J. Press SS24

The Rise And Fall Of J.Crew

J.Crew Group, Inc., is an American multi-brand, multi-channel, specialty retailer. The company offers an assortment of women's, men's, and children's apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, lounge-wear, bags, sweaters, denim, dresses, suiting, jewelry, and shoes.

 

As of August 2016, it operated more than 450 retail stores throughout the United States. The company conducts its business through retail, factory, crew cuts, Madewell stores, catalogs, and online.

 

On May 4, 2020, the company announced that it would apply for bankruptcy protection amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

History

Formation and catalog growth

In 1947, Mitchell Cinader and Saul Charles founded Popular Merchandise, Inc., a store that did business as Popular Club Plan and sold low-priced women's clothing marketed through in-home demonstrations.[6] Throughout the mid-1980s, sales from catalog operations grew rapidly. "Growth was explosive—25 to 30 percent a year," Cinader later recollected in The New York Times. Annual sales grew from $3 million to more than $100 million over five years.[6] In 1985, the "Clifford & Wills" brand was launched, selling women's clothing that was more affordable than the Popular Merchandise line. In 1987, two executives left the company to start their own catalog, Tweeds.

 

The 1980s marked a booming sales period for catalog retail giants Lands' End, Talbots, and L. L. Bean. Popular Merchandise initiated its own catalog operation, focusing on leisurewear for upper-middle-class customers, aiming for a Ralph Lauren look at a much lower price. The first Popular Club Plan catalog was mailed to customers in January 1983 and continued under that name until 1989. Popular Club Plan catalogs often showed the same garment in more than one picture with close-up shots of the fabrics, so customers could get a sense of how the garment looked on the body and be assured of the company's claims of quality.

 

Name change and first stores

In 1983, Popular Merchandise, Inc. became known as J.Crew, Inc. The company attempted, but failed to sell the Popular Club Plan brand.[6] Also in 1989, J.Crew opened its first retail store, in South Street Seaport in downtown Manhattan.

 

J.Crew Group was owned by the Cinader family for most of its existence, but in October 1997 investment firm Texas Pacific Group Inc. purchased a majority stake. By the year 2000, Texas Pacific held an approximate 62 percent stake, a group of J.Crew managers held about 10 percent, and Emily Cinader Woods, the chairman of J.Crew, along with her father, Arthur Cinader, held most of the remainder. The brand Clifford & Wills was sold to Spiegel. in 2000 with the intent to boost sales. In 2004, J.Crew bought the rights to the brand Madewell, a defunct workwear manufacturer founded in 1937, and used the name from 2006 onwards as "a modern-day interpretation", targeted at younger women than their main brand.

 

Going public and then private again

In 2006, the company held an IPO, raising $376 million by selling new shares equal to 33% of expanded capital. However, in 2011, TPG Capital LP and Leonard Green & Partners LP took J.Crew private again in a $3 billion leveraged buyout. On November 23, 2010, the company had agreed to be taken private in a $3 billion deal led by management with the backing of TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, two large private equity firms. The announcement of the offer from two investment firms—including one that used to own J.Crew—came as the retailer reported that its third-quarter net income fell by 14 percent due to weak women's clothing sales. The company also lowered its guidance for the 2010 year. Under the deal as proposed, J.Crew shareholders would receive $43.50 per share in cash, representing a 16 percent premium to the stock's closing price the prior day of $37.65. CEO Mickey Drexler, the former Gap Inc. chief credited with turning J.Crew around since coming aboard in 2003, remained in that role and retained a "significant" stake in the company (as of September 2010, he holds 5.4% of outstanding shares).

 

Shortly after the announcement of the deal, some in the business community criticized the terms of the deal involving the company's CEO and a majority shareholder. As a result, the "go-shop" period was extended shortly after the initial announcement.In addition, several investigations relating to potential shareholder actions against the company were announced.[19] After the deal, TPG and Leonard Green borrowed more to help finance dividends totaled $787 million to them.

 

Recent

In June 2015, The New York Times reported that J.Crew's women's division was undergoing a slump because of the company's failure to react to two market trends: cheap "fast fashion" and "athleisure" items. In 2016, J.Crew partnered with Nordstrom to begin selling their products in stores and online. In December 2016, the company faced litigation after it moved its intellectual property "out of the reach of lenders."

 

In April 2017, the company cut 250 jobs, largely from its headquarters. The company also underwent several management changes, and long-term creative director Jenna Lyons left the company in April. The brand's longtime head of menswear, Frank Muytjens, left the company that month as well, and in June 2017, the company's CEO, Mickey Drexler, announced that he would later be stepping down as CEO role after 14 years with the company. Drexler announced he would stay on as chairman and still own 10% of the company. On June 12, 2017, J.Crew Group Inc. announced it had "made an offer to some of its bondholders to push back its most pressing debt obligation—about $567 million due in May 2019—and amend its term loan." At the time, J.Crew Group had around $2 billion in debt. Also in 2017, Drexler approached Amazon Inc about selling J.Crew to the tech giant.

 

In the summer of 2017, the company avoided a bankruptcy filing by having bondholders do a debt swap tapping into its brand name value. The majority of the bondholders agreed to the deal, with several others failing to stop the deal with a lawsuit. The deal lowered the company's debt.

 

In September 2018, J.Crew began selling its standalone "J.Crew Mercantile" brand on Amazon.

 

On February 16, 2018, J.Crew hired Adam Brotman, a long-time Starbucks executive, as president and chief experience officer. Brotman's first major impact was launching "J.Crew Rewards", the company's first reward program independent of the company's credit card. The rewards program offers free shipping and $5 back for each $200 spent.

 

In November 2018, J.Crew announced its CEO, James Brett, would step down and be replaced by an office of the CEO consisting of four senior executives from J.Crew. Brett took up the position in June 2017. The company released a press release stating Brett's departure was a "mutual agreement" between Brett and the company's board of directors. Brett will be replaced by Michael Nicholson (president and COO), Adam Brotman (president and chief experience officer), Lynda Markoe (chief administrative officer), and Libby Wadle, president of Madewell Brand. The new office of the CEO will be responsible for managing J.Crew's operations as the board establishes a permanent management structure. On November 29, J.Crew announced the dissolution of their Nevereven, Mercantile, and J.Crew Home sub-brands.

 

On April 11, 2019, J.Crew announced that president and COO, Michael Nicholson, will retain the title of interim CEO, along with the subsequent announcement of Brotman's departure.

 

J.Crew reported a net income of $1.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, up from a net loss of $74.4 million in quarter four of 2018.

 

On January 28, 2020, the retailer announced that Jan Singer will assume title of CEO. Singer was previously CEO of Victoria's Secret, Spanx and was an executive at Nike.[42] She will replace Nicholson who will assume his previous position.

 

On May 4, 2020, J.Crew filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the company had amassed enormous debt even before the outbreak.

 

Chinos Holdings, Inc. and 17 affiliated debtors filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Debtors have requested joint administration of the cases under Case No. 20-32181.

 

In September 2020, J Crew permanently closed all six of its UK stores after its parent group emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy following an approval plan to cut its debts.

 

In November 2020, J.Crew appointed new Chief Executive Officer. Libby Wadle replaced Jan Singer who had been a CEO for less than a year.

 

Retail stores

The company operates 506 retail stores, including 203 J.Crew stores, 129 Madewell stores, and 174 J.Crew Factory (including 42 J.Crew Mercantile) outlet locations, as reported in 2018. The company also operates internationally in Canada, France, the UK, and Hong Kong. Additionally, the company has 76 locations in Japan, which are operated under license by ITOCHU Corporation.

 

In March 1989, the first J.Crew retail outlet opened in the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, and the company planned to open 45 more stores. Five months after the opening of its first store, J.Crew added two new catalog lines: "Classics" and "Collections." "Collections" used more complicated designs and finer fabrics to create dressier and more expensive items, while "Classics" featured clothes that could be worn both to work and for leisure activities.[citation needed] In the fall of 1989, J.Crew opened three new stores in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; and Costa Mesa, California, all locations with strong catalog sales. By the end of the year, retail sales nearly hit $10 million. Despite 1989, revenues that year were estimated at $320 million, J.Crew suffered a setback when its agreement to sell its Popular Club unit collapsed at the end that year. In addition, rumors circulated that the company's Clifford & Wills low-priced women's apparel catalog was doing poorly.

 

J.Crew saw revenues reach $400 million in 1990 but reported that its four existing stores had not yet started producing enough profits to cover their overheads. The next phase of store openings included outlets in Philadelphia, Cambridge, and Portland. The company scaled back its plans for opening retail stores from 45 stores to 30 or 35.[citation needed] In early 1991 the company hired a director of new marketing development and began efforts to expand their sales into Canada. In April 1991, J.Crew mailed 75,000 J.Crew catalogs and 60,000 Clifford & Wills catalogs to potential customers in the province of Ontario. Response rates to this effort were slightly lower than in the United States, but each order, on average, was higher.[citation needed] In 1992, J.Crew intensified its push into international markets by hiring a new vice-president for international development. The company already mailed hundreds of catalogs to customers in Japan and Europe, most of whom had become acquainted with J.Crew while traveling or living in the United States.

 

 

J.Crew in Markville Shopping Centre (now closed)

In 2011, J.Crew opened its first international store in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto.[50] In 2012, J.Crew announced four new Canadian locations: Edmonton in West Edmonton Mall, Vancouver on Robson Street, and Toronto in Fairview Mall (now closed) and the Toronto Eaton Centre. All locations will carry women's and men's collections. Along with 5 new stores, although some of these stores have been closed recently. J.Crew announced to opening of two new factory stores in Canada, with one in Vaughan Mills and the other in Edmonton (The second J.Crew in Alberta) Continuing with its expansion in the Greater Toronto Area, J.Crew opened at Markville Shopping Centre in 2013 (and now closed). In early 2014, J.Crew unveiled its new flagship location in Yorkville, Toronto.

 

In an interview with the Financial Times in 2011, CEO of J.Crew Mickey Drexler said that J.Crew would be expanding to the U.K. with their flagship store being on London's Regent Street. He indicated that the company would be following up their recent expansion into Canada and Canadian e-commerce with a physical store in England, most likely followed by e-commerce elsewhere, such as France and Germany. Although a few locations were reviewed for the London store, including Covent Garden and the East End, the ultimate decision was to open on Regent Street.

 

In early 2014, J.Crew announced plans to open brick-and-mortar locations in Asia – to be spearheaded by two establishments in Hong Kong. A women's store is slated to open in the International Finance Centre, while a men's shop is in the works for On Lan Street. Both opened for business in May 2014.

 

From 2016 to 2018, J.Crew Group has closed 96 J.Crew and J.Crew Factory retail locations.

 

On March 2, 2020, J.Crew announced that it would pause the proposed Madewell IPO that was intended to be initiated on March 2. The company is considering a possible separation of J.Crew and Madewell into two separate companies.

 

Marketing

Historically, each year the company issued 24 editions of the J.Crew catalog, distributing more than 80 million copies. Beginning in 2017, the catalog began being released with fewer pages and fewer issues per year.

 

J.Crew has been criticized for labeling its new super-small jeans as "size 000"., and for advertising them as "toothpick jeans". Critics have said the labeling promotes vanity, a practice known as vanity sizing. The "size 000" is smaller than a size zero and has three zeros, implying that it is two sizes smaller than the smallest normal size. This has caused people to question whether negative sizes will be available in the future, and if the method of labeling should be changed.

 

In early 2011, J.Crew was under fire by conservative media outlets for an advertisement featuring its creative director and president, Jenna Lyons, painting her son's toenails pink. Beneath the picture was a quote that read, "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink." Some people were of the opinion that J.Crew was challenging traditional gender identity roles, although author Jo B. Paoletti said that it was "no big deal".

Almost Ready for Making | Preparing the Rough Stuff | A Journey Through Shoemaking History John Lobb

Handmade: By Royal Appointment 2. John Lobb Shoes BBC Documentary 2016 /

Six months to make a pair of shoes

Neil and Michael explain the craft of last making and why it has kept them at John Lobb for over 30 years.

"In the shadow of St Jamess Palace is the workshop of shoemakers John Lobb. Since the mid-19th century, they have handcrafted shoes for gentlemen and boast royal warrants from both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. Its a rare heritage company still run by the original family and this film follows a day in the life of the shoemakers, who use methods that have barely changed since the company was founded. From pencilled outlines on brown paper to the cutting and stitching of leather, heels hammered on soles to the final polishing, the film follows the meticulous craft process and hears from the shoemakers themselves, many of whom have spent decades working for the company."

SEE VIDEO below

John Lobb Bootmaker is a company that manufactures and retails a very exclusive luxury brand of shoes and boots mainly for men, but also for women. It is based near St James's Palace, at 9 St James's Street, London. Founded in 1849, Lobb is one of England's oldest makers of bench-made shoes, worn by clients such as King Edward VII, famous 20th century opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and actor Daniel Day Lewis. John Lobb shoes are also worn by Ian Fleming's fictional character James Bond. At Lobb, special care is taken to select the fine leather skins—with crocodile skin shoes for about USD 8000 at the top of the range.
The original, family-owned Lobb still handmakes shoes one pair at a time, while Hermès who acquired use of the John Lobb name in 1976 broadened the reach of the John Lobb brandname through its ready-to-wear line. The production of each pair of John Lobb ready-to-wear shoes is so time-consuming that only about 100 pairs of shoes are finished per day.
Hermès' John Lobb shoes are available in both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure. Its motto is "The Bare Maximum for a Man".
Hermès' John Lobb shoes are sold in its own boutiques or in luxury department stores such as Harrods, Bergdorf Goodman, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus and Lane Crawford. Hermès' John Lobb also has boutiques in countries around the world, including the United States, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and several European Union countries.
A pair of bespoke leather shoes costs over £2400. The average price is approximately £2700 (as on 15 January 2009), if ordering from the St James's Street shop.


Prince Charles Vintage bespoke hand made shoes by John Lobb



















Vintage cleverley hand made shoes


.... It did occur to me to wonder what the eponymous George Cleverley (pictured, in black and white) would have thought. Born in 1898 into a shoe-making family, he worked for Tuczek in Mayfair for 38 years, before starting his own business in 1958 and rapidly becoming famous for his graceful shoes with the chisel toe, with clients of the calibre of Rudolph Valentino, Humphrey Bogart, John Gielgud and Winston Churchill. Eventually his pupils, John Carnera and George Glasgow (pictured, with Mr Glasgow on the right), became his successors. Mr Cleverley worked right up to his departure from this life, aged 93, in 1991. He had two great interests: shoes and horse-racing. Indeed, it was one of Mr Carnera’s regular duties to take his boss off for the day to the racecourse at Newmarket. I hope that the great man, who clearly enjoyed the good things of life, would have permitted himself a smile at my desire for co-respondent shoes. ( in "Welcome to Brown's Bespoke")




The tradition began after World War I, when George Cleverley worked for Tuczek, the fashionable shoemaker in Clifford Street, Mayfair, where he developed a signature style called the Cleverley shape, famous for its chiselled toe. The Cleverley quickly became popular with Rudolph Valentino, Humphrey Bogart and Sir Lawrence Olivier.
In 1958 Cleverley set up his own business in Cork Street, and continued to fit some of the most famous feet in the world, amassing a diverse client list that ranged from Sir Winston Churchill to Rolling Stone Charlie Watts.
Before his death in 1991 at 93, Cleverley appointed his successors, George Glasgow and John Carnera, current co-owners who carry on Cleverley’s shoemaking reputation. They trade as G.J Cleverley & Co, now located in the Royal Arcade adjacent to Old Bond Street. Today famous clients include David Beckham and Sir Elton John.
The handmade shoemaking process starts – with a style consultation and measurements.
A unique ‘last’ is made for each customer, which is a wooden block from which the shoe is built. The ‘last’ serves to reproduce the dimensions of the client’s feet.
One can approximate that 45-50 hours of work are required to complete a pair of handmade shoes. They will pass through the hands of several craftsmen, each with a specific skill such as cutting, closing or finishing, which means that the new customer can expect to receive the final product some four to six months down the line.
A pair of bespoke brogues cost in the region of £2,000.

As well as the renowned bespoke business, GJ Cleverley offer a semi-bespoke shoe service along with a readymade range that is very much influenced by the firm’s handmade products.
Their finest semi-bespoke and ready to wear collection is named after shoemaker Anthony Cleverley. This unique collection is styled from shoes once designed for Anthony’s clients, Baron de Rede, Count Visconti, Monsieur de Givenchy and the Rothschild family.
This collection is available as ready to wear from UK 6 to UK 12 sized shoes with half size increments. And also as a made-to-order Anthony Cleverley, for clients who will only wish to make slight modifications. These shoes will take between 12-14 weeks to produce. All shoes come with a lasted beachwood shoes tree .(in Toffsmen)

Maison de retraite pour Aristocrates et grandes bourgeoises

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A Gentleman's London, Episode Six: Huntsman

REMEMBERING: Colourful hedge fund boss Pierre Lagrange is claiming taxpayers' money to furlough staff at his Savile Row tailor, despite having a personal fortune of £240million / The unfair attack on Savile Row hero Pierre Lagrange / VIDEO:Shooting with Huntsman, with Pierre Lagrange and Nick Foulkes

EXCLUSIVE: Colourful hedge fund boss Pierre Lagrange is claiming taxpayers' money to furlough staff at his Savile Row tailor, despite having a personal fortune of £240million

 

Pierre LaGrange, 48, used taxpayers' hand-outs to pay some of the 65 staff at his upmarket clothes firm, Huntsman

The Belgian-born former hedge fund boss, 48, who is famous for his colourful love life, lives in Monaco and has homes in London, New York and Mustique

He was involved in an amicable £160million divorce from the mother of his three children in 2010 after coming out as gay

After falling for a flamboyant male fashion designer, he took a former US Presidential aide as his husband

Huntsman supplied outfits for Earl Grantham in TV's Downton Abbey and for the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

As well as furloughing staff at Huntsman, it is believed other workers were made redundant last year

 

By NICK CRAVEN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 07:15, 18 February 2021 | UPDATED: 07:48, 18 February 2021

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9262917/500million-Pierre-Lagrange-claiming-taxpayers-cash-furlough-staff-Savile-Row-tailor.html

 

A multi-millionaire has been claiming public money to furlough staff at his Savile Row tailoring firm.

 

Belgian-born Pierre LaGrange, who lives in Monaco, London and New York has used taxpayers' hand-outs to pay some of the 65 staff at his upmarket London company Huntsman, which inspired Matthew Vaughn's blockbuster Kingsman spy movies.

 

But former hedge fund boss LaGrange, famous for his colourful love life, and whose estimated worth is around £240m, will face fierce criticism for using the bail-outs from the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, which lists H Huntsman & Sons Ltd as having claimed in December.

 

Ironically, in 2019, LaGrange moaned to the Financial Times about Britain's high taxes compared to 30 years ago, saying: 'The taxes have risen here dramatically in a way that has killed the economy.

 

'Britain was the most competitive place in Europe in attracting talent. It's lost a lot of that.'

 

LaGrange paid a record £160m divorce settlement to ex-wife Catherine Anspach after falling in love with a flamboyant male fashion designer and recently took a former US Presidential aide as his husband.

 

The latest company accounts showed a loss of more than £10.4m for 2019, but also included a statement from LaGrange pledging to continue to support the business - one of the oldest on Savile Row - as a going concern.

 

After he split from his former wife Catherine Anspach, Mr LaGrange came out as gay and eventually married former White House adviser Ebs Burnoughtaken in Ibiza, Spain in 2019

 

When super-rich hedge fund boss Mr Lagrange separated from his wife of 20 years, Catherine Anspach (pictured), in 2010, the split cost him a record-breaking £160 million

 

As well as furloughing some of its 65 staff, it is believed Huntsman, which supplied outfits for Earl Grantham in TV's Downton Abbey and for the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, also made other workers redundant last year.

 

In 2019, his MD Phil Kirrage said: 'Since Pierre took the helm at Huntsman, we have run the business with a start-up mindset, taking risks and making investments that will secure the esteemed tailor's success for the next 170 years.'

 

Before acquiring Huntsman in 2014, LaGrange co-founded GLG Partners, criticised for short-selling shares in stricken Bradford and Bingley at the height of the banking crisis, and acquired by Man Group in 2010, netting him £340m.

 

He sold his London mansion alongside Kensington Gardens to Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich for £90m in 2011, having bought it for just £19m seven years earlier.

 

LaGrange also owns a fabulous five-bedroomed bamboo beach-house on the exclusive Caribbean hideaway of Mustique, which he rents out for up to £30,000 a week.

 

Set in acres of 'lush gardens with unparalled sea views' the 'ultimate party house' also boasts a butler, chef and two housekeepers.

 

When Pierre and Catherine, the mother of his three children, split amicably in 2010 after he came out as gay, they marked the occasion by exchanging Ferraris, said to be worth a total of around £450,000.

 

LaGrange began a relationship with British-born Sudanese fashion designer Roubi L'Roubi.

 

LaGrange told the FT: 'When I realised I was gay I was terrified. It was an extraordinary moment. I was terrified that people would not love me anymore . . . and that people who trust me would not trust me anymore.'

 

'I had lived as a straight white successful male, married to a woman I loved and with kids I loved and having just a perfect life.'

 

He described the transition as 'nearly overnight', adding: 'I was thrilled that aged 48 I had finally admitted to something that I had buried, not knowing what was buried under there.'

 

In 2019, after the relationship with L'Roubi ended, LaGrange tied the knot with his new boyfriend Ebs Burnough, a former White House aide to President Barack Obama. Naturally, LaGrange wore a Huntsman blazer for the nuptials in Ibiza.

 

He has regularly invested in movies, and been credited as executive producer onKickass and the Kingsman movies: The Secret Service and its sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

 

Huntsman, which was honoured with royal warrants by Edward VII and Queen Victoria, supplied outfits for Earl Grantham in Downton Abbey and for the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

 

LaGrange now lives with his husband Ebs Burnough between Monaco, London, Hampshire and New York, but it's not clear in which jurisdiction he pays tax.

 

In 2019 after becoming the first Savile Row tailor to establish a permanent presence in New York, LaGrange enthused about Huntsman's traditions.

 

'Go down to the shop,' he told Knightfrank.co.uk, 'and you'll see some of what's there is the same as 100 years ago, and that's really important. It's about perfection, process, repeatability and sustainability – doing the same thing again and again but better and better.'

 

A spokesman for Huntsman told MailOnline: 'As with the other tailors across the Row, Huntsman's UK business has been dramatically affected by the COVID pandemic with evaporating footfall and significant losses.

 

'During this unprecedented time, Huntsman has actually elected to keep as many staff as possible working from home, including providing logistical costs for them to do so. While they have furloughed a small number of staff with the Coronavirus Retention Scheme, in fact the government compensation covers less than five per cent of the business losses.

 

'In an effort to keep as many staff in place, Mr LaGrange has been carrying significant personal losses to ensure this landmark heritage brand survives the pandemic.'

 

The spokesman declined to answer questions about where Mr LaGrange pays tax.

The unfair attack on Savile Row hero Pierre Lagrange

22 February 2021, 6:50am

From Spectator Life

WRITTEN BY

Tom Chamberlin

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-unfair-attack-on-saville-row-hero-pierre-lagrange

 

The Daily Mail has a new target – Pierre Lagrange. The enormously successful hedge funder has found himself in the cross hairs because he claimed money from Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme for some of the staff at Huntsman – the All-Blacks of Savile Row tailors – which Pierre bought in 2013. As hit-jobs go, it is as ill-advised as it is misinformed, so I thought I’d explain why.

 

The clickbait premise by journalist Nick Craven was that Pierre should have paid all the staff out of his own pocket rather than get support from the government. He backed up Lagrange’s evil-hedge-funder status by saying that he was 'famous for his colourful love life' – whether by 'colourful' he meant being gay, divorced or currently one half of an interracial marriage, I will leave Craven to elaborate. It’s too icky an adjective for me to want to look too closely at.

 

There was one factor that was entirely omitted by this article, which was that despite the shaky start – some tailors left unsure of the new direction it may take – Pierre Lagrange is one of the heroes of Savile Row and British tailoring. A declining interest in bespoke clothing – this was before people were not allowed outdoors – could be levelled squarely at an industry unable to find a modern heartbeat for those who see clothes as romantic. The intervention by Lagrange has injected a new interest in British tailoring from domestic and international clients as well as Hollywood’s opportunistic eye. As Covid has hit, it is creative businessmen like Lagrange who can find innovative solutions to complex problems.

 

Let’s begin with his mission to take the message of British tailoring abroad (note I don’t say just Huntsman but British tailoring as a whole). In 2015 Nick Foulkes hosted an exhibition for Savile Row in Washington D.C at the U.K. Ambassador’s Residence. Pierre helped to fund the operation and went to great lengths to make sure that it was as good as it could possibly be, which included flying in Buffalo Bill’s overcoat (made at Henry Poole) from Wyoming in a climate-controlled container.

 

This is just one of countless instances where Pierre has shown himself to be a champion for the street’s future viability, celebrating a set of craft skills that the government is doing nothing to help. Nick says that 'Savile Row is lucky to have him. I think you’d have to be fairly curmudgeonly to not say that he has been good for the street.' Master Tailor Terry Haste of Kent, Haste & Lachter – who incidentally was one-time head cutter and MD of Huntsman – agrees. He says: 'We were all delighted when Pierre was running the Savile Row Association, as there was so much more happening, there was real energy. It was sad to see him leave the post.'

 

Within Huntsman the innovations are setting the tone for what tailors need to be doing to survive. While the article did not specify how many of the 65 staff were furloughed – 'some' Nick Craven says – the notion of a tailor employing 65 people in the first place is remarkable. A bespoke suit requires several artisans to create, but not 65. You don’t hire that many people for a tailor’s shop unless you’re trying to achieve something extraordinary and whatever the motives may be, that is 65 jobs in a struggling industry that he has been paying for, as the article states, covering annual eight-figure losses himself.

 

Furthermore, he’s invested in technology for the company which remains a tough pill to swallow for a 'handmade' industry. The ability for someone to create their own tweed is indulgent for sure but it is innovative and helps not just Huntsman but the mills in Scotand that create the tweed too. Mr. Hammick, the robot which is sent round the world to help with international fittings (Colin Hammick is the houses most famous head cutter) has meant the incumbent head cutter, Dario Carnera (son of legendary shoe maker John Carnera), can keep processing orders to clients who aren’t able to visit London. Huntsman are in fact currently touring America, there is a permanent foothold in New York (thanks to Pierre) but the appetite for British tailoring has allowed for a tour of the major American cities by the Huntsman tailors.

 

Should Savile Row be relevant at all in the next 20 years, while one can also mention Anda Rowland, Gaziano & Girling, Thom Sweeney (who have opened up round the corner), a great chunk of that credit can go to Pierre Lagrange. The bespoke suit, is of course an expensive, indulgent, luxury item, but it is an icon of Britain’s cultural history. Money from China had helped bolster the financial standing of Savile Row back in the noughties, but several of the houses bought up by Chinese finance have padlocked chains on the door handles and the shops have been gutted. Over half of the shops on Savile Row have no tenancy because businesses can’t pay the bills, but Huntsman manages to inspire a soon-to-be trilogy of films and exports the good name of British tailoring almost better than anyone else. While the Government have been great with protecting jobs during the pandemic, part of the reason Rishi Sunak is popular no doubt, their efforts to protect British heritage brands has been woeful, and that pre-dates Coronavirus. It has required people like Pierre Lagrange to keep the pulse steady, the street would be in even bigger trouble without him.

 

WRITTEN BY

Tom Chamberlin

2013–2015

Since taking over the company in 2013, Owner and Non-Executive Chairman Pierre Lagrange has introduced a number of developments which differentiate Huntsman from the majority of Savile Row tailors. Under Lagrange's direction, Huntsman launched its 'Archive Collection' in 2013, a capsule collection of ready-to-wear tailoring, shirting and accessories, returning a ready-to-wear product to Huntsman. The collection focused on both rejuvenating some aspects of Huntsman's traditional block, but also sought to integrate true menswear classics into the collection, as inspired by Huntsman's extensive historical archives. E-commerce was introduced at the same time, allowing for the ready-to-wear collection to be purchased online. Huntsman's website states that newly appointed Creative Director Campbell Carey is responsible for overseeing the ready-to-wear collection. The house's new General Manager Carol Pierce (formally the head of Dunhill's bespoke division) was also appointed in 2015 to oversee the house's bespoke operations.

 

Alongside regular visits to the east coast of America, visiting clients based in New York City, Boston and Washington (as well as Chicago), the house also undertakes regular west coast tours, visiting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Huntsman is also the first Savile Row tailor to open a permanent location in New York, a move that was announced in May 2015. An Asia tour has also been scheduled for September 2015, including a trunk show in Seoul and visits to Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.

 

Additionally, Huntsman is the sponsor of selected initiatives in the world of professional Polo. In June 2014, the Huntsman Polo Team was formed and won bronze, silver and gold cups in the Land Rover International Polo Tournament. In November 2014, the house partnered again with another team led by His Royal Highness Prince Harry, dressing his 'Huntsman Sentebale Polo Team' for the Sentebale Polo Cup in Abu Dhabi. A limited number of exclusive polo shirts were available to purchase after the tournament, with a percentage of the proceeds going to Sentebale.[39] Huntsman also designed a unique lining for the contest, featuring a motif of forget-me-nots, a mark of respect to those children which the Prince's Sentebale charity (the motif of which is also the forget-me-not) works to protect from poverty and disease.

 

Huntsman was one of five founding members of the Savile Row Bespoke Association - Savile Row's protective trade body.

 

2016–2017

In February 2016, Huntsman became the first Savile Row tailor to open a permanent location in New York, with a location at 130 West 57th Street. American clientele now enjoy a permanent home in the States in a pied-à-terre in New York with antique Huntsman tweed covered furnishings and historic photographs from Huntsman's past adorning the walls.

 

Alongside regular visits to the east coast of America, visiting clients based in New York City, Boston and Washington (as well as Chicago), the house also undertakes regular west coast tours, visiting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Huntsman expanded its trunk shows, pioneering visits to different corners of Asia, including a trunk show in Seoul and visits to Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.

 

With daytime fashion in mind, 2016 featured a busy social calendar for Huntsman. The house participated in the polo and racing seasons with the highlights being Huntsman's Royal Ascot residence on the Rosebery, as well as the house's post-racing party. 2016 also saw Huntsman taking on more modern projects including cutting bespoke tweed driving suits for Marc Newson and Charlotte Stockdale in the 2016 Mille Miglia Race.

 

Huntsman's Savile Row premises play host to a variety of exciting events, including charity auctions for several worthy causes, which have raised up to £80,000 in donations. Exhibitions for artists such as Cecil Beaton, Alex Talbot Rice and Gray Malin were hosted by the house, as well as whisky tastings, private lunches, and book launches

 

In 2016, over half a million people tuned in live to learn all things bespoke from Huntsman owner Pierre Lagrange at an event in Beijing. In February, Huntsman even graced the London Fashion Week catwalk as a part of the inspired Gareth Pugh show. The ‘Treasures from Chatsworth’,[52] a miniseries presented by Huntsman and produced by Sotheby's, was launched in 2016 too - detailing the magnificent collections of the Cavendish family whilst also putting a spotlight on how contemporary Huntsman's age-old bespoke craftsmanship is.