Suits you sir as 150 years of family business

Cotswold Life loves family businesses (see our Family Business Awards in our April edition, out now). We are therefore delighted to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Cirencester tailor and outfitter, Pakeman Catto and Carter. On Saturday 23rd March they will be open as usual in the Market Place but customers may notice something slightly different in-store.

Staff in Victorian dress and will offer cakes and wine, with balloons for children.

With almost 50 years in Cirencester, the company was originally established in Swindon’s Old Town in 1863, after George Pakeman, great, great grandfather of the current owner, Robert, returned from service in the Crimean War.

The focus of the shop was to provide exceptional quality and customer service and then, as now, the clothes were impeccably made to the highest standards. Suits today are still made using patterns originally cut by the business’s bespoke tailor.

Five generations on, and now situated in Cirencester (with another shop inside McEwens of Perth, in Scotland), Pakeman Catto and Carter clothe their gentlemen customers from head to toe, covering all stops in between.

Offering a traditional and conventional approach to design and manufacture, Robert Pakeman also believes there is room for a little eccentricity: “Many items in our exclusive range boast vibrant colours, patterns and features that make them unique. It’s a signature look for many of our customers.”

But Robert is modest about his family’s successful business. “Although times and fashions have changed, our values haven’t – it’s still about offering clothes that are impeccably made to the highest standards to ensure exceptional quality and happy customers.”