{"id":349077,"date":"2026-03-16T13:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/349077\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T13:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:56:08","slug":"during-covid-we-made-a-few-suits-and-built-up-five-star-reviews-its-been-non-stop-since-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/349077\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018During Covid we made a few suits and built up five-star reviews. It\u2019s been non-stop since\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sean Treacy turned a burgeoning sporting career as a clay shooting champion into his current occupation as a tailor<\/a> in Dublin\u2019s Merrion Square<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Hailing from Swords<\/a> and encouraged by a grandfather, Treacy had aimed at the Olympics as a clay target hunter. This involved travelling the world, from China to the US, the Emirates and Europe (the sport is huge in Italy, he says), until he finally came home to a job in finance. Travelling with guns was a nightmare, he recalls.<\/p>\n

In 2018, a distressing experience led him to set his sights on a different target in his life. He had gone to a tailor to get a suit specially made for his wedding, but it wasn\u2019t delivered in time for his big day. So, at the last minute, he was forced to buy one off the peg, encountering poor customer service in many shops.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of working in finance, I had lived in suits, so that started me looking into the idea of a suit business,\u201d he says. \u201cI saw a gap in the market for an affordable, approachable service for tailoring that was non-pretentious.\u201d <\/p>\n

Shooting from another hip, so to speak, <\/p>\n

After two years spent researching and travelling around Europe visiting small, family-owned workshops, he launched Hunter Treacy Tailors with a trial run, and built a website. \u201cDuring Covid we made a few suits and built up five-star reviews. It\u2019s been non-stop since.\u201d he says, adding that he only takes a limited number of customers every month so every client feels special.<\/p>\n

Based in the grandeur of a beautiful showroom with floor-to-ceiling windows in Plunkett House, Merrion Square, he has established a thriving business making bespoke suits and other wardrobe essentials for both male and female clients.<\/p>\n

He encourages them to think long term. \u201cBlazers are so versatile \u2013 they can be worn with jeans, chinos or a nice pair of flannels. Double-breasted jackets are back, with fuller cut trousers and high waists. Green is becoming popular for weddings these days \u2013 in pistachio or forest green linen in summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor business suits, women tend to go for mostly black and navy, but we make them a lot of blazers \u2013 popular last year in tweed, one-offs, usually double breasted and more relaxed and not oversized. It\u2019s the same process for women and the same turnaround time.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Meet the Irish tailors making strides in contemporary suitingOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

One customer he remembers was \u201ca big guy built like a rugby player, and we made him a double-breasted chalk stripe suit and the minute he put it on, it just suited his frame. He has come back ever since,\u201d says Treacy.<\/p>\n

Although a handmade suit costs more than one off the peg, the advantage is a fit that is tailored to the specific silhouette, lasts longer and looks good. \u201cGuys get used to wearing suits that don\u2019t fit and are uncomfortable. A properly made suit should feel and look good, [whereas] off the peg won\u2019t sit the same way and won\u2019t feel as comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He notes that for business suits, \u201cthe main thing to communicate is authority, with more structured shoulders. You stand differently if it fits properly.\u201d <\/p>\n

He has done more business suits this year than last and says that those who work in the tech industry, famously casual, still have items made to measure. \u201cWe do a lot of sports jackets with tailored shirts and chinos for them, as opposed to a full suit,\u201d so the look is more easy-going yet tailored.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love doing personal styling. I love the creative side of the business as much as the functional side and putting outfits together. Some men just don\u2019t have a clue about colours, for instance.\u201d <\/p>\n

On display, is a suit jacket turned inside out to show its handmade construction. Measurements are key to the perfect fit. There are about 30 to be made for a suit, 10 for a shirt and the same number for trousers. A lot are made from deadstock luxury fabrics. Treacy also sells chinos, shoes, watch straps, belts, briefcases, pocket squares and ties, many of which are displayed on either side of the wide staircase leading to his showroom.<\/p>\n

Once measurements are taken and fabrics chosen, the details are sent digitally to his makers in Italy or Portugal \u201cso we have complete control over fabrics\u201d. Suits are made on site in the workshops, \u201cso we are fully transparent\u201d.<\/p>\n

In his experience, chief executives usually know what they want and how to dress. \u201cYounger men who want to look like the boss can\u2019t pull it off; it looks forced. <\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I feel like a therapist helping guys who have no self-confidence in their body shape. A handmade suit lifts them and they even stand up straighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suits start at \u20ac1,050 for a two-piece with supplied fabric, and from \u20ac1,250 with Hunter Treacy fabric up to \u20ac3,000. Jackets and blazers are about \u20ac850, while shirts cost from \u20ac200 to \u20ac700. <\/p>\n

It takes six to eight weeks from start to finish (with fittings) and a full made-to-measure suit takes about two weeks for an express service. He also recommends allowing 12 weeks for a wedding or special event. huntertreacytailors.ie<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sean Treacy turned a burgeoning sporting career as a clay shooting champion into his current occupation as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,615,61,60,90974],"class_list":["post-349077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-dublin","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-merrion-square"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}