By: Matt Emma

Taylor Alexandra Jones, the Australian female founder and owner of Taylor Alexandra, has turned women’s custom suiting into a rapidly growing global operation that runs on trunk shows across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, New York, Los Angeles, and now London, with Europe potentially next on the map. Jones’ mission is powered by craftsmanship and positioning, aiming to make a meaningful impact in women’s fashion globally. “It’s really challenging for women to get custom suiting. Bridging the gap between off-the-rack and custom is something that hasn’t been widely prevalent. The goal is to help women dress appropriately not only for their body types, but also for the powerful roles they’re holding,” she explains.

Jones recalls having a lifelong relationship with garments, which strengthened her commitment to her current career. “I learned how to sew at the age of 11 from my grandmother,” she says. “I started by making skirts and tops, and I loved every minute of it.” Soon, she went to university for business management, but on seeking a different path, she quit and went into real estate, before finding her way back to tailoring through a menswear label.

There, she understood two things clearly. “I knew how garments were constructed, and how I could sell them,” she says. What she couldn’t do was ignore the steady stream of women messaging her about her own suits. “I was posting videos of my outfits and people kept asking how they could get one,” she recalls. “I couldn’t make them in my current role because it was a menswear brand. I suggested expanding into women’s wear and was told absolutely not. So I eventually pulled my contract and started my own company.”

In the early days of her business, Jones improvised every move. The bookings, she notes, came through direct messages before the business even officially had a name. The fittings took place in the library of her apartment building, and the emails went out from her personal account. But even in that lack of a formal infrastructure, growth gradually ensued. “For the first few weeks, I was juggling multiple clients on top of working for the menswear brand. No external funding, no paid advertising, just consistent demand,” she shares.

According to her, the demand was a reflection of a broader shift. Women now hold 28.1% of top management roles, yet Jones believes that the apparel market serving them at a bespoke level remains somewhat limited. “Ready-to-wear suiting often assumes uniformity of shape, while women’s bodies vary significantly across proportions, posture, and preference,” she explains. “You’re asking more questions. You’re explaining more. A suit looks very different on different women’s bodies. If someone is bottom-heavy, the wrong cut won’t allow her to feel confident. Men may know what a peak lapel is. Women don’t necessarily, so you’re educating as you go.”

Education is built into the Taylor Alexandra experience, where clients are guided through fabric selection, whether it’s Australian and New Zealand Merino wool or curated textiles from major fabric mills, and then silhouette, structure, and styling are followed. Production takes place in Spain or China, depending on client location, with an 8-10 week turnaround. Each fitting, she notes, functions as a styling consultation.

As per Jones’ account, one suit in particular helped increase the brand’s visibility, a terracotta orange ensemble worn by her at a global men’s clothing exhibition in Florence. “Everyone here comes dressed to the nines, but this event rarely saw women in commanding suits. I had spent all of my earnings in curating those pieces to stand out, and it was a big risk getting myself there, but it seems to have paid off,” she recalls. According to her, the suit was the start of realizing this was a real possibility. “The images were shared online, and it sparked a surge of interest that translated into more bookings,” she adds.

She notes how New York quickly became her most active market, often requiring seven-day trunk shows compared to three or five elsewhere. Jones now plans for a potential permanent presence there. London is the latest addition, with a trained junior tailor relocating to Copenhagen to replicate Jones’s model across Europe. “So far, the focus has been on me, but now, I’m slowly shifting to the brand. That’s the goal,” she says. “Right now, people expect me to turn up to every fitting. I want less of my face and more of the brand success so others can do this work too.”

According to Jones, the brand operates as a confidence mechanism. She highlights the psychological shift that the right clothing can provide, and wants other women to experience that same sensation. “You hit a milestone, you buy yourself something, and you walk into the office thinking, I just did that. I love how I feel when I wear a suit. Other people should be able to feel like this,” she explains.

In male-dominated industries where perception shapes credibility, clothing, she notes, becomes a form of nonverbal positioning. Research suggests that a tenth of a second is necessary to form an impression. Jones believes that this may be heavily influenced by appearance, and her clients, CEOs, founders, and directors seem to understand this intuitively.

The Taylor Alexandra brand is now evolving from a founder-led operation into a global tailoring house with systems, teams, and a bespoke experience. Authority, in her view, should never be compromised by poor fit. “Women are stepping into these high-powered roles,” she says. “They deserve clothing that reflects that.”