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• william skinner |
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Taking over from your father isn't an easy task and Michael Skinner of Dege & Skinner was perhaps a hard act to follow, but his son William seems to have managed the transition quite smoothly.
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"I always wanted to come into the firm," he says "but didn't want to go straight into it. I wanted to do other things first - so that I could become perhaps a more rounded character," he says with a smile.
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So he went to Newcastle University and then agricultural college, and spent a gap year first working on a ranch in the U.S. and then travelling the world. He finally joined the company in 1992 and then went through a rigorous two years of training before starting on any tailoring activities.
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"I went to Taylor & Lodge to learn about cloth, to Austin Reed to see the ready-to-wear operation at Chester Barrie and then in-store, then 3 months in the Middle East, as we have a lot of business in that part of the world, and finally a stint at Kinloch Anderson in Scotland, learning about Highland dresswear - we are their London agents."
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Only after all that did he start working in the firm, and began travelling with his father for fittings around the world. He took over as managing director in 2001 and says he enjoys the job no end. |
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As with so many of the tailors, security of tenure and the ever rising rents in this most expensive area of London are an on-going worry. "Its important that we have workrooms on site and we need their rental to be light industrial rate." |
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Negotiations for a new lease are proceeding and he is cautiously optimistic but would like to see some measures taken by Westminster Council that would ensure Savile Row remains a world renowned centre for tailoring excellence. |
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Popular in military circles for a disciplined line, Dege & Skinner provides all sorts of other styling as well, and reports increasing numbers of young customers coming in. |
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"But they come for the classic styling of Savile Row that has a timeless elegance," he concludes. |
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• peter harvey |
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Peter Harvey of Fallan & Harvey says he was thinking about being a carpenter when he left school. "I wanted to do something practical, with my hands, but a school friend said he was going into tailoring, and I thought that sounds a good idea, as I liked clothes, so I did too." |
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The school friend gave it up within 6 months but Peter found his natural forte, serving a 6 years apprenticeship and learning to cut, fit and finish a suit.
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In 1975, he teamed up with Keith Fallon and they proved a good team, Keith developing their business in North America, Peter concentrating upon the Far East. |
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But the untimely death of his partner three years ago means that he now covers the two markets, spending a quarter of the year travelling. He has taken on a trainee, Darios Carnera, who already had some experience, and looks forward to when he will be able to take over some of this work.
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"It takes time obviously. The cutting is important, but so is the fitting. He's been with us for 2 years now and is progressing well." |
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Current styling preferences from customers show a tendency for flat fronts in trousers and plain bottoms - and there has been some demand for brown suitings. |
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"That's unusual and, of course, depending upon the shade of brown, you've got to change all the accessories accordingly. A dark brown can get away with black shoes but others can't. |
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"In the Far East, the Duke of Windsor look is the big thing. They refer to books showing pictures of him. They like the big checks that he wore and half moon pockets. I recently made up a jacket in a Royal Gordon tartan - that's a big, bold check - with a roll collar and half moon pockets! Another was a Black Watch tartan, but that is more restained and versatile of course. |
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"But for business men, it is plain dark blue suits - and that's business men everywhere." |
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:: Meet the Tailors:: |
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Wiliam Skinner |
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Peter Harvey |
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