Thomas von Nordheim has a solid background in the craft of tailoring, which he learned in the late 80s during an apprenticeship at old style Haute Couture salon “Lore Lang” in Dusseldorf. Dior-trained Lang was a chic but demanding lady with high expectations on her staff, deeply influencing Thomas’ future work ethic and appreciation of flawless workmanship.
Since coming to London in the early 90s, Thomas has worked as a tailor and design assistant for numerous couturiers like Ulrich Engler, Catherine Walker and Donald Campbell and cutting edge designers like Erdem and Jonathan Saunders alike.
For almost seven years Thomas worked in the faded grandeur of The House of Lachasse, the second oldest and very last surviving London couture house, known as “London’s Tailoring stable” in the golden days of couture.
Under the watchful eye of designer Peter Lewis-Crown OBE, Thomas translated sketches into patterns and toiles, cut, fitted and tailored for the model collections and clients alike, fine tuning his eye for line, colour and balance. Something no college education can give you, Thomas feels very privileged to have worked for an illustrious old world clientele, whose names read like from pages of Debrett’s. Frequent customers for which Thomas tailored jackets and coats included such personalities as Countess Raine Spencer, Diana Barnato- Walker, Baroness von Hoyningen-Huene nee Nancy Oakes, Marguerite Wolff, The Duchess of Devonshire and Baroness Thatcher.
When Lachasse sadly closing after 80 years in business and demands from his own clients steadily rising, Thomas established his own atelier and for over 10 years Thomas was located at Cockpit Arts in Bloomsbury, before moving his atelier to the Kent coast. For consultations and fittings clients are now seen at Thomas’s Mayfair Club.