Duane MacLeod was drawn into the world of tailoring seemingly by accident. Now the owner of a one-man tailoring business couldn’t be happier. In Episode 81 of Sewing With Threads, he shares his enthusiasm for the craft and how he arrived at this point later in life.
From Nursing to Tailoring
Best known online as @MainelyMenswear, Duane has begun HoldFastBespoke.com, on the Maine coast, after a career in nursing. He credits several books, tailoring school, and many people with inspiring and helping him develop his fine tailoring skills. Those folks include former Threads Digital Ambassador Peter Lappin, plus the instructors and his classmates at the tailoring school he attended in the United Kingdom for more than 10 months.
Sewing From a Book
But his sewing journey started with the well-illustrated Japanese sewing book Men’s Coats by Ryuichiro Shimazaki (Bunka Shuppankyoku, 2008).
“I decided that I would make the duffle coat from that book and I was just instantly hooked on the whole process,” he says. “After making that coat, I couldn’t stop.”
A Tailoring Journey
Listen in to discover how Duane then found and later arrived at The Tailoring Academy in Macclesfield, United Kingdom. He faced unexpected challenges and memorable rewards. Duane chronicles his tailoring school experience in “A Tale of Tailoring” in Threads #228 Fall 2024.
In the podcast, Duane discusses how he was received during a visit to Savile Row, what changes he’s made to his sewing room back at home, and where he is going from here.
Photos: courtesy of Duane MacLeod.
This episode’s sponsor
You’re invited, Threads fans, to join us May 3 through May 10, 2025, on an exclusive tour of London.
This tour features a custom glove-making master class with Riina Õun and a workshop at Hand & Lock, Britain’s oldest embroidery atelier. There’s also a guided tour of Savile Row and shopping at high-end fabric stores. The trip is filled with activities to teach and inspire you.
To find out more about the Travel with Threads London Tour, go to Shop.Threads Magazine.com. The group is limited to 15 participants. Reserve your space now.
I so enjoyed this episode! I've been following Duane (may I be presumptuous, and call him by his first name?) for quite awhile now. It is so cool to watch his progress with sewing and tailoring. Good luck with the business! I think he has a clear vision as to how his business will develop and evolve...which is to say, the same way that his garment making has evolved...organically.
Very inspiring episode!