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March 20, 2006
savile row in the times...
[Fred Eltham, one of the best tailors on the Row, without question.]
From The Times (of London): "Tailors find an ally in fight to hold high street at bay."
Bespoke tailors in cluttered workshops on this famous London street have been handsewing suits for royals, statesmen, film stars and men of distinction and style for almost two centuries.Needless to say, As I've said before, there's a lot of heritage on Savile Row, and it needs to be protected. The fact that our local government is starting to agree with us tailors can only be seen as a good sign.But the existence of Savile Row’s tailors has been threatened by a 50 per cent rent rise in the past ten years, fuelled by the desire of upmarket clothes stores to cash in on the street’s reputation.
The Times has learnt, however, that planners at Westminster City Council are planning to act to save Savile Row from the curse of chain-store uniformity that threatens to blight every high street in Britain.
In a report to be published today, the council outlines how it will block attempts to turn the workshops into retail outlets.
[...]
“If ever there was a street that deserved an award for exporting then it’s Savile Row,” said Thomas Mahon a Savile Row-trained tailor who now runs English Cut. “If the bespoke businesses were driven out by crappy retail stores selling poor quality clothes, then Savile Row’s name would be irreparably damaged.”
As there's been a lot of recent press interest in Savile Row due to this report, all the tailors are assembling at 11am today for a group photograph, to give to the press to use. All of the Row's most dashing candidates will be there, strutting their stuff. I talked to a lot of the boys last week, who wanted me to come down for the shoot. Sadly, I'm cutting today in Cumbria, so I shall miss this historic occasion.
But Godspeed to everyone there today, and I'll look forward to seeing you all in the papers.
Posted by tom at March 20, 2006 9:56 AM
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