Process & about

Five decades at the same bench.

Wren & Tan has cut cloth in Singapore since 1978. Same standards, same patience, same drawer of patterns.

Our story

A small shophouse, a pair of shears, and a rule about honesty.

Wren & Tan Bespoke Tailors began in 1978 in a narrow shophouse off Tanjong Pagar, cutting for shipping clerks and lawyers who needed one good suit that would last. Mr Tan Kok Wah drafted the patterns; his partner ran the finishing bench. The rule then was the same as it is now — never sell a man a cloth he does not need.

Three generations later we work from a light-filled floor on Duxton Hill with seven master tailors, several of whom trained in Hong Kong and Naples. We still draft every pattern by hand, still baste every first fitting, and still keep the paper patterns in wooden drawers rather than a hard drive.

What has changed is who walks in: founders, surgeons, brides commissioning for their grooms, and sons collecting the suit their father was measured for twenty years ago.

Tape measure and shears on the cutting table

The bespoke process

Six stages, and none of them are rushed.

Consultation & measurements

Ninety minutes. We talk about your work, your climate, how you sit and how you move — then take more than twenty measurements and photograph your posture.

Cloth & style

You choose from forty bunches with a cutter beside you. Lapel width, gorge height, pocket style, lining, buttons — recorded on your order card.

Pattern & cutting

Your pattern is drafted on paper by hand and cut by one tailor, who owns the garment from first chalk mark to final press.

First fitting

A basted garment, held with white tack stitches. We open it, mark it, and correct balance, sleeve pitch and trouser break.

Adjustments & second fitting

The garment is taken apart and re-cut. Most clients need one more fitting; some need two. There is no extra charge for either.

Finishing & collection

Buttonholes sewn by hand, edges pick-stitched, a final press on the Hoffman. Your pattern goes into the drawer for next time.

12,400+

Garments crafted since 1978

One at a time, by one tailor, from first chalk mark to final press.

We do not run a production line. Each garment stays with the tailor who cut it, which is why our fittings are honest and our corrections are quick.

Cloth philosophy

The right cloth beats the expensive cloth.

Super 180s feels extraordinary in the bunch and disappoints after a year of daily wear. For Singapore we steer most clients toward high-twist wools in the 8–10oz range: they breathe, shed creases, and still look sharp after a taxi ride across town.

We buy from Holland & Sherry, Vitale Barberis Canonico, Dormeuil, Drago and Thomas Mason, and we will happily talk you down to a cheaper bunch when it is the better garment. Honesty is the only reason a tailor gets a second order.

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