A former learner at The Tailoring Academy, a Skills and Education Group Awards Centre, has used her tailoring skills to support the recent Coronation of King Charles III.
Victoria Demekhina became a senior tailor with bespoke tailoring house Samuel Brothers following her success at the Golden Shears Final in March. This biennial competition has been called “The Oscars of the Tailoring World” and celebrates the next generation of UK tailoring and fashion talent.
Victoria received the Silver Shears – the second prize – and £2,500 at the Golden Shears Final at the Merchant Taylors’ Hall on 20 March. She created a skirt suit as her entry, which was judged on technical construction and style by the panel of judges.
She entered these awards after completing the SEG Awards Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring at The Tailoring Academy.
From research engineer to senior tailor
Victoria’s success is all the more impressive because of her lack of significant prior experience. She joined The Tailoring Academy whilst working as a research engineer and a specialist in laser beam welding but wanted to explore her passion for tailoring. She had no formal experience in this field before joining the Academy but had taught herself pattern cutting and sewing techniques. Her goal was to learn as much as she could through the Level 5 Diploma in just one year.
Sure enough, after just one year of training, Victoria won the Silver Shears and started her new chapter as a senior tailor at Samuel Brothers.
Samuel Brothers are Royal Warrant holders and are tailors to the Royal Household. They played an important role in preparing the uniforms of many of the people who were on parade at the Coronation on 6 May.
As a senior tailor, Victoria interacts with a range of clients including military dignitaries, VVIPs from overseas governments, and the Royal Household.
For me, the ultimate beauty of the course was in the structured way of providing information – something that made it stand out from other options.
Reflecting on her journey, Victoria said: “If anyone had said to me a couple of years ago that I would be where I am now, I wouldn’t have believed them. To be absolutely honest, I still keep pinching myself. I’m looking back at the time when I made my life-changing decision to apply for a place at the Tailoring Academy – and I couldn’t have chosen a better path to enter the tailoring world.
“For me, the ultimate beauty of the course was in the structured way of providing information – something that made it stand out from other options. All of the scattered pieces of knowledge that I gained from so many step-by-step tutorials were topped with bespoke techniques and assembled in a foundation, upon which I can confidently build anything.”
Victoria's story shows that you should never allow anyone to hold you back when you have a big dream.
Speaking about Victoria’s success, Brita Hirsch, Director at The Tailoring Academy said:
“Whilst doing the Level 5 Diploma, Victoria cut and tailored for both the male and female figure and produced some of the best work we have ever seen in our workroom. And this was after just one year of training with us – imagine what she will be capable of doing with a few years of experience under her belt!
“We are exceedingly proud of her success, which goes to show how far sheer determination, hard work and yes, a good measure of raw talent can take you. Her story shows that you should never allow anyone to hold you back when you have a big dream.”
Want to support the next generation of tailoring talent?
Skills and Education Group Awards is the market leader for fashion and textiles qualifications. We offer over 50 qualifications for this sector, including the Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring and many others. Here are some examples:
- Level 1 Certificate in Fashion and Textiles (Sewing and Textiles)
- Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Manufacturing Textile and Sewn Products (Sewn Products)
- Level 3 Diploma in Textiles Technology
- Level 4 Diploma in Technical Textiles and Apparel (Product Development and Sourcing)
You can browse all our fashion and textiles qualifications here.
We also offer end-point assessments for fashion and textiles apprenticeship standards, helping apprentices to progress into permanent job roles in this sector. These include:
- Level 2 Material Cutter
- Level 3 Garment Maker
- Level 4 Fashion and Textiles Product Technologist
- Level 5 Bespoke Tailor and Cutter
You can find all our end-point assessments here.
If you would like to find out more about any of our qualifications or end-point assessments, or have a success story of your own to share, you can get in touch with our Relationship Managers.