NEW MOVE FOR FIRST LADY OF THE ROW

In the olden days, when Savile Row was a solidly male bastion, it was inconceivable that young ladies might be engaged in taking the vital measurements of gentlemen customers.

Well, the times they have a-changed, and many young ladies are now very much part of the Row’s workers, no longer as drones but coming out from the workrooms into the light.

One who achieved queen bee status is Kathryn Sargent. Over 15 years, she made her way from novice apprentice at Gieves & Hawkes to the pinnacle of the tailoring craft, Head Cutter.

Along the way, she learned all aspects of tailoring.

Now, two years after leaving Gieves & Hawkes to set up her own company, she has moved into grand new premises in Brook Street, just cross Bond Street from the Row.

“I had started off with a sit-in at Meyer & Mortimer on Sackville Street,” she explains, “which was a nice way to start. But I had really outgrown my space there and of course wanted my own place. This place came up and is perfect for me, near to the Row and in the heart of Mayfair. I am very pleased with it.”

She continues to travel to the US to see clients there three times a year, and has a good cross-section of customers across Europe. Initially concentrating upon men's clothing, she now makes for many female customers as well, both in terms of business wear and through to dressier designs.

“I hope to have a launch event later in the year, when everyone has returned from their summer holidays. But for now, I’m just getting used to being here and to organising everything.”