It's easy to think that all the tailors worth paying attention are on Savile Row. Easy, but not necessarily true. Just ask Charlie Allen, a son of a tailor, who's been making suits in his Islington store since 1991.

An ex-Royal College of Arts MA graduate, Charlie started working from his kitchen. He first started the business because he couldn't get a job - "that was the last recession", he explains, and landed on his feet, selling his early collections to well known stores. "My collection from college actually sold to Jones, in king's road. Jones was one of the top shops at the time. Customers would come from the states asking 'who did this' and they'd say 'it's Charlie, this new designer'." He eventually started selling to Barney's and Saks, turning his (still kitchen based) operation into a profitable business.

At this point he was still on the lookout for a full-time job, mainly for financial reasons. "I was doing collections, selling all over the world, chasing money and not getting the money in" he says. But he stuck with it, expanding the business to the point where he needed a studio. It was a rapid growth, going from being kitchen-made wares to supplying 30 stores in just under 4 years. Then he started getting investors.