‘I was a professional basketball player – now I’m a Savile Row tailor making suits for celebrities’

Some people in life know instantly what they want to be when they grow up. Others will have different paths till they eventually find what is right for them. Then, you have those who excel in the different things they do and through some unfortunate events, eventually find what they want to do.

That is what 47-year-old Kabiru Abu’s life could be described as. The dad-of-two born in Nigeria, moved to London to to continue his IT studies as well as taking exams in project management and business analysis. He also played basketball.

Basketball was his first love and he rose up the ranks in the UK, playing for Guildford Heat in the British Basketball League (BBL) where he won multiple trophies as well as representing Nigeria. There were hopes of going to the Euro League but those plans were scuppered when the team went into administration in 2009.

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He stopped playing in 2015 while also still working his IT job. Being 6’5″ and an athlete, finding stuff in the store was always a hassle. He would get suits made for himself and his friends would ask him where he got them from. He would recommend them to his tailor and as time went on, the referrals for his tailor kept coming in.

Kabiru told MyLondon: “I would always get suits made for me when I was playing basketball so I knew that side of things. People were telling me that they had seen the suits I was wearing and would ask if I could come in and make a suit for them. I was never a tailor but I had to learn how to measure on the job. I asked my tailor how to do certain things and he told me what I’d need to do.

“After making a suit for a friend of mine, his staff then asked me ‘could you make us one as well?’ I was doing it as a favour to him but then the next thing you know, I was going into their offices one day a week to three days a week. Then, as some workers would leave to go somewhere else, they’d always call me and say ‘KB, come sort us out a suit’. And here we are now.”

Word of mouth is how Kabiru has built his brand. With over 10 years of experience, he has established himself as one of the go-to names for a bespoke suit. He has had clients since 2008 and at the drop of a whim, he can be called and told to make a suit which he would then usually deliver personally. His work has seen him travel all over the world from Australia and the US to Africa and Asia. He has worked with celebrities to footballers such as Arsenal football player Thomas Partey as well as British boxers David Haye and Derek Chisora.

Now, as you walk down Savile Row, everybody will know who Kabiru is. He is proud to be on the same street as the likes of Ozwald Boateng and Huntsman and Sons. Kabiru has been doing business with the iconic and historic Scabal for the last seven years. Scabal is a cloth merchant and serves a lot of big brands such as Burberry and Tom Ford as well as American presidents and movies such as The Godfather.

Kabiru continued: “When someone is spending a certain amount of money, you need to know the cloth that you are getting is of a certain level. Scabal has some cloths here that are on a different level. They supply me with cloths and then I make the suits from them and for the calibre of clients I have, Scabal is what is needed.

“I never went out looking to be a tailor but I’ve put in the work and here I am now. It’s nice to know that if I walk down Savile Row, people know me and my name. I get the most pride when I deliver a suit to a client and I see their face. There’s no money that can replicate the happiness I get from seeing that.”

He continued: “For somebody like me, it may seem like I’m out of place in Savile Row, I’m not your stereotypical Savile Row tailor. An ex-basketball player – who would have thought it? I make suits for everybody whether that be celebs, lawyers or politicians but the key thing for every client is to keep them happy. If they keep coming back, that means I’m doing something right.”

Suits range in price depending on the fabric and material and Kabiru says he would regularly deal with around 50 people a week, but it does fluctuate depending on the type of season it is. Anything fine tailoring, he can do. He recently worked in designing a suit for somebody who was a key part of the King’s Coronation showcasing how far-reaching Kabiru’s talents are.

“I will always treat my clients the same regardless of their status. Being in the Row means I’m doing something right but the biggest thing for me is the integrity, doing what you say you’re going to do and making sure I can deliver that. Knowing people will fly in and specifically visit me for a suit is a great feeling. It’s definitely been an interesting journey to get here.”

Got a story to tell? Email ayokunle.oluwalana@reachplc.com.

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