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SPK_1: Hey Joe!

SPK_2: James, alright?

SPK_1: How did you first hear about Copeland’s?

SPK_1: To be honest with you, I didn't have a clue. I suppose when I was first getting my suits, I went to a few High Street shops and stuff. Then, when you start to look for something finer, Louis Copeland’s is kind of synonymous with finer clothing and nice suits. So, you naturally find it or you know about it already and you end up going through the door.

SPK_2: What was the first occasion that you got your first made-to-measure suit?

SPK_1: My first made-to-measure suit was for my sister's wedding, yeah, 3 or 4 years ago. I originally came in and got it. I was maybe a bit over-excited about getting the suit early for the wedding, before the groom and everybody had got their suits. I came in for my own suit.. But when it came around to the wedding, I got my dad and my brother. The three of us came in. I already had my suit.

SPK_2: But it was a good day?

SPK_1: It's a bit of an event, you know. We went for a couple of pints before we came in. We had a drink there, we got a suit, and then we went for lunch after. It's a nice memory to have the whole family coming in and picking out what they want for their special occasion.

SPK_2: So you've got a few made-to-measure pieces? You got an overcoat made up as well?

SPK_1: Yeah, that was my first ever made-to-measure piece, a gift from my fiancée for my birthday. I don't know how many years ago now.

SPK_2: Because looking at the fabric, you wouldn't see that off the shelf.

SPK_1: And the style that I wanted was a little bit unique. I wanted double-breast, so it was more difficult to find that kind of fabric with that style. Pieces that I wasn't able to get off the rack, and then obviously the fit is important. It's a nice piece to have. When you have a made-to-measure Copeland and you wear your ones off the rack, you know the confidence is so much more. When you wear something that is made for you, to fit you, and also the fabric and the style are a little more unique.

SPK_2: So you got suits and then this jacket I did a few weeks back?

SPK_1: Yes, this is my most recent purchase, another gift from my fiancée to celebrate. We got engaged six weeks ago, she gifted me this jacket.

SPK_2: Do you have a monogram?

SPK_1: I do, yes, yes! There it is. The initials and the date on which we got engaged. 

SPK_2: So how do you feel when you're wearing something that is made to measure? Do you feel a difference wearing it?

SPK_1: I suppose there's an element of confidence you have when you wear any kind of suit. In a society where we're all wearing stuff very casually, when you dress up and put a suit on, it feels like a lot of people say ‘wearing a suit of armour’. I'm not sure it's quite a suit of armour, but you do feel a level of confidence. Particularly when you get something made for you, the confidence to know that it's fitted perfectly for you and it's a piece you've picked out uniquely for the fabric and style. It is a real confidence boost.

SPK_2: You're quite specialised because you have the Milanese buttonhole, which is a slightly hand-stitched buttonhole, and your shoulder is like a roped shoulder; it's slightly higher.

SPK_1: Yeah, when you're doing it made to measure, you can get these kinds of things that are not the norm, with those little extra touches that 99.9% of people would never know. I don't do it for anybody else to notice; it's something I can appreciate.

SPK_2: So of all your pieces that you got from Louis, what's your favourite?

SPK_1: I'd be killed if I said this (what I’m wearing) answer.

SPK_2: Have you changed since you got your first made-to-measure suit? Five years ago, six?

SPK_1: This jacket was probably six or seven years ago. Since then, I got three suits and a jacket suit.

SPK_2: And do you look for something more now since you've kind of done it a few times? 

SPK_1: I suppose I feel like I have kind of created a wardrobe with most of the staples color-wise. There are extra options that I didn't realise at the time that I'd like to add in now. The fabric, like my last suit, was much finer. It was green, a bit more unusual, a bit more special. It's those things that you get from made-to-measure that you just don't get from ready-to-wear. You can do something a bit more unique, a bit more special.

SPK_2: Brilliant! Thanks, Joe. Thanks for coming in!