Nashville-based Atelier Savas once only made custom jackets for musicians and other in-the-know clients. Now you can purchase a handful of styles from the brand in a variety of stock sizes. And instead of spending over $6,000 on a bespoke piece, these jackets start at $1,900 and top out at $3,500.
For the past five years, Savas founder Savannah Yarborough has been crafting one-of-a-kind leather pieces for customers like Jack White, Jason Isbell and Chris Young. Before that, the Central Saint Martins-trained designer headed men’s design at Billy Reid, frequently traveling between Italy and Alabama, where the brand is headquartered.
This year Yarborough started offering made-to-measure jackets for men, a stepping-stone to the full ready-to-wear line that is now available online. The new stock jackets showcase the best of Atelier Savas: unique leathers, tasteful silhouettes and timeless, wearable designs. The jackets have loads of character — they’re not a typical black biker jacket — but they’re also quite versatile.
Before the launch of the collection, we caught up with Yarborough on a recent trip to New York. She took a few minutes to share her thoughts on the benefits of ready-to-wear, the enduring power of leather and her personal favorite jacket.
Q: You’re launching a wide variety of styles. What was the basis for this collection?
A: Well a couple of them, the Denham jacket and the Legend, were the two first jackets I ever made, and I made them for myself. Obviously, I’m a trained men’s designer. Everything that I wear is like a shrunken version of a man’s thing that fits me. So, those styles really are pretty unisex, I think.
That’s the thing with leather: the styles themselves don’t need to be overly complicated. What you can do with the material alone is just totally endless. Every time I go to visit the tanneries, it’s like there are a hundred new ideas to come up with. And, that’s what makes it super fun.
