Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-05-18)

THEONE BloombergPursuits May 18, 2020

The Denham leather jacket

is a silky-smooth riff on

the classic. Photograph by

Stephen Lewis

Get Made in

The Suede

Leather jacket
maker Savannah
Yarborough comes
by the trade
honestly: Educated
in design at industry-
famous Central Saint
Martins in London,
she was a senior
designer at Billy
Reid before opening
her Nashville-based
studio, Savas LLC, in
January 2015. Since
then her one-off,
bespoke jackets
have been adopted
as a uniform for a
clientele including
Wall Street bankers,
football legend
Terry Bradshaw,
and musicians such
as Jack White and
the late John Prine.
Because multiple
fittings and private
consultations can
push the wait time
to 12 weeks or
more, Yarborough
has introduced
the $2,500 suede
Denham, her first
ready-to-wear
design. It’s meant
for the want-it-
now customer who
doesn’t need custom
linings or sleeve
sizes measured to
exacting standards.

THE COMPETITION

• The $910 suede
  trucker jacket from
  e-commerce outlet
  Mr Porter is an
  elegant lightweight
  layer in between
  seasons. It comes
  in olive-colored
  goat suede and has
  adjustable waist
  tabs, horn button
  fastenings, and four
  exterior pockets.


• A $3,495 Clifton
  trucker jacket from

THE CASE

Modeled after a

comfortable denim

jacket, the Denham

is cut from lamb

suede so incredibly

soft Yarborough

calls it “cashmere

lamb suede.” Made

entirely by hand

in her Music City

studio, it has four

outside pockets,

solid brass snaps,

and double-needle

stitching. Savas’s

signature chain-

stitch embroidery

lies hidden on the

interior in a motif

inspired by an art

deco stained-glass

design. You can

choose a different

color and have it

(remotely) tailored

to your size for the

best of both worlds:

the dedication

and attention of a

bespoke piece done

in half the time—

and for just $200

extra. $2,500;

ateliersavas.com

Ralph Lauren’s

Purple Label is made

from luxurious suede

but looks like well-

worn denim. The

material is treated

by craftsmen in Italy

to achieve a unique

color variation and

chambray texture.

• Billy Reid’s one-
  pocket suede shirt
  fits more like a
  light jacket than

something you’d

wear by itself—and

at $995, it has a

price tag to match.

Made in Italy with

supple goat suede,

it sports antique

brass snaps and

cuffed sleeves.

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