Five apprentices received the Savile Row Bespoke diploma on 10 July 2026 at Merchant Taylors' Hall in London, during the summer party of the Bespoke Tailors' Benevolent Association. Four trained at Dege & Skinner and one at Edward Sexton. Mark Henderson, chairman of the Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA), presented the certificates, the association reported on 15 July.
The graduates
| Graduate | House | Discipline | Trained by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Norman | Edward Sexton | Coat making | Henry Humphries |
| Eve Wilson | Dege & Skinner | Coat making | Emma Martin |
| Noemi Valletta | Dege & Skinner | Trouser making | Birtan (Burt) Salih |
| Ella May Ingram | Dege & Skinner | Trouser making | Birtan (Burt) Salih |
| Sheila Mirlohi | Dege & Skinner | Trouser making | Birtan (Burt) Salih |
The work was judged at the London Academy of Bespoke, the SRBA's training partner, by Davide Taub of Gieves & Hawkes, Joe Morgan of Chittleborough & Morgan, and Jinny Seals and Philip Parker of Henry Poole & Co. In his remarks, Henderson pointed to the motto on the diploma, Ingeniorum cos aemulator, which the SRBA translates as emulation is the whetstone of genius. The association explained it as building on the skills of the past rather than simply copying them.
Dege & Skinner's large intake
Dege & Skinner has been training more apprentices than at any time in its history. In September 2025 its managing director, William Skinner, told AFP the house had four apprentices with a fifth about to start, the most it had trained at once, and that all were women. Four of this year's five graduates came from that workroom, and three of them trained under the same trouser-maker, Birtan Salih.
Edward Sexton's workroom continues
Charlie Norman's diploma shows the Edward Sexton house still training makers after the death of its founder, who died in July 2023, aged 80. Norman trained under Henry Humphries, who also taught Santino Di Nardo, the Sexton coat-maker who received his diploma at the same annual party in July 2024 after six years of training. Di Nardo's diploma piece was a coat for his grandfather, a tailor who had inspired him to join the trade.
The scheme in numbers
More than 100 people have graduated through the SRBA's apprenticeship scheme. Four apprentices received diplomas in July 2025, from Henry Poole, Norton & Sons and Huntsman. SRBA member houses must employ at least one apprentice at all times, and the association and the London Academy of Bespoke also run a pre-apprenticeship course to prepare new entrants.
For people who commission bespoke clothing, the coat-maker and trouser-maker are the people who actually sew the garment the cutter has drafted. SRBA apprenticeships last between two and six years, according to AFP. Our guide to how a bespoke suit is made explains who does what, and why bespoke suits are expensive explains how those hours show up in the price.
