Kilgour Bespoke Tailoring from the Heart of Savile Row |
Posted: August 26, 2018 |
If there is one single bespoke tailoring business on London’s famous Savile Row that epitomises the enduring appeal of quality, it’s Kilgour Savile Row. Kilgour was founded in 1880. The business began as T & F French. In 1923, A.H. Kilgour merged with T & F French and became Kilgour & French. In 2003, the business rebranded as Kilgour. Throughout all those years, Kilgour has continued its tradition of fine bespoke tailoring. With the 2003 rebranding came a new direction for Kilgour when Carlo Brandelli introduced a new modernity to the brand.
Kilgour – Part of the Tailoring Heritage of Savile Row Savile Row has been the home of some of the best bespoke tailors in the world for more than two hundred years. The first tailors set up business in Savile Row to meet the demand for fine clothing from the affluent and fashionable residents of the area. Savile Row was a residential street built on the site of an old mansion house that was demolished in 1731. The street was named after Lady Dorothy Savile, the wife of the 3rd Earl of Burlington. The tailors like Kilgour Savile Row who set up business in the area supplied garments to the military officers and politicians who lived in Savile Row and in the surrounding area.
The Changing Facades of Savile Row Many of the buildings that are now situated in Savile Row were built just after the Second World War. Savile Row was badly damaged during the London Blitz. Initially, though, the changes that the tailoring business made to the original Savile Row buildings were quite modest. They simply installed larger windows so that there was more daylight for the workers inside. Modern shop fronts didn’t start appearing until 1969. It was Nutters of Savile Row who were the first Savile Row tailors to use shopfront displays. In the 1990s, there was a further change when new designers like Ozwald Boateng opened stores on the street. The arrival of the new designers led to big rent increases, which forced several of the old traditional tailors to relocate.
Savile Row – Still Going Strong Today, many of the traditional bespoke tailors of Savile Row still thrive, side-by-side with the new tailoring businesses. Some of the old established businesses have modernised, but the best of them have remained true to their roots. The process of making a bespoke Kilgour suit takes approximately eight weeks, and more than 120 hours of craftsmanship. The attention to detail and the high-quality workmanship is as much in evidence today as it has always been.
Kilgour Savile Row Kilgour is a Savile Row tailor that has kept up with the times. They have made suits for many celebrities. It was Kilgour that made the tailcoat that Fred Astaire wore in the 1935 film Top Hat. Kilgour has made clothes for Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Rex Harrison. Kilgour are still linked to movie stars today, including Jude Law and Daniel Craig. Today, the suits are up to date and the store looks like an exclusive fashion boutique, but the adherence to the traditional values of a Savile Row tailor remains. Kilgour has been at the heart of Savile Row tailoring for more than 200 years, and they are set to be at the heart of that fine tailoring tradition for many years to come.
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