Savile Row tailors are struggling with the impact of weight-loss jabs as customers are radically changing shape between fittings, a clothing boss has revealed.
Sean Dixon, co-founder of tailor Richard James, said his cutters are having to make big adjustments or remake suits entirely because of some clients’ rapid weight loss.
The businessman pointed to the trend happening among male customers, many of whom are aged in their 40s and 50s.
‘Male customers of ours are obviously taking these drugs and losing quite a lot of weight in the process – probably for health reasons, so it’s a positive thing,’ he said.
‘It’s not just half an inch here, maybe an inch there, it’s a considerable amount of weight loss and that means a whole new wardrobe – specifically tailoring.’
Mr Dixon explained that bespoke commissions can take up to three months, meaning people’s measurements can change considerably between their first and final fittings.
‘That has massive repercussions,’ he added.
‘Bespoke tailoring is made to fit precisely.
Sean Dixon, co-founder of tailor Richard James
‘People are losing up to 25 kilograms in a relatively short space of time, and that does change completely what you need to do.
‘You can’t just alter a suit – you have to remake it, start from scratch.’
Mr Dixon said the business, which has dressed stars including Sir Elton John, Stormzy and the Gallagher brothers, was ’absolutely considering’ ways to work around the issue while avoiding charging more and remaining sensitive to its customers.
It comes after celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal said he is slashing portion sizes at his flagship restaurant to cater for diners with suppressed appetites due to fat jabs.
The culinary icon – who takes Wegovy himself – is looking at serving smaller meals at his Fat Duck venue and creating a slimmed-down menu for Britons on the weight-loss drugs.
He said: ‘We are going to look at reducing portion sizes and give options of a much smaller menu, because with these weight-loss drugs, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, people are eating less and the quantities of food will put them off – I want to do something about that.’
The TV cook, 59, famed for controversial food pairings such as snail porridge, was speaking to industry journal Restaurant as his three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Blumenthal who also owns one-Michelin-starred gastropub The Hinds Head, also in Bray, has called for government help to save the British pub from the ‘really big’ threat from fat jabs.
Chef Heston Blumenthal
Estimates suggest that about 1.5 million people in the UK are taking GLP-1s – the scientific term for weight loss jabs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, which work by reducing food cravings.
Their use has been linked to 173 deaths in the UK, according to the latest figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Many more report side-effects such as headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea, and gallstones.
A death or adverse side-effect reported to the MHRA does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the medicine – only that someone had a suspicion it may have been.
Robbie Williams fears weight loss jabs are ‘making him blind’ after noticing his vision rapidly deteriorating.
The singer, 51, claims his eyesight has become increasingly blurry in recent months due to Mounjaro, admitting it is now affecting him on stage.
The former Take That star said he wants to alert others of possible side effects and encourage people to ‘research properly’ before starting similar injections.
He told The Sun he first noticed something was wrong when he attended an American football game and could not make out individual players, describing them as ‘just shapes on the field’.
Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field
He has since visited an optician and been prescribed new glasses, although he initially did not connect the issue to his injections.
Robbie added: ‘I was quite an early adapter of the jabs but what I’m also noticing is that my eyesight’s not very good.
‘It’s been blurry for a while now, and it’s only getting worse. I don’t believe it’s age; I believe it’s the jabs.’
A recent poll carried out by anti-obesity drugs provider CheqUp found that more than a tenth of Britons expect to host someone on GLP-1 medication this Christmas.
Half of those surveyed said they would reconsider giving clothes to friends and family amid sensitivity around weight loss.
Among GLP-1 users, more than half said they will eat smaller portions and skip more treats this festive season.
