SAVILE ROW GIN


Gin is the quintessential London drink and Savile Row Gin embodies the classic style of the capital, so to combine the two creates a product that just oozes elegance and crafted excellence. But the exquisite union nearly didn’t happen. Tim Newark meets Savile Row Gin founder and CEO, Stewart Lee


SAVILE ROW GIN I


had a heart stopping moment,” says Savile Row Gin founder Stewart Lee. “The whole


project depended on getting the whole-hearted support of Savile Row tailors. At lunch at Brown’s I told Angus Cundey MBE about it, and for the longest ten seconds of my life, he took a deep pause…” Affectionately known as the


“Godfather of the Row,” Mr Cundey is Chairman of one of Savile Row’s most prestigious and original tailors, Henry Poole & Co. “He cocked his head to one side and then said yes, he thought it was a wonderful idea.” It was only fitting then that


I should interview Stewart Lee at Henry Poole to get the inside story of the exclusive coupling, surrounded by portraits of historic clients, including Sir Winston Churchill, and a framed facsimile of a cheque signed by author Charles Dickens for £15 of tailoring. A bronze imperial French eagle happens to hang behind the counter, a gift from Emperor Napoleon III, who was their first royal client when they opened their shop in the vicinity in 1828. “As publisher of Savile Row


Style magazine, I’ve worked with the Row for many years,” says Stewart. “It was important I got the support of several prominent members of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, including


key figures like Angus Cundey. I was determined to uphold their values of quality, their appeal to the public, and, of course, promote bespoke men’s tailoring. I think my magazine work enabled me to gain their trust for this new venture.” Distilled in traditional copper


pots under the expert eye of award- winning distiller Rob Dorsett, Savile Row Gin is a blend of 12 botanicals, with traditional juniper matched with the freshness of coriander and a unique citrus hint of kumquat. A key part of its distinct character is its witty glass design. “You look at the bottle and


you can see the broad shoulders narrowing down like a suit. You might think it would be easy choosing a bottle but we saw it as vital way of establishing the unique personality of the brand.” Next came the label. “We used a Goudy Old Style serif


font which is very much going back into the heritage of Savile Row. Then we thought about what does every Savile Row tailor possess as the distinctive tool of their trade? We thought scissors but then, of course, crossed needles and thread came to us and we’ve picked them out in gold foil on the label. We


Already Savile Row Gin has attracted several key partners including Jack Barclay Bentley, Bonhams and London Fashion Week Men’s


worked with top designer Micha Weidmann Studio to ensure the bottle epitomises Savile Row, not too loud, very stylish and elegant. We are very proud of that branding.” The association will be further


enhanced when bottles are wrapped in a gift bag packaging made of Winston Churchill pinstripe cloth cut and designed on Savile Row. On that detail alone, I can see it becoming the perfect present for any admirer of the great man. Already, Savile Row Gin has


attracted several key partners including Jack Barclay Bentley, Bonhams, and London Fashion Week Men’s, operated by the British Fashion Council. “Savile Row is an iconic brand and we want to work with other iconic brands in the area,” says Stewart. Indeed, the gin’s first exposure to


the public was at LAPADA, the high profile art fair in Berkeley Square in Mayfair. “I couldn’t believe my luck,” he recalls. “At first they said no way, they knew me but they didn’t know the gin. I’ve been the publisher to LAPADA for 15 years, producing their official catalogue before they were even in Berkeley Square. I gave them a nudge and nothing happened, then about four weeks before the fair they phoned me up and said though they’d not tasted it yet, I’d produced good publications for them and they trusted me to produce a damn good gin too!”


SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56