The revival of men’s tailoring- how AICP is relaunching its flagship training programme to address the sector’s challenges

Is men’s tailoring making a lasting comeback in our wardrobes? While forecasting trends can be risky, the signs are there. Accordingly, the Académie Internationale de Coupe de Paris (AICP) is relaunching the extended version of its International Menswear Patternmaking programme, which will begin on September 29.

Around 10 students in this new class will be based in one of the classrooms in the school’s new wing, located at 41 Boulevard du Général Martial Valin, in Paris’s 15th arrondissement. Industrial made-to-measure- which, according to AICP staff, involves a far more complex manufacturing process than womenswear- will account for approximately 1,030 hours of teaching: 35 hours per week over a year, including three months devoted to a placement. Paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the programme resumed in 2023 in the form of short modules (flat patternmaking only).

A system of geometric and proportional construction

While attracting students is generally a challenge for technical and craft schools, hampering the transmission of know-how, this relaunched programme is already seeing strong demand, with some applicants already sitting the written test for admission. Candidates will then attend an interview to assess their knowledge and motivation. Eligible applicants include students who have completed the Preparatory Course in Patternmaking, hold a BAC Pro or BTS in Fashion and Apparel, or have relevant experience in garment manufacturing.

For Agnès Bayle, head of AICP’s academic team, this is the school’s core expertise. Students will learn to make a three-piece suit (jacket, classic trousers, and waistcoat), construct reinforcements, linings, and facings, and carry out alterations and grading (changing a garment’s size without distorting it). The curriculum includes training in draping and flat patternmaking, as well as proficiency with the digital tools CLO3D and Lectra. The teaching is founded on a deceptively simple principle: a system of geometric and proportional construction.

The gradual disappearance of French tailors

The revival of this training appears to run counter to the evolution of the tailoring sector over the past several decades. From a landscape rich in players since the 19th century (federations, schools, major ateliers), the French tailoring scene lost momentum with the rise of ready-to-wear at multiple price points, notably with designers such as Cardin entering menswear. The men’s wardrobe has also become more casual over time, moving from the three-piece suit to jacket-and-trouser separates, before giving rise to completely different styles. 

The lack of protection for the tailoring profession has contributed to the erosion of this craft. While the term cannot be used for industrial production- notably due to the law of June 18, 1947- Jean-Philippe Vauclair, honorary president of the AICP, emphasises the ambiguity surrounding the term “tailleur,” which denotes work requiring at least 70 hours carried out by hand, according to the standard established by the National Federation of Master Tailors of France. Made-to-measure, by contrast, is industrial, and learning it lays the foundations for mastering an artisanal tailoring practice, as the AICP notes.

Made-to-measure: the “antithesis of fast fashion”?

The gradual disappearance of bespoke tailoring workshops means that today, the AICP’s training cannot be offered as a work–study programme. In Italy, some workshops still survive, mainly because these family-run businesses control the entire production chain, from yarn to garment. Nevertheless, some AICP students express a keen interest in this artisanal craft, with the long-term goal of opening their own workshop. 

This resurgence of made-to-measure is also evident in consumer trends, according to Christine Walter-Bonini, president of the AICP. The former managing director of the Esmod Group, named an Officer of the National Order of Merit in 2024, believes that this preference for made-to-measure among younger generations is linked to issues of quality and durability, as well as the personalisation it offers. All in all, an “antithesis of fast fashion.”