London. Joshua Dobrik was hard at work on a coat when I arrived on the first floor of 26 Beauchamp Pl for the last article of my The Young Elite series. May I finish this first before we start the interview? I must admit that I was surprised but more than a bit impressed by this request. It gave me a clear insight into his priorities: Craftsmanship comes first.

From Medical School to Edward Sexton

Once he was satisfied with his work, we sat down with a cup of tea in the fitting room next door and Dobrik started to explain how he came to be working for Edward Sexton.  However, let us start at the beginning:

After finishing high school, Joshua moved to Paris to study medicine.  He found the science behind it all very intriguing.

On paper, it looked like a great idea! – Joshua Dobrik

Sometimes in life, however, it is not about what looks good on paper, but rather how much joy you find in the path you have chosen.  After four years, he dropped out of university, moved to London, and enrolled in tailoring courses at Newham college.  On his first day of school, he went to see Dominic Sebag-Montefiore – creative director of Edward Sexton -, to ask for a work experience opportunity during his studies.  Dominic said Yes and Joshua still proudly states that he is an extension of Dominic’s Nescafé machine.  After eight months, and having proven himself to Dominic, he was offered an apprenticeship. Joshua enjoys every minute at the tailoring house whose work he values most.

Joshua Dobrik: Tailoring is part of British culture

The young cutter says that it is not only tailoring which he finds appealing: He is passionate about anything involving meticulous craftsmanship – be it watch making, shoe making or any other craft. What fascinates him so much about tailoring is the sense that he gets of being an important part of British culture and of mastering an age-old set of skills.

When asked about his personal tailoring style, his answer was quick and direct: Pretty much what we are doing here.  Given Joshua’s passion for his place of work, any other answer would have come as a surprise to me.

Additional information

Joshua said something that I personally found very motivating: If you do get work experience or an apprenticeship (in tailoring), assume you will be doing crap jobs for quite some time and just know that it is also part of the journey to becoming a bespoke tailor. MM/DC