Gastav A. Zink migrated to Australia in the late 1880′s, and established himself in Sydney. In 1895 Gastav opened G.A. Zink & Sons Tailors at 112 Oxford Street Darlinghurst, the original address of our store until the widening of Oxford Street in 1905.

On July 6th 1911, the Sydney City Council (SCC) sold by public auction fifty year leases on nine “splendid business sites” in Oxford Street, East Sydney; an area which, with a post office and tramline along Oxford Street, proved increasingly attractive for business premises.

The lease on 56 Oxford Street was bought by Gastav A. Zink, who immediately appointed architect John Dunstan to design their premises. The SCC approved plans in October 1911 for a four story building, the same building in which Zink & Sons are based today.

Through the 1920’s and 1930’s, Zink & Sons was managed by Frank Zink, Gastav’s son, and grew to be the busiest tailors’ shop in Sydney; making suits, coats and trousers for every person, from the local butcher to the high court judges.

In 1925 the shop had proven inadequate for the flourishing and expanding business, and the building at 56 Oxford Street went under major changes adding two mezzanine floors, one for storage and fitting rooms, and one to house the cutting room. Built-in cabinetry of high quality finished the new fitout.

Considering the quality of the joinery, the attention to details and the extent of the fitout it may be assumed that skilled tradespeople were at work, and that Zink & Sons were prepared and able to incur considerable expense in the renovation.

In 1937 a fashionable Art Deco shopfront was built by Sidgreaves Shopfitters and was featured in many magazines.

Such a shopfront fitted in a popular style was considered a flamboyant extravagance during the difficult years of the Great Depression; but Zink & Sons proved that it was a thriving business at the time, no matter the adverse circumstances.

In the 1940’s, Zink & Sons’ clientele was huge: on Saturday mornings there would be a queue of 30 people outside its doors. There were about a dozen employees working on the two floors and two mezzanines of the shop, with “ready to wear” sales on the ground floor and Tailoring on the first floor. The top floor two bedroom flat was occupied by Thomas Zink, Gastav’s grandson.

Thomas Zink took over Zink & Sons in the early 1950’s and was to be the last member of the Zink family to manage the company. In the late 1950’s Bill Jones, owner of Stlytone clothing, a factory which made suits for leading suit companies in Sydney, went into partnership with Thomas Zink, eventually taking full control of it in the late 1950’s.

The 1960’s introduced Bill’s son, Robert, to the shop.

Robert learnt the art of cutting at East Sydney Tech and under the eye of Bill, who was Zink & Sons’ shopfront cutter. After Bill’s retirement in 1979, Robert became shopfront cutter and head of the fifth generation of tailors at Zink & Sons on Oxford Street.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s the shop had become oversized due to the lack of passing trade and was considered “old fashioned”. With the first floor no longer serving as a retail space, the ground floor and the first mezzanine were adapted to accommodate all functions, including display and storage. The workroom remained on the first floor, as it still is today.

In 1989 a permanent conservation order, under section 44 of the Heritage Act 1977, was placed on the building of Zink & Sons, due to its heritage and artistic value.

Early 2004 saw Robert’s youngest son Daniel, move into the business, with Robert teaching Daniel the art of cutting early at a young age. He was quick in learning the craft and moved onto coat making in early 2006 at UTS in Sydney.

With the trade of bespoke tailoring dying out, Daniel is determined to keep the traditions of tailoring alive in Sydney for many more years to come.