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Fashion
Atelier Saman Amel on how the pandemic accelerates the ongoing shift within menswear
”While there were some initial issues with deliveries, this was overcome by our tailors and suppliers and from there we were able to reach our best year ever in terms of results in 2020,” tells co-founder Dag Granath.
By JOHAN MAGNUSSON
22 Sep 2021

The Stockholm-based tailoring house works on a custom-made basis to help the clients build their wardrobes. Their services are only available by appointment in Stockholm or via their showrooms in London and NYC to which founder duo Dag Granath and Saman Amel travel frequently to meet clients. This week, they’re awarded Rising Star of the Year at the annual Swedish NK Galan awards.

It seems like the working-from-home lifestyle has hit hard on the tailoring industry. How have you been affected?

— While I am unable to speak for any other actors than ourselves, I would say that the way we view tailoring and what we are looking for in tailoring has changed during the pandemic. While there were some initial issues with deliveries, this was overcome by our tailors and suppliers and from there we were able to reach our best year ever in terms of results in 2020. We were evidently making less formal suits, however, we were able to expand on the other aspects of our offering which we feel was a very interesting process, Granath tells.

Has it also been good for you, where the customer might rethink the way he consumes? Or has it been tough, when we might dress differently?

— Both, but predominantly I think we view this shift as a nurturing and prosperous one. People are thinking differently in their approach to consumption in general and clothes in particular now. They’re less restricted by formal dress codes in the office and this implies people approach clothes differently as well. Furthermore, I reckon the shift towards a more sustainable way of shopping is now becoming more widespread.

How do you work to further innovate your brand?

— One thing that very few people know about us is the level of which technology is a part of what we do. Our back-end system is extremely sophisticated. Convincing our tailors and suppliers to work with this technology when handling orders or so has been a challenge and I am sure we can do more in this aspect. When you work with craftsmanship and personal interaction, many things can go wrong. We usually say that we only have one chance to impress our clients. If we do not deliver on time or something is wrong with the order we have broken the promise to the client. We are trying to build systems for this not to happen.

Lastly, do you think that the Scandinavian men, and men in general, will dress differently after the pandemic? Or go back to slightly the same as before?

— I believe that people will feel more inclined to develop their own sense of style. If people are buying less things, they will want to invest more in the things they buy. Hopefully, we will also see people seeking their own personal expression in their clothes. I would love to see more of that, Granath concludes.

Dag Granath and Saman Amel. Photography: Felix Odell