Windswept: Gieves and Hawkes on location in Lyme Regis


THE BIG INTERVIEW NEW COLLECTION


THERE IS A LOT OF EXPECTATION WITH A BRAND LIKE OURS BUT YOU CAN’T KEEP HOLDING ONTO THE PAST


I


n line with a lot of other businesses, tailoring wants to ensure it engages with a younger audience, something John knows all too well. “What a 40-year-old today wants compared with a 40-year-old in five years’ time compared with a


40-year-old in 10 years’ time will be radically different,” he says. “If you just stick to that 40-year-old and watch him get to 45 you’ll keep delivering older and older things because the new generation of 40-year-olds will want such different things so we have to keep reinventing gently all the time. As the tailoring market changes and as people don’t need to wear suits to work so often, we are finding that the individual wearing moments are becoming more special for people. Years back, everyone was wearing suits and were desperate to get into jeans whereas now there is a slight reverse of that – if you don’t need to wear a suit so often, it’s a treat.” John is clear what he sees as his priorities in the


years ahead. “I want to make our collections relevant,” he says. “I want to see the 1771 Crown motif become very recognised and a great brand ambassador. I also want to continue to be sustainable and be aware of the welfare of animals and people within our group. There is a lot of expectation with a brand like ours but, with that expectation, you can’t keep holding onto the past like a curiosity shop. We are always trying to push forward, seeing where we can change things. We have to make the experience relevant to existing customers as well as future ones.” n


SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE 35


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