Our Story
I’m Holly the Founder and Head Tailor of Holly Robins - Bespoke Trouser Makers.
With bespoke tailoring, you are creating something special, but it’s based on technique and precision, and you must always work within certain parameters as far as design goes. This sums up my personality perfectly. I’d consider myself a ‘creative engineer’ and this is something that I’m extremely proud of. When I reflect today I’m so grateful that it was trousers. As much as I’m vehemently passionate about the craft of tailoring, I’ve come to learn that I also thrive on productivity and the faster paced nature of trouser making suits me to a tee!
I remember being quite nervous in the beginning so always dressing as I thought a tailor should be perceived. But over the years I’ve learned that there is a real community to be found and respect given to those in the trade who hone their craft and work hard. Or in my case never say no to a job! I’m proud to be proof that you can achieve things your own way if the quality of the work speaks for itself.
Keeping the studio based in East London has been a conscious decision for me. It’s where I moved to become a student and it’s where I feel I grew and evolved into the person I am today. It’s a place where I feel that I fit in; it’s loud, creative and full of colour and characters. It’s also home to The London College of Fashion and having the students come to intern at my studio year after year reassures me that while we are Savile Row trained, we don’t need to be on the Row itself. I would never have been able to build my business and offer opportunities to the next generation had I been paying central London rents.
Even after nearly 2 decades in the industry, there is never a day that I am not learning. Something I hear every good tailor say time after time. It may be a case of picking up hints and tricks from other tailors so that I can improve my own work, always saying yes to more unusual jobs, or picking up my old workbooks a few years ago and taking the time to relearn waistcoats. You're never too old to learn or improve.
I was built to make.
Here’s the lowdown
This is how I went from a Saturday job in my local haberdashery, to running an independent trouser making studio in East London.
It’s safe to say being Savile Row Trained and building a successful business doesn’t happen overnight making this quite a long story with many people and places along the way.
So feel free dive in at any point below.
As a child, paper crafts, Sellotape and PVA were my addiction. After attempting to make a dress from a bin bag and telling my Mum that I wanted to make beautiful clothes for beautiful people, she knew I had a creative side that was worth exploring. Not being creative in that way herself, Mum took me to a family friend Gill, who held a regular ‘Stitch and Bitch’ with her middle aged friends. Aged 12, I joined them, listening in on the gossip as Gill taught me a multitude of traditional hand sewing crafts, such as embroidery and lacemaking. I owe a lot to Gill as this is truly where my journey began.
At 16, I started a Saturday job in the local haberdashery, The Hobby House. Soon expanding on this and becoming a part time employee working 2-3 days a week, testing out all the new crafts and surprising the older clientele with my knowledge, alongside taking my A-Levels, and Art & Design foundation.
I took a year out before university as my future path didn’t feel truly aligned with my passions. As much as I was creative, being a craftsperson was at my core, along with my passion for sewing. My mathematical brain and engineering mindset meant I didn’t feel ‘fashion design’ or ‘textiles’ were my vocation.
One thing stood out to me from my Art & Design foundation, Pattern Cutting, I loved the logic of the drafting methods. I took extra shifts at the haberdashery and saved up my own money to do a City & Guilds qualification in Pattern Cutting. I travelled from Essex to the Adult Education College in Walthamstow at 6am with my friend Tash who worked nearby to save money. Sitting in McDonalds with an egg Mcmuffin and tea waiting for the college to open.
They were so kind and supportive at the college and even awarded me an additional certificate alongside my official qualification. This spurred me on and I started scouring the university prospectus again, and there it was ... ‘NEW at The London College of Fashion’ BA Bespoke Tailoring! It had everything I loved, and would allow my undeniable natural talents to flourish. Technical, creative, mathematical, it had pattern cutting, craft, and so much HAND SEWING. All my passions in one place it was a real dream, and just maybe things happen for a reason and that year out I took lead me to this moment.
That very first term at LCF, I knew that I had found my calling. The tutors were Savile Row tailors themselves and as their attitude towards me and my skill set nourished my soul, I had found my place thanks to Alan, Anthony and Chris. This was reinforced in second year when I successfully applied for an internship at Timothy Everest.
I was initially given the role of Trimmer (preparing the suit bundles for the tailors by adding all the relevant trims, buttons, canvas, zips etc) and would run errands and assist the Cutters where ever required. Upon learning I truly wanted to be a bespoke maker I was able to shadow and assist Maria (their in house trouser maker at the time) Noticing my skills with a needle I was quickly utilised in the alterations department. Not always the nicest of jobs, the smell of an old trouser crotch never quite leaves you! But needs must and I learned a lot from taking other tailors' work apart to carry out the alterations. This led to making a pair of trousers for my boss in the quiet times, unaware he genuinely wanted to see what I was made of. Seemingly impressed he kept on me part-time while I finished my degree. I gave up my job at H&M knowing my dreams were coming true and these people believed in me. After graduating, I stayed on at Timothy Everest full time to train as a trouser maker under Maria.
Finally fully trained and feeling confident I took the bold decision at just 26 to become an independent Bespoke trouser maker. I became very aware of the importance of becoming my own boss and infiltrating the bespoke tailoring world on my own terms.
My entrepreneurial mindset kicked in. I was ready to spread my wings and start to write my own story not knowing where it would take me. I was up for taking the risk and following my gut. I am eternally grateful to the team at Timothy Everest and I maintain relationships with them to this day.
“I was being sent so many more challenging jobs which I loved as it allowed that engineering mind of mine to whirr into action. ”
It wasn’t easy to begin with, working from my flat in Bethnal Green, turning my dining table into my tailor's board, and even having one of my machines in my kitchen. Word spread about the quality of my work and I found myself picking up work from all over Savile Row and the West End. My days became longer, my trips to Savile Row more frequent and the bags of work heavier.
It was during this time I set out to find my own hand finisher, my first step in becoming more efficient and business minded. Finding a bespoke hand sewing expert (hand finisher) was not an easy task, contrary to what some believe it’s a highly skilled job, with each trouser having 4-5 hours of hand work as well as the illusive handmade buttonhole. I had to ensure I held them to an extremely high standard to match my own as we would essentially now become collaborators. Finding someone like this would be like striking gold!
After much searching, trialling and continued asking around I was finally introduced to Cat by another tailor. Until then Cat had only done finishing on coats but she was keen to expand her skill set, plus we hit on an instant rapport as we were a similar age and both lived and breathed East London. Her work was and still is amazing and she cares vehemently about every single detail is reliable and steadfast when it comes to hand work, you only need to see her buttonholes to believe them. That was over 10 years ago now, we still work together more closely than ever, seeing the arrival of 2 children and a puppy, Cat is still just as reliable. This reliance and trust in her work afforded me time to take on more work and continue to grow.
The hard work and long hours paid off and I was able to take a space in a shared studio in Hackney. In truth it was a carpenter's yard with a selection of smaller spaces sectioned off for creatives. Sometimes loud and sometimes dusty but the yard was a community. It was thanks to Ros, a quirky slightly eccentric character twice my age whom I shared my space with that I felt truly established enough to take on my first intern. She saw how hard I worked, how dedicated I was to my craft and it was her who encouraged me to just give it a try. Its at this point I must give a shout out to Joshua Bond the OG intern who’s warm heart made me want to keep him on just for the fantastic company! And Sandesh Limbu my most long standing intern who continued to show up year after year as much as he could throughout his degree, with the odd hiatus for holidays and travel. His calming presence always welcome, I am immensely proud of them both. I remain good friends with Ros, Josh and Sandesh until this day. The business has since expanded year on year. I took up more and more space in my shared studio, eventually moving to a private room on the same site big enough for 4 people (just!)
My name continued to spread and I was being contacted by Tailoring Houses whom I hold in the highest regard, to work alongside them. My repertoire and reputation for taking on unique and more complex jobs was also spreading. I was being sent so many more challenging jobs which I loved as it allowed that engineering mind of mine to whirr into action.
I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to take on an intern who would leave such a mark on me that it would change the course of the business and my life!
In January 2019 I met Ellen for the first time. She needed to complete her Uni internship but still found the idea of applying anywhere on ‘The Row’ a bit intimidating. She simply wanted to pursue her love of making. There was a sense of familiarity. We met, and found an unusual amount of commonality in our lives and love of tailoring and our attitudes towards both. I felt a kinship and knew that I could offer Ellen the hands-on, internship that she wanted.
She never left!
Ellen had completed 3 years of tailoring at college in Sweden before moving to the UK to pursue her dream. Realising it was a difficult industry to break into she applied for LCF BA Bespoke Tailoring to continue working on her craft at an advanced level and hopefully make the connections she needed as well as like-minded friends. Alongside a clear natural talent she also had determination and wasn’t afraid of hard work. Ellen stayed on with me occupying one of my intern benches part time for the next 2 years alongside completing her studies. I had a lot of respect for her for that commitment.
Just as Ellen was working towards completing her final collection and graduating, COVID struck. Her classes went online and her practical work was swapped out for a digital portfolio. I really felt for her having the same unwavering passion for the making as myself, and I could see how this affected her. We continued to work together in the studio and I think seeing how far she had come in ‘real world terms’ kept her going and I certainly tried to re-enforce how well she was doing in the studio and that one day the sadness of never completing her collection would pass, as she definitely had the skills to make it no matter what.
The first full lock down hit and I spent a few months not working at all. I think this gave me time to reflect on how far I’d come on my own with my business, but where was I going? What next? My overactive mind is never satisfied sitting still, the itch is what pushes me to keep going and take risks, it had worked so far with the business and spaces and interns so what next….
I decided to take my biggest risk yet and invite Ellen into my world and work alongside me. I had been working too many hours and it had started to take its toll. I needed a second in command who could be my assistant and eventually could even share in the running of the business. I text Ellen expressing a loose plan, not knowing how I would pay her, but knowing I could definitely train her. I knew I was asking a lot of her as I wasn’t exactly offering her a stable and secure job but who knew what was going to happen as Covid was still rife.
I now know that Ellen had such respect and admiration for me and as a maker and as a person, that she was ready to take the risk and join me. From this a true friendship started to grow.
We started getting back into the swing of things as the country started to open up again during the back end of covid, but now we were a team. I began to train Ellen further and she became a true apprentice. I was able to invest more time in her growth as we still couldn’t take in interns due to the restrictions plus the workload was lower at this time. As Ellen was now a permanent fixture I decided it was finally time to leave the yard in Hackney and look for a bigger space to accommodate us. It was the end of an era.
The quest to find a new space solidified Ellen and I as a team as we darted around East London checking out spaces together. Her opinion was just as valid as mine as it was to be her workspace too! It felt great to have someone to share in decision making. We settled on a space in Dalston. The rent was high but so were the ceilings and the windows! It was another risk and the cost did feel quite scary but we had outgrown the yard and we’re ready for the next chapter.
During what turned out to be a short stint in our Dalston studio Ellen continued her apprenticeship and both our professional and personal relationship grew. Ellen’s work was really shining and her abilities showed promise, she just needed to start believing in herself more and I think this is where my role as her teacher transcended into a mentor. I could see that she was going to be capable of matching my own skill set, I knew that like me she held a desire to be the best in our field, this instilled a confidence in me that we could soon independently produce a consistent job for our trade partners. Knowing this set off a chain of events that would lead me to running a team of 6 people before I knew it!
We continued to take interns thick and fast, it appeared my reputation as a good teacher had spread and people knew they would get a hands-on internship with me. At the same time I took on a teaching position for LAB (London Academy of Bespoke and taught their bespoke Trouser Making evening course. At this point my ability to teach has become second nature, coupled with the success of Ellen’s apprenticeship I started to take this side of my business more seriously and took on a business coach called Tanya. Tanya helped me start to see myself as a professional business woman alongside the craftsperson that was at my core. I started interviewing applicants in a more professional manner and creating specs for the internships and scheduling regular team meetings. We became inundated with applicants; they even managed to hunt us down and find their way into the studio complex!
It was exciting, exhausting and the beginning of things blowing up on the business side of things. The Dalston studio was big enough for 5 workbenches, an intentional decision when moving to ensure we had space for an ever growing business. The path seemed clear and as I’d already fulfilled my childhood dream of making beautiful clothes for beautiful people, a new dream was forming. A dream of running an independent tailoring workshop, teaching the next generation my skills and bringing them in to work under me.
I knew that as Ellen and I grew we would need an assistant between us, so that would be the next step. We were producing more trousers than ever and while Cat was still with us (but we were looking like we’d start to out sew her) we’d need more assistance with our hand finishing.
“A dream of running an independent tailoring workshop, teaching the next generation my skills and bringing them in to work under me.”
Enter Rebekah! From the Isle of Wight originally, Rebekah had moved to London to study at LCF on the bespoke tailoring course, something myself and Ellen shared in common with her. Rebekah spent her summers out of uni working in Norway at a ski resort to help pay for London life and her studies, a work ethic I respected.
On graduating University Rebekah found herself employed within the costume industry, working on a variety of productions, one being the Royal Opera House making tutus for Swan Lake. She managed to gain some work experience at Henry Poole, they were impressed and started to teach her hand finishing, however the pandemic hit and she had to move home. Her tailoring journey seemed over just as quickly as it had begun. Having aspired to become a trouser maker since uni she continued making trousers for herself and practicing wherever possible. It was this determination that led me to Rebekah, images of her trousers seemed to flood my Instagram feed and certainly caught my eye. As I knew we needed more help in my studio I got in touch with her and her unique passion for trousers was priceless to me! There our journey began.
Her strong work ethic and drive to achieve her goals was evident. Taking on our second hand finishing role part time to start with she was easy to teach, quick to learn and certainly had the skills. Wanting to help Rebekah leave the costume world behind for good and taking another risk personally I offered her a junior tailors role which would include a combination of hand finishing, making my trouser bastes (first fittings) and skirts, which trust me is no mean feat.
It was also at this time I heard of some new studios becoming available in Walthamstow. They were brand new, close to home, and run as a not for profit purely for practical hands on creatives and artists. Spaces like this are still rare even in London! Only having been in Dalston for 7/8 months I remember calling Ellen and telling her to meet me at the E10 location and not to think I was mad! The spaces were great, we took one of the last ones. It was bigger and cheaper than our Dalston space with a great view onto a green area. Plus myself and Cat had migrated out to Walthamstow to live a few years earlier and Ellen had recently done the same so there was no question from Ellen, she agreed I wasn’t mad and so we moved…again!
With this move Ellen and I solidified the beginnings of our partnership. Ellen’s confidence had grown significantly in her work and her role. This was reflected by putting both our names on the new studio contract.
As Rebekah had joined us full time I was dedicating more and more time to teaching her. We worked together to build on her skill set and with her relentlessly putting in the hours until she had become a full trouser maker. This was a fulfilling experience just as it had been with Ellen however this time other factors made it hard on me and there were times I struggled with what I’d built.
I believed in Rebekah, I liked her and I knew I could help her achieve her dreams so I didn't want to hold back. But now I was running x2 tailors, x1 finisher plus we’d taken on Eider, a paid apprentice to allow Rebekah to leave the junior role behind and we still had a rotation of interns. I was also being asked to attend multiple activities at London College of Fashion to assist and inspire the third year BA Bespoke tailoring students. I was also selected to be part of a group of 10 industry professionals led by the UKFT (UK Fashion & Textile Association) Our job, to help mould and update the government's level 5 Bespoke Tailor and Cutter apprenticeship. Alongside the odd ‘in conversation with’ Social media interviews, and I even made it print in ‘We Are Makers’ third edition.
At this time I started to struggle with the business that I had built as much as I loved teaching people and thrived on that, translating that into managing a small team was not as I expected. The sense of responsibility that comes with being someone’s boss weighed quite heavily upon me. I wanted so badly to ensure I was doing what was best for everyone that I started to lose sight of what was best for myself. I started to feel that the business was growing beyond my control. I was on a speeding train and had no idea of the destination, I became so enveloped in it, working unspeakable hours, I caused myself to burn out. The stress of juggling the workload for a team that size and of varying capabilities became overwhelming. Unconsciously it had happened, I was no longer a maker, or even a teacher, nor mentor I’d become a manager. I lost myself in it and I lost my passion, and I think the people around me could sense it. Everyone was doing the best they could putting in enormous amounts of hard work and for that I cannot fault anyone but I began to disengage and didn’t know what to do. In the past all my risks had paid off and to someone on the outside looking in what I had built looked like a huge success but I wasn’t happy.
Our apprentice Eider decided to leave to pursue a career in fashion and my decision to not to replace her was the first step in taking back control over what I created. I felt a weight lifted and with the slightly smaller team and with Ellen and Rebekah being fully developed I was able to claim back some of my making time. But the effects of the burnout were still very much felt.
After two and a half years Rebekah and I went our separate ways. I was sad as I’d put so much into her as a maker and we got on well in both the studio and the pub. But I got it, I understood she had earned her stripes and it was time for her to move on.
Although I missed her in the studio when I think about it now I think it was probably for the best, she was able to explore the industry and got a bench on the Row. As with Eider’s departure this loss came with that feeling of a weight being lifted, a lifting of responsibility, a lifting of managerial obligations, and a lifting of administrative workload and I was able to start healing and rewriting what success is.
For me success is being a respected maker, a respected teacher, knowing I have helped multiple people get into our prestigious trade, having Ellen by my side knowing together she’s officially reached boss level, being happy, having a work life balance that serves me (this one I’m still working on but I’ll get there!)
Today we are still at our Walthamstow studio, watching the dogs run around on the green whilst on the sewing machine. Ellen and I now very much run things together which is allowing me to move closer and closer to that ideal work life balance. Cat is and always will be the best and most hardworking hand finisher whom I’m eternally grateful for. The core of the business remains solid and I still run our internship programs to support the next generation but these days somewhat more exclusively. With all the lessons learned and knowing what makes me happy these are reserved for only those with a true and unwavering passion for the craft on a more healthy and sustainable basis. I also decided that to give opportunities to other enthusiasts I’d create something where I could share my skills and knowledge as well as keeping my much honed teaching alive but with a more conscious and boundaried approach. Welcome to my 1 - 1 Master Classes.
“You're never too old to learn or improve.”
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