Find out what it takes to make a Dior Homme suit — stitch by stitch

The Dior Homme suit factory, set up in northern Italy in 2001, calls on the savoir-faire of Italian craftsmen-tailors recognised the world over.

Developed through close collaboration with the Parisian design studio and made from the sketches of Dior Homme creative director Kris Van Assche, each Dior Homme suit takes about five weeks to complete. The process includes picking the fabrics; hand-cutting; the sewing, not ironing on, of its traditional animal-fibre interlining; intricate pressing of the shoulder line; the sewing of invisible holding stitches and revers seams (the reverse side of a collar that is exposed when it is folded back); top-collar insertion; and buttons sewn by hand.

Shown in this article are the nine crucial steps that go into the sewing of the made-to-measure suits.

Fashion finesse
Since 2007, Belgium-born Kris Van Assche has helmed the Dior Homme department where, as creative director, he has been responsible for the global brand image of the ready-to-wear and accessories collections. In addition, the 34-year-old does his own model castings, stages fashion shows and is behind all its advertising campaigns.

After completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Assche moved to Paris. While interning at Yves Saint Laurent there, he met and was guided by designer Hedi Slimane. Slimane left YSL in 2000 for Dior, taking young Assche with him. When Slimane left Dior in 2007, Assche was his natural successor.

To this day, Assche continues to wow fashion gurus with his minimalist approach and focus on men’s tailoring at a time when most fashion houses are shunning it.

1. From design to delivery
Dior Homme studio sends the manufacturer the technical elements necessary for the creation of a piece designed by Van Assche. Upon receipt, a paper pattern is produced for each design. This will serve as the base for the execution of unique pattern blocks, cutting the fabric, and devising size grading using computer technology.

2. Choice of materials
Each bolt of fabric, selected from traditional Italian or inventive Japanese ones, is subject to intense quality control before being laid out on a computer-controlled cutting table.

3. Cutting
The cutting-out of all the elements of the suit is done with a single machine. It guarantees the use of a single piece of fabric for the suit. The metal pattern blocks for cutting out top collars and revers are exclusive to each model. These elements, especially characteristic of Dior Homme suits, are then cut by hand.

4. Assembly
The assemblage of the three constituent elements of the body of the jacket (lining, fabric and interlining) is an expression of the quality of construction that comes from the couture spirit of Dior. The inner construction of a jacket is its soul. Dior Homme jackets are entirely mounted. The canvas gives the jacket its elegance and lightness, and also its substance and hold. The interlining, the internal part between the fabric and lining, is an essential step. Its composition, based on high-quality materials, is minutely studied. Similarly, for the sleeves, the interlining is made up of five elements, all of natural origin.

5. Basting
This step is essential to the elegance of the suit. Unlike most factory-made suits that use iron-on interfacing, Dior Homme suits are entirely sewn. Basting allows for the perfect positioning of the mounting on the fabric and obtaining a stiffness subtly adjusted to the lines of the body.

6. Mounting operations
Made entirely of natural materials, the mounting must be washed and dried to maintain its strength and elasticity. As a standard, mountings come in camel fibres and horse hair, just as in bespoke Italian suiting. The treatment of mountings is crucial; it is handled by a specialised team that assembles it by hand on a ribbon to balance the more and less rigid zones of the jacket. The strengthening panels are sewn first. These are then sewn in-between the outer fabric and the lining.

7. Setting of collar and sleeves
Before sewing the sleeve to the body of the jacket, a shoulder pad is placed on and sewn to the interlining. The shoulder area is further reinforced with a special piece called a rollino. This strengthens the shoulder and ensures the characteristic hang of a Dior Homme jacket. The armhole is sewn by hand to ensure perfect wearability and comfort. The sleeve head is tacked in with a line of stitches from the top to the bottom of the shoulder. The collar is tacked and sewn by hand, starting with the notch of one revers and moving to the notch opposite. Once all the outer seams are finished, the lining is sewn in by hand. Each jacket is then inspected by an artisan as the tacks are being removed.

8. Pressing
Throughout the assembly process, the fabrics are pressed many times to maintain their shape. Each part of a jacket has its own corresponding board and iron: For the pressing of the collar and shoulders, a special curved ironing board adapted to the shape of this area is used. The shoulder is moulded on a board modelled after the shoulder line of a mannequin. The pressers specialise in the ironing of one specific piece of the garment.

9. Finishing and quality control
The finishing of a Dior Homme suit requires numerous hours of work. Buttons are sewn individually by artisans, while the buttonholes are produced by machine to ensure a clean, sharp look. Each step in the production process is followed by strict quality control. At the time of the final control, the conformity of the suit is assessed with the aid of patterns created for this purpose. Even the slightest irregularity means that the item is immediately sent to the workroom to be reworked. It’s only after this series of checks that a Dior Homme suit is deemed suitable for store delivery.

This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 792, Feb 8-14, 2010