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The founders of Banshee of Savile Row, Irish/Italian couple Ruby Slevin and Rocco Tullio, run a successful shop and studio on Savile Row in London, but they have also recently launched the Irish branch of their business, hosting weekly consultations at the United Arts Club in Dublin, and have also secured an Art Deco venue in New York to offer the same service come spring 2022.

The brand was founded in 2019 by the couple, who married in 2015, just days after the death of Rocco’s father – much loved restaurant critic and former Michelin-starred chef Paolo Tullio. They describe moving to London after Tullio’s death as a “very surreal time”.

“We were rushing to do a small, intimate wedding before Paolo passed away. He wanted us to go ahead with it,” says Slevin. “It was obviously very emotional organising a funeral and a wedding in the space of a week. Right after our wedding, we went to his burial in Italy and then we moved to London,” says Rocco, who describes Paolo as not just his father but his “best friend”.

“It is more cost-effective to have one jacket that you wear everywhere, and that will still look great in ten years’ time, than to buy lots of clothes that don’t quite fit.”

Banshee of Savile Row is a bespoke tailoring brand merging Savile Row tradition with strong feminine energy. Rocco previously worked as a visual artist, while Ruby studied at Dublin’s Grafton Academy before working as an apprentice tailor at Cad & The Dandy and as fittings manager at womenswear tailors Gormley & Gamble.

Slevin says there is growing interest in traditional techniques among young designers in Ireland. “Karen Bradshaw, our new alterations manager in Dublin, has students who are really focused on Savile Row sewing techniques,” she says. “Studio Donegal, who I consider artists and visionaries, also currently have great interest in their hand-weaving techniques from students and graduates.”

Now is a good time to launch in Dublin because “there is a market in Ireland for tailored items that are fully handmade and bespoke,” they say. “We also have a strong focus on Irish fabrics, which appeals to our clients. We want to be able to offer clients in Ireland the full spectrum of what we have available to them,” says Tullio.

Slevin says many of their Irish clients already travel abroad to have bespoke items made, but also that Irish women are very confident in their own style. “People aren’t clones; street style is really strong in Ireland – there is an element of individualism, which is really refreshing.”

“If we go back 20 years, people started to become prepared to pay more for organic, Fairtrade and high-quality food, and we are seeing that crossover into fashion,” says Tullio. “Ireland is very international and with social media, everybody is seeing what’s going on all over the world.”

Having been fully trained by Slevin, Irish designer Iseult Law is available to meet clients in Dublin with the same cloth sample books available to Banshee clients at their London studio. Law also has handwoven Irish tweed samples to hand, as well as samples of every button and silk lining available to Banshee clients.

Law takes the client’s measurements and creates the “toile” or mock garment. This is then posted to the London studio, where the team perfects the pattern – essentially the same process that takes place should a client visit London. When the final garment is posted back to Dublin, Law then meets the client for the final fitting.

As is often the case with bespoke tailoring, tweaks may be needed – small details such as lengthening the sleeve or tapering the leg of the trousers. This is where Karen Bradshaw, Grafton Academy tutor and tailor, comes in. Slevin and Tullio make frequent visits to Dublin to see clients personally; however, having worked with legendary Irish designers Sybil Connolly and Ib Jorgensen, it’s safe to say that Bradshaw has the required skills to tweak the garments to perfection.

Entry prices for bespoke tailored items are €180 for a shirt, €295 for a waistcoat, and €420 for a pair of trousers. Handmade jackets start at €805 and a two-piece suit at €1,175. A bespoke coat made in a beautiful handwoven Donegal Tweed, as seen in the brand’s fashion film for London Fashion Week, costs €1,800 and should last a lifetime.

Banshee of Savile Row is known for beautiful jackets with evocative names such as The Night Owl and The Black Cat, but their new overcoats are proving very popular. “The overcoat goes with every handbag, shoe or trainer – it’s seen as a staple garment and a smart investment,” says Tullio.

A bespoke item takes between 10 and 12 weeks to make including the two fittings. Everything is entirely hand-stitched. In the case of a jacket, the inner lining and outer fabric is tethered to an internal floating construction resembling a waistcoat of canvas and wool felt. It is this internal structure which gives the jacket shape, but also which results in the longevity and “alterability” of the garment.

Many of Banshee’s clients struggle with fit – a common dilemma, as no two bodies are the same. But bespoke is also about personal style and having something that tallies with an individual’s character. “It defies trends – it is more about the individual,” says Slevin.

Sustainability is another draw for Banshee clients. “When you buy a bespoke item, you are not buying one of several thousand pieces. You are getting something that you chose, that was made for you, that is unique in terms of its cloth and cut – there is nothing else like it in the world,” says Tullio. “You can’t help but treasure it and feel good when you’re wearing it.”

The age profile of their clients has surprised the couple who, before establishing their business, expected them to be predominantly 35-plus based purely on earning capacity. “We actually have lots of clients in their twenties and find that the younger generation is even more considerate in terms of what they buy. They are willing to save up for things – to put aside a certain amount each month to get one incredible piece,” says Slevin.

“Younger clients may not go for really expensive fabrics, but they are looking for one pair of trousers that goes with everything,” echoes Tullio. “It is more cost-effective to have one jacket that you wear everywhere, and that will still look great in ten years’ time, than to buy lots of clothes that don’t quite fit.”

And people simply love the process of having something made for them. “You’ve been there since the garment’s infancy – from when it was just cloth and buttons – it’s an amazing thing to see,” says Slevin, who recently had the process described by a client as “the best retail experience of her life”.

If it is true that “loved clothes last” then surely Banshee of Savile Row garments are ones with which to have a life-long love affair.