The re-re-birth of Walter Beauchamp Tailors

Full disclosure: while I once worked for Walter Beauchamp Tailors doing communications and went on to co-write their history, this post is not sponsored by the company.

Toronto’s Walter Beauchamp Tailors officially turns one hundred and ten years old this October. But the company has never been through as much change as in the last five years. While it moved locations many times in the 20th century and was even sold (in the 1940s) and bought back by the family (in the 60s), the last few years have included winding down, re-opening at a new location, winding down again and re-opening yet again.

A brief history of the company’s recent events: in 2014, with the shop’s lease expiring on its Wellington Street location and both owner Terry Beauchamp and master tailor Alfonso Prezioso considering retirement, Terry made the decision to shut down the company. But just before the doors closed for good, Terry struck up a deal with Holt Renfrew Men, who licensed the brand as part of their new location on Bloor Street. Terry and some of the shop’s staff moved to this new home. Business went well and while new people were introduced to the company, many long-time clients continued to get the Beauchamp experience. Terry then decided to finally retire and moved out west. Around the same time, Holt Renfrew went through a number of changes that led to giving up the Beauchamp licence. And so, since the launching of the Beauchamp book last fall, the company existed in name only. But even at the time, plans were afoot to bring Beauchamp’s back to Toronto.

Terry Beauchamp and Gian-Paolo Mazzotta.

Gian-Paolo Mazzotta, who has run his own custom tailoring operation for a number of years, started working at Holt Renfrew Men soon after Beauchamp’s joined. That’s when Terry began passing on as much knowledge as he could to Gian-Paolo. When the company left Holt’s, the two started hatching a plan to bring the company back, under Gian-Paolo’s stewardship. “I looked for someone like Gian-Paolo over the last twenty years,” Terry told me, “and I think it’s a very good continuation of the Beauchamp name.” Ever since the company went on hiatus last fall, Terry has been receiving regular phone calls from long-time clients searching for a new custom tailor. Now, Terry can send them to Gian-Paolo.

Gian-Paolo and Terry with Toronto fashion luminary Glen Baxter (far right) and brother Ted.

Walter Beauchamp was officially re-launched a few weeks ago at a special reception at Toronto’s Royal Canadian Military Institute. That’s where I sat down with Gian-Paolo to find out more about his vision for the company and what he thinks “Walter Beauchamp” stands for. “It’s about relationships,” he told me. Historically speaking, he’s right. Beauchamp’s never had a signature look, style or silhouette. Instead, they were known for making serious, conservative suits for powerful people. But it was the relationship with these clients, through Terry, his father and his grandfather, that was the heart of the company. Gian-Paolo is hoping to continue that tradition.

However, he also wants to expand the vision of Beauchamp’s beyond conservative business suits because, as he states correctly, “they’ve always changed with the times.” As Creative Director, Gian-Paolo will continue to serve traditional Beauchamp customers with the same style they are accustomed to, but he is also looking to add a different look for other customers who may want something more casual or contemporary. And the crowd at the event seemed to back him up: there was a healthy mix of older and younger. (Gian-Paolo is also continuing Beauchamp’s tradition of military tailoring.)

It is worth nothing that like Terry, Gian-Paolo is not a needle and thread tailor. However, he does draft his own patterns (electronically) and oversees production at a local tailoring manufacturer (the same one that had been producing Beauchamp garments for well over a decade. In fact, Beauchamp’s stopped constructing their own garments back in 1963). Gian-Paolo is offering two levels of make under the Beauchamp name: made-to-measure and bespoke. Both begin the same way, with the house pattern he has developed for Beauchamp’s, digitally adjusted to the client’s measurements. Both are fully canvased and have their armholes constructed by hand. His bespoke service adds numerous fittings and extensive hand finishing throughout. Other hand work, in terms of construction itself, is also available at a higher cost. Prices for a two-piece suit start at $1800 for MTM and $2300 for bespoke.

For the first time in its history, Beauchamp’s does not have a storefront but operates out of a stylish condo, by appointment. And while Gian-Paolo will oversee day-to-day operations, Terry tells me he will act as a “silent partner” offering advice and guidance from afar, as well as visiting Toronto two or three times a year for get-togethers with clients.

All photos courtesy Walter Beauchamp Tailors.

Related posts

CBC Radio interview about Walter Beauchamp Tailors Launching “Walter Beauchamp: A Tailored History of Toronto” “Walter Beauchamp: A Tailored History of Toronto” launch and release Former Beauchamp tailor Alfonso Prezioso passes away