 Savile Row 's reputation is built on bespoke tailoring , where each suit is made to individually fit . The term " bespoke " , which has an etymology developing from " to exclaim " through " discussed in advance " and is generally understood to mean " made to order " , became associated with fine tailoring , with tailors claiming that the term has been in common use for tailoring since the 17th century . Savile Row tailors argue that " bespoke " , in relation to tailoring , is understood to mean a suit cut and made by hand ; however , after a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2008 , the term may now also be applied to machine sewed garments , provided they are made @-@ to @-@ measure . Suits , at Kilgour & French , cost at least £ 5000 . The Creative Director Carlo Brandelli makes no apologies for the cost . Brandelli insists : " That the street ’ s tailors have been underselling themselves for generations , certainly compared to the couture houses of Paris . " 
