Threading generational gap

SAVILE ROW: TAILORS WELCOME WAVE OF YOUNG TALENT, RESHAPING LEGACY OF BESPOKE FASHION

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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.

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 today.

“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.

Over 100 people have graduated from the Savile Row Bespoke Association Apprenticeship Scheme since it launched in 2007.