Meet The Woman Redefining British Tailoring, One Suit At A Time

From a young age, I was captivated by the beauty of cloth and the artistry of tailoring. My father, a city worker, was my first introduction to this world. He wore sharp suits paired with timeless leather brogues, and he instilled in me an ideology of quality over quantity. As a self-made man, he believed in investing in pieces that lasted a lifetime — garments that made you feel elegant yet understated. That lesson stayed with me and became the foundation of everything I wanted to create as a designer.

I went on to study Menswear Tailoring at London College of Fashion because I wanted to graduate with a respected craft and skill. Tailoring, with its precision and discipline, felt like the perfect foundation. After graduating, I spent ten years working in the fashion industry as a designer, but when I launched my own brand, Laura Pitharas (LP), it was important to return to my roots. I wanted to create perfectly fitting women’s suits with a masculine edge, tailored specifically for the female form.

As a woman, I’ve always loved borrowing clothes from the men in my life — my father, my husband — or finding oversized vintage menswear blazers and coats. There’s a confidence in those silhouettes that has always drawn me in. That influence runs through every LP design: oversized fits, sharp shoulders, and strong lines, balanced with clever tailoring that highlights the female form rather than overwhelming it. I often describe the brand as “menswear for womenswear,” with a focus on understated elegance.

But I also saw a gap in the market. I wanted to design suits that were sustainable, made from 100% wool, and versatile enough to be worn professionally or socially. Tailoring, for me, is transformative; it builds confidence with minimal effort. A suit should empower without needing to shout. I didn’t want my designs to be pigeonholed as “power dressing” or boxed into clichés. Instead, I wanted to normalise suiting for women — to make it accessible, wearable, and effortless.

From the beginning, I knew LP had to be rooted in craftsmanship and community. All of our pieces are made in the UK, and I work closely with British artisans to support the incredible mills and makers we have here. For our wool suiting, we collaborate with Alfred Brown, a family-run mill in Leeds. Everything there is still woven in Yorkshire using wool from ethically certified, non-mulesed farms, and the mill itself is powered by wind energy. Generations of families continue to work there, and when I visited, I met grandmothers and granddaughters working side by side. It was inspiring to witness such a living heritage. For our heavier coating wools, we work with Dugdale Bros, another historic British mill, ensuring every LP garment carries a sense of place and authenticity.

Tailoring has historically centred on the male figure, and yes, it still carries gendered expectations. As a woman in this field, I’ve faced bias and the tendency for my work to be placed in categories I’m actively resisting. But change is happening. More women are wearing tailoring on red carpets and in everyday life. One of my proudest moments was dressing Emma Thompson in our ivory tuxedo for the BAFTAs. Watching such an iconic English actress challenge red-carpet norms by choosing a suit instead of a gown was both a highlight of my career and a validation of what I want LP to stand for.

What excites me most about the future of tailoring is its endless possibilities. Proportions can always shift, lapels can grow wider, shoulders bolder, waists more defined, hems asymmetric. Each season brings new challenges and opportunities to push the form while keeping the LP suit fresh and modern. For me, tailoring is not a static tradition but a living art form. And as I continue to grow my brand, my mission remains the same: to celebrate British craftsmanship, honour the beauty of tailoring, and create a new language of womenswear that empowers, inspires, and endures.