ABRAHAMS: AN ICONIC DUBLIN TAILORING HOUSE

A Dublin institute, Abrahams is one of Dublin’s pre-eminent menswear stores with a rich heritage in bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring. The firm has been the preferred tailor to many of Dublin’s best-dressed professionals. Abraham’s has been serving a distinguished clientele since founded by the popular Maurice Abrahams in the sixties. Indeed, to this day, the store is an essential resource on sartorial matters with an excellent and friendly staff who are just as happy to advise on bespoke choices as they are to walk customers through their ready to wear ranges. The firm has established a particular reputation as a go-to venue for Grooms-to-be and wedding parties.

Maurice Abrahams, a master tailor, learned his trade on London’s Savile Row, having completed his training at the Tailor and Cutter Academy in Soho (now defunct) where the legendary J. King Wilson of Frederick Scholte (author of the tailoring bible: ‘The Art of Cutting & Fitting – A Practical Manual.-Tailor and Cutter‘) would give lectures to his young disciples. It was the early 1950s and tailoring was experiencing something of a renaissance. The wars were over and the suit was back in fashion. London was booming and the West End was the place see and to be seen. Would-be tailors and fashion designers from across the world were coming to London to hone their craft.

Abrahams graduated in 1955 alongside peers including Clement D’Souza, heir to the famous Ahmedabad house (that once was one of that city’s great tailors but has changed management many times since), and Tom Gilbey, the famous fashion designer who was a preferred tailor to The Beatles and would help define the style of a young Pierre Cardin.

From there, Abrahams would continue his apprenticeship with at various renowned tailoring houses in London before being hired as a cutter at Aquascutum, one of the grandest of the British tailoring houses. Aquascutum, known particularly for their trenchcoats and their house check, was a fully bespoke tailoring house in 1958 when Abrahams joined their team. His experience with several smaller firms had demonstrated an aptitude for modernising the tailoring business, using manufacturing and production techniques borrowed from the wider fashion industry other manufacturing enterprises. He would explore ways of improving supply chains, identifying alternative suppliers, particularly of fabrics and textiles, or opportunities to use outside expertise to streamline the suit making process. He was recognised as having played an important role in the turnaround of many of the tailoring brands with which he had worked.

Abrahams married an Irish lady and, they moved to Dublin. In 1966, the couple established themselves on Dame Street, an important thoroughfare in the heart of Ireland’s capital city. Quickly, they attracted a high-end clientele, including many of the country’s most senior politicians and civil servants, a number of celebrities and many regular international visitors. Abrahams had a reputation for sourcing cloths from across the continent and offering his estimable clients suits cut in the English-style or borrowing from the Italian silhouette. Business was good and the firm would find themselves in need of larger premises. This precipitated a move to Parliament Street in 1974. The Parliament Street location would allow the firm to continue to service their existing customer base, with the tailoring house being in close proximity to Dublin Castle and to the headquarters of the Dublin City Council (then the Dublin Corporation). Parliament Street marks the westernmost boundary of Temple Bar, a popular tourist and historic cultural district.

The growth of the firm was aided by the entry into the business of Maurice’s son, Declan, himself a master tailor. The firm expanded and began to market their wares overseas, including in London where the Abrahams brand could be found in many luxurious retailers. The firm was also cutting and supplying suiting to many luxury fashion designer brands. Indeed, according to the firm’s own records, their customers included Harrods, Nina Ricci, Hermès and the legendary, but sadly gone, Old England of Paris.

Maurice retired and his son has taken the reins at this storied sartorial house which moved to its current South Anne Street location in 1981, just off Grafton Street, the primary luxury retail area in Dublin. Here, visitors can call upon Declan and his team for their expert knowledge or to hear tailors tales. The firm continues to attract a celebrity clientele with various sports stars having commissioned suits from Abrahams over the years. A substantial part of the house’s business today is from wedding parties looking to customise the groom’s and the groomsmen’s outfits.

Continuing his father’s legacy and adopting his appetite for efficiency and eagerness to ensure that the customer can access high-end suiting at a reasonable cost, the firm focusses primarily on made-to-measure tailoring. In this endeavour, they use thousands of pre-designed patterns and work with great houses across the continent to fit a wonderful suit. As with their great rival, that other famous Dublin tailor – Louis Copeland & Sons, this has become the preferred option for Dublin’s stylish gentlemen. Nonetheless, a bespoke, fully handmade tailoring service is still available. Vintage suits may, occasionally, be found online too.

Patrons have a wide range of options to select, with wools from Loro Piana, Zegna and others, and with tweeds from Irish fabric mills, such as Donegal Tweed from Magee 1866. In addition, the firm’s retail store stocks a variety of ready-to-wear suits from Féraud, Valentino, Versace, Zegna and various other brands. Abrahams also stock a number of different shirt brands and a range of accessories to complete your look.

If you are keen to explore a part of Dublin’s sartorial history, then Abrahams should be on your map. If you happen to be in the market for a tailor made suit then you should definitely visit and line up a consultation. We would recommend that you make an appointment in advance if you are exploring bespoke or have very specific ideas about what you would like.

​Abrahams customers, we would love to hear from you! Please share with us any interesting anecdotes about your experience with the brand in the comments section below.

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