INSIDE STORY
Standing up for Savile Row
David Ward , an experienced independent Savile Row tailor , has worked with some of the biggest names in the business , including Henry Poole , Norton and Sons and Huntsman . Here , he argues that Savile Row has a unique place in history which deserves to be protected and , overleaf , talks to some of the people involved
Savile Row tailors are a nondescript bunch . Since their skills became the benchmark for British excellence they have generally been out of sight and voiceless . Down the ages , a general depiction of a tailor in any editorial was of an elderly bespectacled gentleman sitting cross legged , working with a piece of cloth .
As a senior cutter on Savile Row for over 20 years , my privileged access to this community has offered me an opportunity to redefine an outdated perception of these clothing savants , as the reality of what one looks like couldn ' t be more different . From an array of backgrounds and cultures , all of them posses a passion to dutifully apply the skills that have been sharpened for over 200 years and credited as the best on the planet .
During my years spent working on Savile Row I have witnessed a supply of tailoring apprentices come and go and only a select few have been good enough to execute the required high standards that are sought . This wonderful art is now awash with youthful bespoke tailors , incredibly passionate , and still upholding the traditions put down before them .
However , Savile Row is currently in a state of flux as its borders shrink and its fame plundered by anyone with the faintest interest in presenting themselves as a Savile Row tailor . My close relationship with these individuals and my interest in portrait photography has provided a platform to present these individuals for who they are and allow them to communicate their feelings and attitudes to the climate that Savile Row currently finds itself in .
Throughout history the word “ tailor ” has been used to describe an individual who simply makes clothing . There is a presumption that the person had engaged in extensive training ,
Savile Row is currently in a state of flux , says David Ward
encompassing many hours of instruction and a set way of working with a piece of cloth that would eventually produce a finished garment .
After many years of repetitive instruction and dedication to steam , shrink , stretch , and manipulate a flat piece of cloth in a variety of weights and colours , a yardage of worsted is , metaphorically speaking , transformed from caterpillar to a butterfly , opulent and beautiful in its form . R
SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE 17