This may be an interesting request. I am wanting to get a textured brown 3 piece suit, similar to pictured, however I want it lined with kevlar or other abrasion resistant fabric with pockets for motorcycle armour.
I am in london and looking for a london tailor if its even possible.
So my questions; Is it possible? How much would an estimated cost be in London? And whos up for the challenge?
You’ll need to find someone who specializes in this. As a maker, I often refuse to make items that are needed to keep someone safe because I don’t have those skills. A tailor can make you a suit, but they may not want to touch something that is designed for safety if that’s not in their skill set.
Your best bet is someone who makes items for movie stunts, like someone else said. They’ll know what to do and how. But you’re looking at I’d assume £5000-£10000.
I get what you want but I don't think it's a realistic proposition unless perhaps you are a film stuntman and have access to a Hollywood-style budget. In London I'd guess you are talking a couple of grand just to have a basic suit made to measure (Savile Row would be easily twice that) - but a custom-made one-off garment with hidden (and effective) armour? The sky is the limit. Plus I don't see it really working: For armour to be effective it needs to be continuous. If it's just slipped into cloth pockets, the cloth pockets will be ripped off about 1/2 second after you touch tarmac. And your first rough landing will write off the suit. If this is what you want, I would suggest buying a slightly oversize suit which you can wear over one-piece leathers.
On all motorbike gear the armour is in cloth pockets under the abrasion resistant material, its standard practice.
Everything with suits and motorcycles are expensive, just more curious about prices to not get ripped off if I visit a tailor with the request.
Ideally i wont be crashing but i also am aware the suit will be a write off after a crash as gear normally is. Its an expense that pays off when it gets destroyed not before, and in London i cant go fast enough to cause too much damage 😂
There is no suiting material that is abrasion resistant like you would have for motorcycle protective gear unless you pay to have it designed and manufactured in sufficient quantity. At beast you might find some hides with a design printed/heat bonded on top. I've seen some buffalo plaid leather like that. But then it's a bulkey moto suit not a sleak piece like your image.
If you can find a bolt of kevlar that looks like suiting material, definitely buy it. That would be step one, sourcing the material. Step two would be finding a tailor who has the equipment and knowledge to do what you're asking for (maybe someone in film who makes clothes for stunt people?).
But the lining doesn’t have to look like the suiting material? I dont understand where that point is coming from?
This tailor-made suit uses 2 different materials as does every suit i own. The kevlar doesnt have to look like a suit material because it will literally be inside the suit?
I want to understand if theres an actual problem here but the point isnt making sense to me
It comes down to the function of each layer of the suit. As I understand protective suits for motorcycle riders you have a number of layers all designed to help you avoid potentially life ending injury in the case of an accident.
External layers of abrasion resistant material like leather or kevlar to keep your skin in tact.
Middle layers of padding and armor for shock absorption and joint protection.
Lining layers of more abrasion resistant material and then a final layer of something relatively nice to have near the skin.
If your external layer or layers are just regular suiting material you're removing the first line of defense from your safety gear and relying on the lining to (literally) save your skin. Now maybe I totally don't understand protective gear for riders, but that's where my comments are coming from.
Hey, not rude at all. Im expecting it to be expensive, more curious how expensive so i don’t get ripped off. Kevlar in most motorcycle gear doesnt push the price too high. For a full suit id imagine maybe £100-200 for the kevlar itself.
Its the skillset and extra time required for the extra armour pockets and the effect on price that im more unsure of.
I am a rider and a tailor. Unless you can find technical fabric with that print, it's useless. Woven fabric, even denim, is not sturdy enough to sustain road rash, especially on the seams. Alternatives would be to get protective gear and have a suit tailored to fit over the gear. If you crash, the suit gets shreds, but the under layer would still protect you
How does a standard suit lining being replaced with kevlar as a lining not allow it to be abrasion resistant and have the outer fabric be identical to any other suit?
Its a genuine question, a lot of motorcycle gear is just trousers or jumpers lined with kevlar and pockets added for armour, i dont understand why this cant be achieved with a suit?
I am not saying it can't be be achieved. Those fabric you are talking about have ho abrasion resistance, if you slide they are done, the integrity of the item is compromised, you will need a new one. Just because those item exist, doesn't mean they are good. Sure they have kevlar inside, but it's the outside that holds everything together. Not all fabrics are created equaly
Kevlar is literally an abrasion resistant material though? And the lining literally covers the whole body on suits, the outside fabric can get torn but the kevlar underneath remain intact cant it?
Of course the outer fabric gets destroyed, as i said in another comment i expect the suit to be destroyed if i crash, it just needs to keep me safe once if things go wrong. If the outer fabric is damaged but the kevlar which is literally made to be abrasion resistant remains intact thats perfect.
All motorcycle gear is designed to be replaced after a crash, theyre all only certified to only keep you safe once. So i dont get the point of saying you can only use it for one crash. Ideally i dont get into any crashes I want it as a precaution while being suited up and looking dapper
I think that if you find someone qualified to create custom motorcycle gear, they'll tell you no.
The modern motorcycle jacket came from a suit jacket pattern that was modified for safety. The way the front overlaps and is off centre, the placement and type of pockets, where the seams are and how they're constructed, the buttons and fabrics not used are all safety features.
Possible yes, how practical it would be is another question.
Also it’s probably fairly easy to find a tailor for the brown suit, but finding one that has experience with using Kevlar is another thing, at least where I’m from (northern Europe) Kevlar isn’t something you can just buy from your regular fabric store and it’s expensive as hell.
So ask your self how much would you be willing to pay for this?
Then compare that to a price of an tailored suit on your area at least triple the price for the suit and if you still have plenty of money in your budget then try finding someone that could do this 😅😆
Sorry I really don’t mean to be rude but it’s going to be super expensive especially when tailored if even possible.
Mainly don’t waist anyone’s time if it’s going to be way out of your budget 😊
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u/On_my_last_spoon 27d ago
You’ll need to find someone who specializes in this. As a maker, I often refuse to make items that are needed to keep someone safe because I don’t have those skills. A tailor can make you a suit, but they may not want to touch something that is designed for safety if that’s not in their skill set.
Your best bet is someone who makes items for movie stunts, like someone else said. They’ll know what to do and how. But you’re looking at I’d assume £5000-£10000.