Men’s Suit, c. 1920 

This fashionable white suit was made by Peter Petcoff, an immigrant from Bulgaria who operated a tailor shop in Yorkton from c.1916 to 1946. The suit was originally worn by William Alexander Patrick to a wedding in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the early 1920s.   

Big City Fashion
Hobberlin was a tailoring franchise based in Toronto. Tailors across Canada could purchase the rights to use the Hobberlin name and suit patterns. This enabled customers in small towns or rural communities to purchase clothing designed in Toronto, bringing the big city fashion to everyone. At its peak there were around 900 stores across Canada that sold Hobberlin clothing.   

Bulgaria to Canada
Peter Petcoff came to Canada from Bulgaria in 1912 at the age of 30. His wife and two daughters followed in 1914. Peter spent his first years in Canada working as a farm labourer near Yorkton. By 1921 he was working as a tailor.

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