Sandro Dühnforth

Tailor

The master of understatement

Sandro is passionate about the future of tailoring
He uses special horsehair inlay to give his jackets stability
He did his apprenticeship at Frauenberg monastery

Sandro was lucky to learn his craft from a unique master: Friar Gerhard Busche at Frauenberg monastery, who has won several awards and is renowned as one of Germany’s best tailors. Today, having opened his own workshop in Hamburg, he is very concerned about the future of his craft and so has been training apprentices since the first year of running his own business. He also founded the German Tailors’ Association to ensure the future of bespoke tailoring. Sandro emphasises that there are only a few masters of his craft left; many ready-to-wear and made-to-measure sellers use the term 'tailor made' without being trained in bespoke tailoring.

Interview

What does the term ‘handcrafted’ mean to you?: As tailors, we say that a suit is accomplished if nobody can discern that it is a tailor’s work. This is our understanding of understatement and craftsmanship.
What fascinates you most about your craft?: Basically, with every new project, you have to start completely from scratch: choose the fabric and the pattern, empathise with the customer, and begin the basic cut. This way, I am forced to prove my skills anew each time – and I love it.
When did you first consider becoming a tailor?: There is a special scene in the movie Dracula with Gary Oldman when Dracula meets Wilhelmina in the streets of London and wears this beautiful three-piece suit. Watching this for the first time, I promised myself I would one day acquire the skills I needed in order to make such an item.
But you started by sewing more simple items?: I made my first projects on my mother’s sewing machine, including a shoulder bag made from old blue jeans. This bag then accompanied me on a trip through the whole of Europe.

Sandro Dühnforth is a master artisan: he began his career in 2004 and he started teaching in 2013