Diplomat Magazine
September 2009
Gentlemen’s favourites
As the historical home of bespoke tailoring, Savile Row is as British as roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and the iconic red London bus. In recent years, however, some Savile Row tailors have diluted the street’s reputation by outsourcing work to the Far East in order to cut costs, while other prestigious names have been forced to relocate (or even quit the business) due to rising rents.
So it is always encouraging to hear of new brands that are dedicated to the tradition of using British cloths to make on-site - brands that are genuinely entitled to bear the ‘Made in England’ label. Stowers Bespoke was established in 2006 by Ray Stowers, a former head of tailoring at Gieves & Hawkes, along with Brian Jeffery and Brian Pusey (also ex-Gieves & Hawkes), who between the three of them have over 75 years of expert tailoring experience. Since Stowers Bespoke suits are produced from scratch, they can be made to reflect clients’ personal tastes and aspirations – unlike most tailoring companies, Stowers Bespoke does not have a house style. In Ray Stowers’ view, “bespoke is all about producing exactly what the customer requires, whether (that be) a particular fit, style or finding a particular cloth or lining.
A fully bespoke suit from Stowers Bespoke requires a minimum of 50 hours of hand labour to tailor, cut and fit – prices start at £3,200 and vary according to the type of fabric, the complexity of the piece and the amount of fittings necessary to complete it. Customers on a stricter budget can choose from a range of made-to-measure (part-handmade) designs with prices starting from £1,850.
The company has dressed many from the world and is very popular with heads of state such as The Sultan of Brunei, HM King Hussein of Jordan, HM the King of Malaysia and Mikhail Gorbachev. Its tailors regularly visit the Middle East and USA to make complete wardrobes for loyal international customers who trust their style counsel and craft.
Once upon a time, Savile Row consisted of family-based businesses where everyone knew each other and helped each other out, and in doing so created an industry with an uncompromising attitude to quality and a reputation for making the best suits in the world. Stowers Bespoke – at once synonymous with these old-fashioned virtues and with modern, individual style – is quickly becoming the most popular boy on the Row.