By Ameera Steward | The Birmingham Times
Robert Hill still has the images of well-dressed men embedded in his mind from as far back as when he was 10 years old and it’s refreshing to still see that image continuously reflected in men’s clothing, he said.
“I remember coming up [as a] child, on weekends, you would see how Black men [were really] interested in their dress, and they took pride in the way they dressed. It was fascinating to see…how they would coordinate the clothing, [with] what little they had.”
This was during a time when his family lived in Montgomery and while it didn’t really change how he tailors his clothing, it did affect his perspective on how to dress and show up in the world.
He is now proprietor of Robert Hill Custom Tailors, which has been a staple in the city of Birmingham since its opening in 1983. From custom-made pieces to tailoring clothing to fit the body, Hill has offered his services to the community for over 40 years.
“My mission is to try to maintain the status of how men dress,” the 83-year-old Hill explained. “It’s exciting to do that … and it’s a pleasure to help people.”
His favorite part of tailoring is helping customers decide “what they like…to fit them…coordinate the clothing and [accessorize] them,” Hill said. “That’s really an enjoyable part of the job…to see the joy they get out of what we’ve accomplished in…completing their wardrobe.”
The tailor is known for serving high profile customers like former Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings, ESPN radio host Paul Finebaum, and former Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington.
His store is filled with pictures of those and other notable politicians, and Crimson Tide football memorabilia — not to mention several colorful ties, pocket squares, and lapel pins.
Working from his 32nd Street South shop, Hill has built a reputation for being very detailed with a thread and needle. And despite running his own business over the last four decades, he said he doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon.
Although his Birmingham clientele has given him his flowers, earlier this year he received worldwide recognition due to his interview in the prestigious fashion magazine Vogue, celebrating this year’s Met Gala theme of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style – something Hill has become an expert of.
The Vogue piece was prepared in conjunction with the opening of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibition Superfine: Tailoring Black Style and the 2025 Met Gala.
Hill estimates that 75 to 80 percent of his business comes from alterations, but he still offers custom suiting, parsing through fabric swatches and style books and adjusting patterns, designs, and fit for each client. In a field with few successors, Hill holds fast to the values of tradition, discipline, and legacy. “This kind of work, it teaches you to slow down, to be patient,” he said in the Vogue interview.
The Man Behind the Clothes
Born and raised in Greater Washington Park of Montgomery, Alabama. Hill’s interest in fashion didn’t begin until he entered his sophomore year of high school at George Washington Carver High School in that city.
One of his teachers started a club for young men that taught them how to dress.
“It was very exciting to be part of that because I was kind of short and small [so] learning how to dress at the time was really interesting to me.” He learned the basics of dressing and how to be a well-dressed man, from how to tie a tie to how to coordinate his shoes with his outfit.
After graduating high school in 1961 he moved to Birmingham to study sewing at the Wenonah Vocational Technical School, and graduated in 1964.
Hill said he decided to make a career of fine dressing, not only because he was interested in clothing but he asked himself “what would be a job, that regardless of what happened…[I] could make a living [with]…I thought being a tailor would supply that need for me.”
Hill then went on to Chicago to work with “master tailors” for two years, “that’s where I got my hands-on experience” and learned the art of tailoring and how clothes were constructed, he said.
He returned to Birmingham and opened his first location on Third Ave. in 1983.
“It was difficult,” Hill explained. “I consider myself a believer of faith…it was hard on a Black person [with a] small business…I just had faith in God.”
In 2022, due to an increase in rent, Hill had to move his business to his current location – 712 32nd Street South.
Tailoring Black Style
Although Hill is known as the face of Robert Hill Custom Tailors, there are women behind him who have helped keep the business running.
His wife of over 60 years, Barbara Hill, is considered “my backbone,” he said.
From handling the books and paperwork of the business, to creating the displays within the workspace, “she’s been an intricate part.”
“[Opening his business] wouldn’t have been possible…she was [definitely] supporting me one hundred percent…and that means a lot when your partner, your better half, supports what you do.”
Together they have four children, one of which they lost to cancer 12 years ago.
In addition to his wife, he has another woman in his life who he refers to as his “right hand” and someone who he now considers “part of my family.”
Madeline Niether has been with Hill since he opened the shop; and as his right hand she assists Hill with whatever is needed.
After all of these years, he is beyond grateful that Niether, Barbara and Birmingham still take the time to help him keep his legacy alive.
Robert Hill Custom Tailors: 205.252.0353; Address: 712 32nd St S, Birmingham, AL 35233; Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
