John McCabe
Whitcomb & Shaftesbury make suits without compromise. Every garment is hand made entirely on our premises. Head cutter John McCabe, personally oversees the production of our garments and is responsible for ensuring each garment meets the highest standards.
Considered one of the finest cutters in Savile Row, John has been perfecting his art for 56 years. His extensive experience as a cutter on Savile Row commenced at Adeney & Boutroy (where he first worked with Bob Bigg) then at Hogg, Sons & J.B. Johnston, Carr, Son & Woor, and then J. Dege & Sons before moving onto at Kilgour, French Stanbury in 1993 where he was employed for over 17 years.
During his time on Savile Row, John has cut for some of the most respected names in the world, including rock stars, actors, heads of state and business magnates. He has also worked with the finest coat makers of his generation. He brings with him to Whitcomb & Shaftesbury his wealth of knowledge, skill and relationships with the trade to ensure the finest outcome in standing with his credentials.
Bob Bigg
Bob Bigg is an icon in Savile Row. He started tailoring at the age of 16 in the West End of London. After working with Anthony Sinclair - famous as Sean Connery’s tailor, Bob moved to Adeney and Boutroy where he first worked with John McCabe.
After Adeney & Boutroy, Bob worked with Harry Helman who was famously known as the Godfather of Savile Row. After Helman was taken over by Dege & Skinner Bob set up on his own tailoring business in Cork Street before retiring to care for his late wife. He returned to the West End to work with Jarvis & Hamilton and then with Whitcomb & Shaftesbury.
Bob has been on Savile Row for 60 years and brings with him a wealth of knowledge in tailoring almost every type of garment. He is responsible for training and maintaining quality in the workshop in Chennai.
Bob has long been considered one of the West Ends finest dressed gentlemen and brings a fantastic sense of style that he is passionate about sharing with customers.
Sian Walton
Coming from a fashion design university education, Sian was drawn to the unique, personal experience of bespoke tailoring; to the high quality fabrics and materials, heritage skills and the community feel in the industry.
She started training as a Cutter on the Row at Kilgour, French Stanbury - where she first worked alongside John McCabe. After 6 years, Sian then moved to dynamic young tailors Thom Sweeney team where she was one of the lead cutters and continued to hone her bespoke skills. She then worked with fashion house Alexander McQueen at their Bespoke department on Savile Row facility where she was challenged to use her bespoke cutting skills with the unique demands of the fashion world.
Sian has over 20 years as a cutter in Savile Row and brings with her a fantastic skill base and an eye for style and has deep expertise in cutting a variety of garments including ladies wear.
Mahesh Ramakrishnan
Mahesh is one of the founders of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury and has been managing our workshop in Chennai for the past 15 years. He has extensive experience in pattern making and tailoring having worked closely with John McCabe and Bob Bigg and is responsible for ensuring that all work is carried out to the highest possible standards.
Previously he was a Managing Director in one of the leading Consulting Companies in New York and has a strong background in operations and process flow.
In 2017 Forbes Magazine recognised Mahesh as one of Asia’s 40 Heroes of Philanthropy.
Suresh Ramakrishnan
Suresh Ramakrishnan is one of the founders of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. He manages the London showroom and is passionate about helping clients through the world of bespoke. He has extensive experience fitting and measuring clients having been involved for over 15 years in the trade.
Founded in 2004, Whitcomb & Shaftesbury has become an industry influencer in its unique ability to produce some of the best craftsmanship and service at a price that has brought Savile Row to a larger audience, through a unique model of social entrepreneurship.
Suresh was previously a Principal at @Ventures, one of the largest Venture Capital funds in Palo Alto and a Vice President at Goldman Sachs.
In 2017 Suresh was featured by Forbes Magazine as one of their 40 Heroes of Philanthropy.
Richard Saxby
Richard was initially drawn to tailoring by an appreciation for precise hand-stitching. He studied first under an Italian tailor in Melbourne, using techniques and practices developed and honed over a long career.
For the past five years at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury, Richard has been working closely with John McCabe in his pattern-making and has taken on cutting responsibilities for a number of clients.
Richard has over 10 years experience in the trade and has studied both the cutting and the making side of fine tailoring. In addition to his cutting skills, Richard is one of few cutters with extensive experience as a coatmaker. This has allowed him to develop unique insights that he brings into his patterns, using his skills to determine where patterns can be manipulated and where cloth should be. This rare skill set is producing wonderful results, attested to by feedback from our satisfied clients.
Karen Weyer
Karen is responsible for our overseas trips and communications with our overseas clients.
She has been with Whitcomb & Shaftesbury for over 10 years and during this time has been responsible for ensuring that our overseas trips go smoothly.