Anyone who saw the excellent BBC series Savile Row will remember that the world of English bespoke tailoring is a marvellous clash of ego, confusion, exquisite quality, narrow-mindedness, English blustering, confidence and fear of the future…
For example… Meet Colonel Blasher
A particularly memorable scene is the ‘war cabinet’ meeting of bespoke tailors to discuss the news that Abercrombie & Fitch, which manages to qualify as a tailoring company, has the right to operate in the restricted Savile Row zone. It’s end-of-an-era stuff… But also one with opportunities.
We have been working with clients in the London bespoke industry for some time, to help retain the best of the heritage while repositioning the category for the future, updating business models, rethinking communications etc.
While Savile Row is an iconic centre for bespoke tailoring, the trend is growing globally.
Tom Ford, Thom Browne, and others are evolving the tradition of bespoke, and Paul Smith recently exported a bespoke initiative in New York…
Select fans of Paul Smith’s particular brand of Carnaby Street–via–Savile Row English flash have been stopping in to the second-floor showroom at the designer’s Greene Street boutique for a limited series of fittings with his crack “bespoke team.” — (Via NY Mag)
Meanwhile, the world of bespoke has rather shockingly collided with the world of blogging, in the form of English Cut, from Thomas Mahon, bespoke Savile Row tailor (but actually operating in the North of England).
Unlike many bespoke tailors who take the names of their clients to the grave, Thomas is cut from a newer cloth, his “Shameless Namedropping” section breezily mentions that he has dressed Prince Charles and Bryan Ferry.
And the “Why buy a suit from me” section sets out his stall with an eagerness that borders on the ungentlemanly…
1. Mobility and Economics.
2. Credentials.
3. Temperament.
4. My Age.
