Edward Sexton - Early Life

Early Life

Edward Sexton went to English Martyrs School (in Southwark) from 1953–1957. Leaving school, Sexton went to work at Lew Rose (in 1957), a suit manufacturing factory in East London, where he received his initial training. Lew Rose operated a section production system; Sexton progressed around each section developing basic tailoring skills.

In 1959, Sexton went to work as an apprentice for Jerry Vanderstine, a coat maker who worked for Harry Hall (specialist equestrian tailor on Regent Street, London). In 1959 John Oates, the head cutter at Harry Hall, then asked Sexton to come and work as an assistant cutter and trimmer. In 1961 Sexton worked at Cyril A. Castle, a celebrity tailor, as an assistant jacket-cutter and trouser-cutter. While working at Cyril A. Castle, Sexton got his first position of responsibility on the cutting board and put himself through a pattern cutting course at Burner Street Technical College (later to become part of the London College of Fashion).

In 1962, Sexton moved to Kilgour French and Stanbury, where he finished his training. In 1966 Sexton got his first job as a fully-fledged cutter at (military tailor) Welsh and Jefferies, where he honed his skills cutting both military and civilian tailoring. Sexton made trips to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to make uniforms for officers passing. Sexton believed this experience proved invaluable to the work he would later produce.