VTwo or three years ago there was fear on Savile Row. During lockdown, shoppers stayed away on the iconic Tailors’ Street in the heart of London. Corona did not survive some traditional businesses. Shops were empty. Many tailors were concerned that formal men’s suits would become obsolete. Even in the banks and law firms in the city, classic suits are no longer mandatory. Gieves & Hawkes, a well-known tailoring company based at the prestigious number 1, has had to file for bankruptcy.
The symbolic death knell finally seemed to ring when the statistics office ONS decided a year ago to remove men’s suits from the shopping basket for calculating inflation because they were hardly being sold any longer. Then, at the end of 2022, the BBC also reported that the threat of major demolition and conversion work on Savile Row was causing unrest. Joseph Morgan, manager of the tailoring company Chittleborough and Morgan, worried that the street was losing its identity. “The tailors fear for their future if the planned development goes ahead,” read the BBC headline.