Imagine watching your country's team waving the flag for Wales at the opening ceremony of this year's Commonwealth Games and knowing that it was you they came to for their tailoring. That would probably be one of your proudest moments, and for Russell Scott Lawson, Deborah Haines and the team at Hawkes Essentials, it certainly was.
WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
The Commonwealth Games weren't without controversy but there's no denying it was a true spectacle and as the initial glitches faded into insignificance, the competing teams gave the performances of their lives and in true sporting fashion.
The opening ceremony saw the 218 members of the Welsh squad stand strong for the people of Wales, wearing a light grey suit and limited edition tie with a red dragon motif. This was a task of some magnitude. With only seven weeks' preparation time, Hawkes Essentials, in Morgan Arcade in Cardiff's city centre, rose to their biggest challenge yet - to provide the formal wear for Team Wales.
The suits would be on show for the whole world to see at the opening ceremony and then be worn by the team at social and promotional occasions throughout the Games. Hawkes was chosen over many bigger High Street names for their ability to provide a bespoke service that required the team to be co-ordinated with an exact match of the suiting fabric.
This is not something that can be done easily 'off-the-peg' when both women and men are involved. Add in the fact of specific requirements for the disabled team members to ensure comfort and fit, and you find yourself facing a unique challenge and plenty of sleepless nights.
In a hotel, over a period of five nights,
the Hawkes team worked tirelessly to
measure everyone in readiness for the
tailors to get to work. Chris Jenkins,
Director of the Commonwealth Games
Council for Wales, said, "It was a logistical challenge due to last minute selection of the athletes."
He added, "Wanting to ensure the best athletes are taken to the Games, there are often latecomers and we had to make sure they were kitted out in their formal wear. Each team member needed to look and feel good and they knew that if they were proud of their country they would perform better.
Russell and his team came up trumps and together with the athletes they selected a really smart outfit that was age appropriate as we had a very young team. The challenge was to tailor an outfit that not only looked good but could withstand the extreme Delhi heat. They decided on wearing formal waistcoats rather than the traditional blazer as they wanted a smart, light weight and trendy look to stand out."
Speaking to Deborah Haines, who coordinated the whole project, she said, "It's amazing what can be achieved when you put your mind to it. We are a little shop, unknown to many, yet we rose to the occasion and created something really big from somewhere that is actually quite small. We are so proud and it was an honour to be asked to do it.".
In their wildest dreams, they would never have expected what was to be asked of them, yet their faith in their ability to deliver was unwavering. They also believed in their strength as a team, which as the Wales squad will know is the only way to achieve your goal. So with 218 suits for Hawkes and a string of winning medals for the Welsh team, there's no denying that focus, dedication and spirit are key attributes for fulfilling your dreams.
Proud Hawkes Essentials owner, Russell Scott Lawson is still on a high and can't praise his team enough for their outstanding dedication, saying, "They really stepped up to the mark on this exciting challenge - they took it in their stride and have really done us all proud."
