Tweed Pig Pin-Up - Davide Taub

Davide Taub Senior Cutter at Gieves & Hawkes

Davide Taub is Head Cutter at Gieves & Hawkes. Imbued with the history of Savile Row, Davide is renowned for the quality and craftsmanship of his work. Not to mention innovation.

Davide's career path in the tailoring trade has taken him from Kashket and Partners, then Maurice Sedwell and Edward Sexton before his move to Gieves.

About the Photo

Davide explains:

"This photograph, taken at home, it's Saturday night and we're going to see Hype Williams. On the way we stop to eat at Lalibela, a great Ethiopian restaurant in Tufnell Park.

"I am wearing my patchwork sports jacket that is made up of black, grey and dark red tweeds and flannels, in Herringbone, Prince of Wales check, Dogtooth and Donegal. The design is not at all as random as it might at first seem. It took some working out to arrange the different cloths so they would, in certain areas, match to create intricate patterns. I was inspired, partially, by the 'Dazzle' camouflage designs painted on the British ships in the Great War.

"The cut of the jacket is becoming a signature for me in terms of showing off how sculptural tailoring can be. I love the curves and slopes and rolls that can be made by manipulating the cloth to create a flowing waist, chest, shoulder line and sleeve-head. I get a lot of inspiration from women’s wear, as much as I do from artists and architecture and music.

"I love to attach little trinkets... On this coat, under the lapels, I have a silver skull I found in a Brighton flea market when I studied architecture there in the early 90s. On my shoulder I have a silver lizard from Haight-Ashbury and a little silver Pinocchio with moving limbs from a junk shop in Florence!
Beneath the jacket I made a quilted brush-cotton ‘bib’ that has a zipped front and is attached to the inside of the facings with Mother-of-Pearl buttons.

"This is the first jacket I made intentionally for a casual look. Before this, I just used to wear old suits that I felt were no longer good enough to wear for work any longer. I might have mixed these pensioned jackets with striped mohair jumpers, skinny curved-seam jeans and ‘kicked-in’ white brogues or army boots, for example.

"My approach to cutting and tailoring is to primarily consider the function of the suit over fashion. By this I mean, it’s purpose, the environment it will be worn, the body shape of the wearer, their personal demands and of course, comfort and movement. If these are used as my guide, then a timeless elegant and stylish suit can be created, that perfectly responds to the wearer’s character and needs. To me, it is important to learn from the traditions handed to us from the past. But it is essential that they aren’t just blindly copied so they do not relate to our age and end up appearing like some kind of pastiche. Savile Row is unique because of the close proximity of so many tailors of different ages in the many close-knit workshops. It enables the trade to remain constantly vibrant and open to innovation, which keeps bespoke tailoring relevant beyond the passing trends of high street fashion."

Davide's Work

Davide's delightful description of his photo tells us much about his creativity and his love of tailoring. He seems to live and breathe his craft. His contribution to keeping the bespoke suit trade of Savile Row relevant, but without relinquishing its heritage, is one reason it continues to thrive.

Here are a couple of photos of Davide's patchwork jacket. A work of art in itself. Note the zipped pocket that hides under the lapel.

Tweedy's Thought: Do you work in Savile Row? Do you have a story to explain its unique place in men's clothing? Don't be an unsung hero, be a sung one - get in touch.