SAVILE ROW FOLLOWS IN COUTURE FOOTSTEPS

It has taken 50 years for Savile Row to follow in the elegant footsteps of its female equivalent, the couture coterie of Paris. It was in the 1960s that the Paris couture houses saw their role as leader of the fashion pack being challenged and the fruits of their designers’ labours being unceremoniously copied and churned out on the High Street.
 
They saw the writing on the wall and moved en masse into ‘boutique’ collections – ready-to-wear – and followed that by attaching their names to all manner of products from which to reap rich rewards from  their couture reputations.

Savile Row has made forays into the ready-to-wear world: collections produced under licence, licencing agreements overseas, the odd few blazers and trousers and jackets occupying a rail or two in the shop.  But in the main, its heart has not been in it, and the received wisdom was that the bespoke ethos would be diluted, indeed sullied, if the Row’s practitioners succumbed to the lure of ready-to-wear.

Whilst this has been a principled stand, it has kept Row businesses small. But now, having somewhat belatedly embraced the web and online possibilities and seeing the success of online shopping, resistance is crumbling. Full collections are being launched by a number of influential names and more can be expected to follow. With proper marketing, Savile Row may at last be joining the starry heights of global brand names and, in time, becoming as successful as its feminine counterpart in Paris.

Huntsman is the grand name that has embarked upon a full campaign into ready-to-wear. Two collections have already been launched, to be sold online and in its Row headquarters, and a wholesale operation is now being established that it is hoped will take it around the world. The styles are meticulously true to Huntsman’s traditional line. They are not made in the UK – there are so few manufacturers left here and those that are “could not cope with the  size of orders we wanted to place”, said Roubi L’Roubi, creative director. He has firm plans for future expansion and international development of the Huntsman brand.

Iconic tailor who was around in the 1960s as the couture scene was changing is Edward Sexton. With Tommy Nutter, he helped revive a Row then also suffering from the advance of ready-to-wear. The success he and Nutter had with their eye-catching bespoke clothes on the Swinging London scene meant they hardly had time for consideration of ready-to-wear moves. He has made some efforts in the intervening years and had said he didn’t want to do any more ready-to-wear – but here he is launching a collection of ready-to-wear shirts and accessories online. A new made-to-measure tailoring service is available at his shop.

Youngster in the business by comparison to Edward Sexton, Thom Sweeney has attracted a young, stylish clientele since its launch in 2007. The duo behind the name, Thom Widdett and Luke Sweeney, trained at Timothy Everest, one of the first to fully develop a ready-to-wear and licencing operation from his bespoke base. So it was to be expected that they too would seek to maximise their potential. They not only launched a ready-to-wear collection of suits this year, but have it up and running on Mr Porter, arguable the top international online platform, and are just opening their first ready-to-wear store in Mayfair.

Charlie Allen has had various link-ups to provide ready-to-wear collections for others, but now has his own online collection, with limited editions and personal fitting services for suits as options. Richard Anderson introduced his ready-too-wear a couple of years ago, now available in top stores around the world. And Gieves & Hawkes, of course, has long since had comprehensive collections of  ready-to-wear clothing and all accessories.

As yet, the tailors are but minnows by comparison to the couture brands. Think of the marketing scope of Chanel, Dior, Gaultier, et al, and appreciate how far the Savile Row names have to travel. But the time is right for them, with demand for high quality men’s accessories, grooming aids and gift ranges greater than ever before.

What is now needed is a brace of fairy godmothers to step forward in the form of business angels. The French names have the backing of major corporations, facilitating the all-important marketing. Considering that Savile Row's customers must include many of the very same international captains of industry and entrepeneurs who help finance the French brands, perhaps they could be pursuaded to do the same for the Row.

The wives of such customers, after all, have any numbers of sectors around the globe that cater for them. There is only one Savile Row.

From the top: the epitome of Huntsman's style, a lean, button-one suit; Edward Sexton's d.b jacket over a shirt from the ready-to-wear collection with pin fastening collar; immaculate checked design from Thom Sweeney at Mr Porter; tweed jacket from Charlie Allen.