure suits starting at $995.
Provenance: Made in the brand’s partner factory, located in Iwate Prefecture (Japan).
