"Say, if you bought a car and said, "Oh, I'd like that in a soft top." It's a hardtop bonnet. What can we do? I’m Declan O’Sullivan, and I’ve been with Louis Copeland’s company for the last year. I’m a tailor, and I handle all the alterations, as well as made-to-measure suits.

Before Louis moved to Cork, he did a suit promotion at Hayfield Manor. At the time, I was self-employed, so I wondered how I could get in touch with him and make myself known. I decided to go the old-fashioned route and sent him a letter. That was my initial introduction to Louis.

I’ve known Nigel, who’s managing the shop now, since around the time I started about 35 years ago. I first met him when he was working with Tony’s. We probably crossed paths in social settings, as we had similar interests in music, but we didn’t really connect until later. Up until last year, I had been working with Nigel for many years, whether in his own place or elsewhere. I know him well, as well as the other lads, including Saied. They're all a great bunch.

When I was a teenager, I was always into clothes and fashion. Every household had a domestic sewing machine, so I started pestering my mother to show me how to do alterations. She eventually taught me, and that’s how it all began. I took courses, did City & Guilds training, and worked with the last remaining tailors in Cork back in the early '80s. From there, I got work in clothing factories, making overcoats, suits, army and navy uniforms, and even ladieswear. I've done everything in all aspects of clothing.

You can get modern sewing machines, but they essentially do the same job. We use overlockers, flat machines, and hemming machines that are probably from the 1950s or 1960s. They're cast iron and will last forever if maintained properly.

In the last few years, men have become much more interested in their appearance, and styles have changed. Color, which used to be a bugbear of mine, has evolved. Men didn’t used to veer away from navy, black, or gray, so I love seeing all the new colors coming in. Especially with made-to-measure suits, the range of fabrics we now offer is incredible. It’s great to create something for someone who appreciates it and can carry it off. When the finished product looks great, it’s rewarding. The suits are made properly from the start, not after the fact.

It’s like buying a car and wanting something specific, and having it delivered just as you imagined. I’ve had guys tell me how great it is to have a suit that fits perfectly from the moment they put it on."