INTERVIEW
a glittering career in Savile Row. He can take much of the credit for ensuring that Savile Row tailoring remains revered to this day, although this part of London looked very different when he first took up a needle at Henry Poole in the 1950s. “When I first arrived here there were masses of tailors and woollen merchants too. Of course some of them had been bombed out during the war, but there were still many more tailors then. Today we have 14 pure, bespoke Savile Row tailors in SRB and I believe that provided we can keep the landlord at bay we can survive another 100 years. Our product is really enjoyed throughout the world and now we have the Chinese wanting the ultimate British suit.” One major change has been the arrival of the Row’s first lady tailor, but that is more to do with logistics rather than sexism. “We used to have 16lb irons, heated by gas or coke ovens, and only men could press a collar or open a seam as the irons were too heavy for ladies to use,” recalls Angus. “Buttonholes and things like that were made by tailoresses, but there wasn’t one lady coat maker.” It’s a different story today and the tailors have Angus and SRB to thank for the successful apprenticeship partnership with London’s Newnham College. “SRB’s Su Thomas and Philip Parker, a director here at Henry Poole, have worked very hard to make the scheme a success – one of the stipulations of being a member of SRB is that you must have at least one apprentice – and we have about 60 apprentices now. They are mainly coat makers and at least half today are ladies thanks to the introduction of the electric iron. In fact, I think half our staff now are youngish girls – it has transformed our company.”
Aged 79, Angus can now start to think about time spent away from Savile Row – maybe relaxing with his wife at their Suffolk home or enjoying adventures in his cherished vintage Frazer Nash. And with the seventh generation of the Poole/Cundey family already firmly established at 15 Savile Row – son Simon is Managing Director and co-owner of Henry Poole – Angus knows that his beloved Savile Row is in safe hands and thriving. q
David Gandy is fitted for a Henry Poole suit by Simon Cundey
Below: Angus Cundey accepts The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade from The Princess Royal on behalf of Henry Poole & Co in 2013
10 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE
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