With more than four decades of fashion industry experience and skill under his belt, it’s no surprise Anthony Moorhouse has become renowned the world over for his fine tailoring skills.
For anyone not in the know, Anthony is actually the mastermind behind The Elvish Tailor – an Ipswich-based clothing business specialising in handmade attire including hats, bags, dresses, cloaks and shawls.
But what sets his wares apart from others is Anthony's eye-catching designs, heavily-influenced by the fantasy, Celtic heritage, and all things witchy and wonderful.
Originally hailing from Yorkshire, Anthony is descended from a long line of tailors, weavers, and clothiers – tracing his roots all the way back to ancestor Roger de Moorhouse in 1360.
But one of the biggest influences in his life? His mum.
“I’ve always had an interest in fashion, which I suppose came from my mum. She was really glamorous, and was one of those women in the 50s who’d get changed into a cocktail or evening dress when my dad got home from work. They’d have really glam parties and her friends always looked fabulous so I supposed that was really inspired my love of fashion.”
Knowing what he wanted to do in life, Anthony went on to study fashion design at the former Nottingham Polytechnic and Derby College of Art and Technology before making waves in the fashion industry.
“During the 80s, I trained with Philip Somerville, the Queen’s milliner. We used to work in the showroom. There was gilding and marble everywhere. Everybody who made the hats was on the top floors, and it was like the Victorian days as we’d need to heat the irons on stoves as they weren’t electric. It was a brilliant time, learning all of the techniques that milliners use. I even made a hat for the Queen once, which she wore on a trip to Hong Kong in 1986,” he says.
Following his time under the tutelage of Philip Somerville, Anthony furthered his career and took on a role with Debenhams where he worked as a menswear buyer.
But after years of working in the fashion industry, Anthony fancied a change of pace. And in the 90s, he made the move to Suffolk where he trained as a herbalist and aromatherapist before opening up Ipswich shop Sacred Earth in 1996 with husband and local folklore author Nigel G Peason.
A decade ago, though, Anthony suffered a heart attack and had an epiphany – he missed the world of fashion.
“In my spare time I’d always make clothes for my friends and myself, and the heart attack was one of those wakeup moments for me. I knew I wanted a change in my life, and I wanted to go back into designing and making, but on my terms rather than being in the fashion industry.”
In 2012 he threw open the doors to The Elvish Tailor.
“A lot of my clothes such as the dresses are based on historical periods. I love that 50s Dior ‘New Look’ style, and I’ll go back and take inspiration from the earlier Chanel of the 1920s.
“When it comes to the embroidery work, particularly with the shawls I make, I incorporate things like myths and legends, gods and goddesses, fairytales, dreams, nature, and Celtic artwork which I love.”
His favourite pieces to make are shawls and wool cloaks – both of which are incredibly popular across the globe with avid collectors and fashionistas.
“Particularly with the shawls, as soon as I finish one, it sells. Quite often they’re bought by Americans, but I’ve got customers all over the world, including as far away as Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. My wool cloaks are my most popular though, and I make loads of those, especially through the winter.
“I love doing silk velvet shawls but they take a huge amount of time – from the original concept to the embroidery, to putting it together. If someone comes to me, the process is a real couture experience. We’ll talk about what suits you, what the event is that you want the piece for, what you love, all that sort of thing. Then we’ll take all of your measurements and build an entire outfit around you. I work out of shed in the garden, so to have such a global base is mind-blowing, really.”
Things are going well for Anthony, and he credits that success to just letting his business flourish naturally as he continues doing what he does best. “I’ve been self-employed for so long, I let the business grow itself organically. If you have ideas of where you want to be, you sometimes don’t get to them or you’ve got to change your plans. So you’ve got to let your business grow itself each day, and I go wherever it goes.”
theelvishtailor.co.uk
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