The majority of today’s men wear ready-to-wear or made-to-measure clothes produced in factories. Only a very small minority of gentlemen dress in bespoke clothes made by tailors, but 200 years ago every garment was made by hand. 

Before the advent of sewing machines in the 18th century, all clothes were cut and sewn by hand similar to the way modern-day bespoke tailors work. However, the desired fit was achieved in a way very different to our times. From the Middle Ages to the 18th-century, tailors created their patterns with methods that were their trade secret. They were not shared with apprentices until a master tailor handed over his business to someone who had bought it.