Dormeuil fabric: what it is and what you pay for

If you have seen the name Dormeuil on a cloth book or a selvedge, here is what it means in a few paragraphs: who makes the cloth, what you pay for and which one to choose for a made-to-measure suit in Lisbon.

What is Dormeuil?

Dormeuil is a French cloth house founded in 1842 by Jules Dormeuil, who was 22 at the time. He began by importing English cloth to France, and the house has kept one foot on each side of the Channel ever since: its headquarters are near Paris and its cloth is produced at its facility in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. The Dormeuil family has run the business from the start; Dominic Dormeuil has led it since 1999.

What you pay for in Dormeuil fabric

You pay for a house that likes to give its cloths a name and a character. Tonik, created in 1957 by Xavier Dormeuil, is the best known and became famous through the house's advertising of the 1970s. Amadeus, from 1991, is valued for comfort and drape. Exel, from 2016, is a pure wool cloth with natural stretch and no elastane. Tonik Wool, from 2018, was the house's first cloth traceable through blockchain. At the top sits Vanquish, made in very small numbers.

Which cloth to choose

For a suit you will wear often, Amadeus is a comfortable, easy choice. If you want the house's best-known name, look at Tonik and Tonik Wool. For travel and long days in the car or on a plane, a stretch wool such as Exel is worth trying on the hand.

A made-to-measure suit in Dormeuil cloth

At the atelier we keep the current Dormeuil books. You choose the cloth by hand, we take your measurements, and the suit is cut and sewn in our own workshop in Portugal with a full canvas. It takes four to six weeks with one fitting, and we deliver anywhere in the world free of charge. The price depends on the cloth and is given at the first meeting. Read more about our made-to-measure suits in Lisbon.

Before you order