Tailoring with an edge

The co-founder of a new tailoring business used to sew hot air balloons for a living. Situated on Old Market, Jokoto Tailoring has been opened by Hannah Bartlett and Eloise Atwell, who have been business partners for several years, running sustainable womenswear label Jokoto while juggling day jobs.

“I worked in the tailoring shop Xo Officina Tessile in Bath for seven years,” says Hannah. “I really learnt so much there about creating quality alterations, as you are often working on expensive or sentimental pieces.

“Taking things apart to alter them taught me many different finishing techniques and all the different ways things are made, and this led to meeting people who wanted to create bespoke pieces, so I created many made-to-measure garments for all different shapes and sizes. Whist doing this, in 2014 Eloise and I founded Jokoto.”

Hannah Bartlett and Eloise Atwell inside Jokoto Tailoring in Old Market

Eloise was also working in a tailoring job, but her creations were on a much larger scale. “I was working for Cameron Balloons, sewing the balloons together, which allowed me to learn and understand a very different aspect to the craft,” she says. “I have also worked with designers in and around Bristol as a pattern-cutter and seamstress, which was really good fun and gave me the chance to work on some unusual garments.”

Realising they could use these skills to start a full-time career in repairs, restyling and bespoke tailoring, the girls quit their day jobs and Jokoto Tailoring was born. “It was part natural progression and part reworking the existing business,” explains Eloise.

“Designing a full collection every season is very expensive and did not allow us enough financial security, plus it only targets a very specific customer base. We felt that by opening Jokoto Tailoring, we could appeal to a much wider audience and offer a more ethical attitude to the relationship between the consumer and the clothes. Responsible and ethical consumerism are very much part of our ethos.”

Eloise making alterations to a customer’s garment

“Being ethically conscious was really important,” adds Hannah. “Working at a tailoring shop, I was amazed over the years at how people look after their clothing, especially when the recession started. Eloise and I both really enjoy sewing side of creating our collection, and I think this transfers into creating things for others.”

Like many tailors, Hannah and Eloise offer a basic clothing alterations services, from replacing a zip to taking up hems, sewing on buttons and relining coats. Small jobs start from just £2. However, unlike most others, they also create bespoke garments, with their backgrounds as fashion designers helping to bring a contemporary edge to the old-school side of tailoring.

“It’s great to create pieces that are tailor-made to customers’ needs and body shapes,” says Eloise. “We have a strong knowledge base to offer design and style advise and have a range of fabric suppliers, allowing our customers to have garments made out of fabrics they wouldn’t find in the local shops. It’s great being able to use our creativity to make people feel good and happy with the way they look.”

Sample garments by Jokoto

Jokoto Tailoring do their bit to avoid adding to the vast amounts of wasted textiles that go to landfill each year by offering an upcycling service. They can also recreate existing garments: “We can cater to people who struggle finding things that fit properly,” says Hannah.

“I think the high street often only caters to what is flattering to a certain body shape but the human body comes in so many different shapes and sizes: what looks good is unique to each of us.”

Jokoto’s new workshop

The duo hope to be able to collaborate with and support new fashion start-ups and small labels from Bristol and beyond, by offering a sample-making service for small runs of garments.

“We wanted to offer it as we collected so much research and knowledge from developing our own collections for the brand. There is no-one offering this locally, we feel this could be a really good service to support local design talent,” says Eloise. It’s evidence of the sense of community on the fashion scene here that could really help to get Bristol on the map as a big contender.

It’s a reflection of how open locals are to fashion that isn’t just picked from the high street rails. “I think in Bristol, there is a much more bohemian response to fashion. I find people are very creative in how they dress, mixing different trends,” says Hannah. “I think people aren’t afraid to be different here, whether that means rocking your nan’s dress from the 70s or dying your hair bright blue.”

Hannaj and Eloise hard at work

“Bristol fashion and style has a wonderful sense of freedom to it,” adds Eloise. “It’s an eclectic mix of cultural referencing, streetwear, party vibes and vintage. There are some areas of Bristol where you would look more out of place wearing a business suit than a full glitter catsuit. I think the city’s vibrant music and culture scene, mixed with the diverse population, creates a welcoming experimental attitude to getting dressed in the morning.”

The decision to open a shop might have been a while in the planning, but the choice of basing themselves in Old Market was easy: both Eloise and Hannah’s families used to shop in the area, and one of Hannah’s relatives once owned a furniture shop a stone’s throw from their new base.

“Old Market was the obvious choice,” Eloise says. “We really love the mix of independent businesses it hosts and the vibrant community.”

A bespoke piece created by the Jokoto fashion label

“We are really happy with how it’s all going – the response has been amazing. People in Bristol are really aware of sustainability, so we believe that our service can provide this which we believe is an important step for how our planet is treated”, says Hannah, and Eloise nods in agreement. “It’s reassuring to meet so many people who are keen to mend their clothes instead of throwing them away and buying new ones.”

Jokoto Taloring, 22 West Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0BH
www.jokototailoring.com

Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog at www.no-debutante.blogspot.com