Music City Makers: AtelierSavas

Working with unique leathers, Savannah Yarborough creates one-of-a-kind jackets at her funky studio, located just off 8th Avenue in downtown Nashville. Each jacket can take weeks to make, costing upwards of $5,000. In addition to bespoke goods, AtelierSavas now offers a lesser priced made-to-measure collection, handbags, and more.

Yarborough studied at the prestigious Central Saint Martins art school in London. She was recruited by Billy Reid, where she quickly ascended from an internship role to head men’s designer. While still in school, Yarborough found herself traveling between London, New York City, Florence, Italy and Florence, Alabama, where Reid is based. In 2015, she opened AtelierSavas.

Yarborough’s bespoke process begins with a design consultation. Then she sketches and tweaks a concept. After taking measurements, she drafts a unique pattern before creating a canvas mock-up of the jacket. Clients select the leather, lining, hardware and other details. “When we’re sourcing individually for our bespoke clients, it’s a little different because we’re only getting enough for that one customer,” Yarborough says. “I have a partner out of New York that we work with to purchase small die lots of leather. They source a lot of crazy stuff.” Yarborough and her team cut and sew the leather in Nashville, and tailor the pieces to a perfect fit.

For Yarborough’s made-to-measure line, the process is more straightforward. Clients choose from pre-selected styles, which are then fitted to their measurements. “We also stock our own proprietary leathers that we’ve developed that we’ll order a small amount of, let’s say enough to make 10 jackets out of one leather,” she explains. “And so we have a constantly evolving assortment of leathers that are in-house that you can pick from.” After more than three years of doing bespoke garments, Yarborough realized her customers craved variations of her previous designs. “They didn’t really want me to design something totally from scratch for them,” she says. “Because really, unless you have a super specific idea in mind, it can be an overwhelming process.” That’s how her Custom Collection line was born.

At this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Ian Fitchuk looked smart in a AtelierSavas custom-embroidered vintage military jacket. Yarborough’s music-centric client roster also includes Jason Aldean, Chris Young, Cassadee Pope, Tegan Marie, Jack White and Jason Isbell. “The way we work with most musicians is that they usually come to us for a personal item. We don’t do a ton of stage wear or one-off pieces,” Yarborough says.

Limited edition guitar straps are available online, including a reflective suede strap dubbed ‘the disco ball.’ Straps can also be customized. The riveted Necessity Sling, available in silver and brass, is the perfect concert bag, sized for a phone, cash, credit cards—and not a whole lot else. The strap is removable and adjustable, meaning it can be worn as a crossbody, shoulder bag or around the waist. Atelier Savas’ Golden Ticket program is more than just a gift card. The giftee receives a solid brass plate, engraved with a personal message, encased in a leather pouch. Any dollar amount can be attached.