When word leaked out last autumn that Charles Haughey had spent £15,863 on hand-made Charvet shirts, we were shocked but not that surprised. There is something about the image of made-to-measure that reeks of slightly unnecessary wealth and enjoyable decadence. It's just the kind of thing that would appeal to a man who bought his own island.

Yet increasingly, men are returning to bespoke suits and shirts and it's not just the managing directors and CEOs that are getting in on the act. A new kind of customer is becoming addicted to suits that feel, as well as look, as though they were made for them.

"There's definitely a move back towards made-to-measure and it's a younger generation that's interested," says Cuan Hanley, who offers a bespoke suit service from his eponymous Temple Bar shop. He sees the trend towards hand-made suiting as part of a general swing back towards niche products. "There's so much branding nowadays that people are beginning to really appreciate crafting. People want to attain a much more individual look to get away from the heavy branding of, say, Gap or Tommy Hilfigger."

Richard Farrell of FX Kelly on Grafton Street has offered a made-to-measure service by Italian firm Zegna for the past five seasons. He agrees there's a "swing back around in the trade to the independents. People are looking for something a bit personal."

Meanwhile, Louis Copeland on Capel Street, who has made suits for Boyzone's Ronan Keating, an Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, footballer Vinnie Jones, and actors Kevin Spacey and Dan Ackroyd, is now also catering for a younger generation of made-to-measure fans. "We're close to the IFSC so we get a lot of young stockbroker fellows in looking for suits, and of course, the barristers often get three-piece suits made. If the judge looks down and sees them without a waistcoat, they can get into trouble."

Ironically, the judge himself will undoubtedly be wearing a creation from the same tailor as all the tailcoats for the judiciary are also made to measure by Copeland. Both he and Hanley have noticed that their younger customers tend to go for individual touches when ordering a bespoke suit. "With the younger generation, you'll find that they go for a slightly different cloth or, say a lilac lining on a classic suit," says Copeland. "They want a customised suit, something they can't get off the peg." Hanley agrees that fabrics like velvet are popular, as are coloured linings, and handstitching detail, rather than sewndown cuffs: "something that tends to tell you it's a hand-made suit".

Farrell observes that the Zegna made-to-measure shirts have been hugely popular while Hanley has noticed that his younger customers tend to use more "iconic references" to describe what kind of look they want. James Bond is particularly popular.

Funnily enough, the 007 look is exactly the kind of thing that one recent convert to made-to-measure was looking for, but for a very particular reason. Brendan Murphy, the lead singer with rock band The 4 of Us, is getting a suit made by Louis Copeland. After lots of people commented on the bright red suit he was wearing on the cover of their last album, Classified Personal, Murphy and his brother, guitarist Declan Murphy, decided that, sometimes, appearances definitely matter. They went for made-to-measure suits after Declan complimented Fun Lovin' Criminals singer, Huey, on his suit and discovered it was made by Copeland.

"We wanted the suits to look like something from the early 1960s, the kind of thing that James Bond would have worn in Dr No," says Murphy, who will be wearing the suit in both publicity shots and the forthcoming video. "It was a very tailored look of a kind you just can't get anymore . . . We were able to be really specific with Louis, even bringing in stills from films, and he was great at telling us exactly what styles we should go for."

Now that he has had one suit made (a dark blue mohair number), Murphy would definitely go back for more. "Absolutely. I love the idea that I could go in and get another suit made exactly to fit me. It's a lengthy process, but for what you get at the end, it's worth it. It's a whole different experience."

Indeed, the two factors that have traditionally put people off buying made-to-measure are probably the price and time involved. Bespoke suits start at around £500 and take between three and five weeks, but fans tend to feel that it's worth it.

Writer Eamon Delaney got a wide three-piece, chalk-stripe suit made by Cecil Jacobs some years ago, when he was working with the Department of Foreign Affairs. Although his new career doesn't demand a suit very often, he still feels that his bespoke suit was "worth it for the quality of the cloth and for the tailoring. It's lasted really well and it always draws a response because it's kind of unusual looking." He also points out that his Paul Smith suit, which he bought at the time, cost little less, a point that the made-to-measure men also pick up on: "I make sure that pricewise, my suits are as attainable as possible," says Hanley firmly.

Practically speaking, the fantastic fit of a made-to-measure suit, as well as the quality of tailoring involved, is probably the best reason to convert to bespoke. Hanley explains that manufacturers are making suits on a large scale, so sizes become standardised. If you're a 41 inch chest rather than a 40 inch or a 42 inch, made-to-measure can make all the difference. Louis Copeland takes some 20 measurements to get the fit right, but reckons he can now measure somebody just by sight.

Still, for most made-to-measure customers, the best thing about a bespoke suit is the thrill of having something made especially for you. "The whole thing was an experience," says Delaney. "I had to go back for several fittings and I felt really pampered. One fitting was practically like an elaborate surgical operation." He points out that a made-to-measure suit feels "literally like a second skin, and that makes you feel good."

So what about the legions of fashion pundits who have prophesised the death of the suit now that new industries such as software companies are opting for a dress-down policy? "There'll always be plenty of people who want to be suited and booted," says Cuan Hanley, and Louis Copeland agrees. "People say there's a swing away from the suit, but to be quite honest, we're just getting busier and busier."