About Us

Michael Hopkins (owner of TravellingTailor.co.uk) started working in the menswear industry at the age of 16 as a 'Saturday Lad' for a well-known northern High St men’s and ladies clothing retailer. As soon as he was able to drive at the age of 17, the company promoted him to cover full time holiday relief sales during his college holidays, you could say, this was the start of his 'Travelling Tailor' days as he spent time working in Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley, Castleford, Wakefield and Dewsbury to name but a few.

On leaving college, Michael became a full time representative working with various companies selling office equipment, cigarettes and chocolates. After he was made redundant, his father (Laurie Hopkins) required someone to provide cover in his business Laurie Hopkins Menswear whilst he went into hospital to have a minor operation.
Michael came into the business for two weeks and the rest as they say is history, staying there for the next 25+ years and becoming a partner some 20+ years ago.

During the early years of working with Laurie, Michael was taught the art of measuring customers for made to measure suit, initially watching Laurie measure clients, then measuring his own customers under the careful tutorage of Laurie to finally measuring the majority of Laurie Hopkins Menswear made to measure customers.
Michael has been measuring clients for made to measure suits for over 20+ years.

Obviously, the skills learnt over the years in the made to measure sector are also useful within the ready to wear and corporate side of the business.

Quite often, ready to wear clients would come into the shop looking for a suit or jacket saying they’ve been unable to find one anywhere that fits, Michael would look at them and go straight to a jacket, pull it off the racks and on the customers back, fitting them perfectly, this is what experience teaches you.
When you ‘buy into’ the TravellingTailor.co.uk brand, you’re not just getting a garment, you’re getting a service and level of experience that is second to none. Michael wants people to say ‘that jacket (or suit etc) fits you perfectly, where did you get it from?’ because that is how he does business.

TravellingTailor, your clothes are our business.

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