Apprentices breathe new life into historic Savile Row

Beneath the old-world exterior of a tailor's on London's famed Savile Row, the workshop where the magic happens is more youthful than ever as aspiring coatmakers vie for competitive apprenticeships.

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The sartorial street known for dressing the world's elite, from royalty to spies, is celebrating its trainees at a showcase coinciding with London Fashion Week, which runs until Monday. “In the last year and a half, we've seen a big surge... of people applying for apprenticeships,” said Simon Cundey, managing director and owner of Henry Poole & Co, one of the oldest bespoke tailors on Savile Row. For years, apprenticeships at the street’s exclusive houses were informal and even unwelcome, with master tailors reluctant to share the tricks of their trade with newcomers. But with the rise of ready-to-wear fashion, tailors on the Row came together two decades ago to formalise an apprenticeship programme that would ensure the craft gets passed down between generations.