CAMPAIGN
these sabbaticals I would be in London working here [10 Savile Row].” Now, William has children of his own, but has no plans to push them into this world of bespoke tailoring. “I think my father is quite glad that I came in here but he wouldn’t have stood in my way if I had wanted to do something else. I have a 14-year-old boy and an 11-year- old daughter and if they want to come into the business I would love it. However, there are a lot of other things in this world and so I want them to make their own minds up and come into it from their own free will. Ok, so there are still a few years to go, but my son is showing signs of interest and I have got both the children up here during holidays for work experience – it’s nice for them to get a taste.” If the next generation of Skinners do
enter the Row they might find plenty that is familiar because the Association has worked tirelessly to maintain the history and integrity of the Row. “Although there are fewer family businesses,” explains Skinner, “the board of Savile Row Bespoke is made up of people who are passionate about Savile Row and passionate about tailoring on Savile Row. Foreign investment comes in because of the name, of what we stand for. This is why we have to protect ourselves.” Hopefully the tailors of Savile
Dege & Skinner's apprentice coatmakers Alex and Daniel
want to have something to show for all their hard work. We have a young and vibrant workforce who is skilled and trained so all we are doing is protecting our future. Of course, we need to maintain this flow of young people coming into this trade and fortunately there doesn’t appear to be a shortage which is good.” Of course, William Skinner knows
only too well the importance of a good apprenticeship. The fifth generation Skinner to work in the business, he learnt his skills from the bottom up. “I always wanted to carry on the family tradition and there was a strong incentive to come into the business, to follow in my father’s footsteps,” said Skinner. “So I had two years of outside training when I first joined Dege & Skinner. Not only did I
spend some time with Taylor and Lodge, a woollen mill in Yorkshire, but also three months with Austin Reed, including a spell at the Chester Barry factory. Here, I saw clothes manufactured in a similar vein to what we do here, but on a wider scale. “I also had a chance to see the Austin
Reed factory where they would take just over an hour to make up a suit. I worked in the made-to-measure department in Austin Reed’s flagship store on Regent Street – an excellent opportunity to see how a larger business operates, although a lot of those business practices translate to a smaller operation. I also spent time working for a kilt maker – that was good fun working in Edinburgh. I was employed by the business to get the outside experience, but when not on
Row will soon be armed with the best weapon
of all in the never-ending
battle against forgeries and fakes – a geographical indicator. Q
34 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE
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