EXPERIENCE LONDON
The fine art of bespoke shirt-making Emma Willis MBE talks about her journey to becoming one of the world’s leading bespoke shirt-makers and describes the elements that make a great shirt
How did your career in high-quality shirt-making begin and what were the origins of your business? I started off in the fine arts side of the creative world, studying at Slade School of Fine Art. After leaving Slade, and to fund my artistic career at the time, I worked for a company that sold clothes, including men's shirts. Soon after, in 1989, I set up my own small company doing the same thing, selling shirts from a wonderful little bespoke shirtmaker in south-east London. I found there was a real market for beautifully made shirts in beautiful fabrics. I became very interested in how such products are manufactured and came across a Swiss mill with wonderful cottons that I still use today. I visited my customers personally, including travelling to New York and Paris. At that stage, most of my customers came to me through introductions and word of mouth.
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After about 10 years of doing this, I decided it was time to put down roots and find a shop in London. The obvious place was Jermyn Street in St James’s – a pilgrimage to the heart of the bespoke world.
What is the process for being fitted for an Emma Willis shirt? Our bespoke shirt service can be provided in our Jermyn Street shop or online. When a customer visits us in person, we take their measurements and discuss the particular fit they would like, as well as their collar size and sleeve length. After selecting the fabric, an initial shirt is made up for the customer to try, which normally takes about four weeks. Once the correct fit has been confirmed then the remaining shirts are produced, with a minimum order of four for our bespoke service. Our online bespoke service follows the same process,
