Gentlemen,

as you probably noticed, our so precious word “Bespoke” is nowadays abused by marketers of all sorts, and this is truly tragic. Today in Europe and in the USA, it is a word used awkwardly whether for the sale of olive oil or sheets… Unfortunately this is far from being a recent phenomenon. Mass communication is a steamroller that soils everything it touches, often turning it into a fad, with the consequence of voiding words of their essential meanings. Just this morning I have come to realise that the baker (who is by the way quite a mediocre one) lodging below my home has recently become a “publisher of bread” while “masters” titles of all sorts are now blooming. A common cheese retailer in my neighbourhood market has also  recently raised his grade to “master cheese refiner”.  All this is quite distressing…

This major trend of ascribing various meanings to a word is disastrous because it drags down EVERYTHING, induces confusion and is a ploy to sell mass produced products as genuine craft products whereas these are usually manufactured in unseemly conditions.

In an attempt to stop this “semantic theft”, some reputed tailors at Savile Row have recently made their case to the AAA (Advertising Standards Authority) to point out that the use of the word BESPOKE needed to meet several criteria that are very precise, particularly, on the need for a 100% original patronage creation. But as all of you probably noticed, there have been many adverts all over the place with overpromising messages like adverts for Bespoke suits sold for 190 euros !! Unfortunately, their case was rejected on the false reason that the word had “slided” into other usages and further that “nobody, buying that type of product at that price will expect a product that is entirely handmade”. This is an utter scandal!

Gentlemen, the marketers of menswear megabrands like Hugo Boss have recently “discovered” the renewed interest in custom tailored clothing and are surfing on the “Bespoke” wave, and thus trampling down on centuries-old culture and know-how. From hereon, we can’t certainly trust anyone in our continuous quest for the best and most attractive, and less so with the men’s fashion press which often tends to be in dire need to sell advertising spaces.

Here at PG we are declaring war on these lying advertising practices and call upon our readers to overlook this type of semantic manipulation. Our ideal will not be trampled upon and there is a resistance that is being increasingly organised on the Internet. Thus for the next suit you might be contemplating buying, please go to blog sites like those listed on my blogroll for your information. These are all, so far, administered by passionate and disinterested connoisseurs who provide you with genuine and sincere information.

While the battle is an unequal one, it should be noted however that the populace has hardly been a part of our readership. And secondly, David has always dressed better than Goliath!

Cheers, HUGO