THE AGENDA Diary Anda Rowland, the proprietor of the King’s tailor
Anderson & Sheppard, on the growth of women in tailoring and her beloved Greek getaway
we do. In July we look at our summer buying for the next year, so we’ll be refining what we’re going to offer for spring/summer 2026. One challenge in particular is cottons and linens. When the economic winds of change are not blowing in the right direction, mills tend to be really conservative. Whereas they might add three or four new colours in a normal year, in a weaker economy they’ll reduce the number. In that case, we have to look at other ways of getting the colours that we want. The popular colours this summer are tobacco, khaki, saffron and orange. You’ll have to wait to find out what the colours will be for next summer.
SUMMER ESCAPE I’ve been going to the same place in the summer for a long time – a small Greek island called Patmos. I have a house there. There’s no airport; it’s relatively difficult to get to. We spend three weeks, and it’s a mix of adults and children in the house. The beauty of the island is it’s very small and it has a strong sense of identity and community. It’s very welcoming, very family-focused and there’s definitely a sense of humour. We have a fundraising party for the animal welfare group that we’re trying to develop on the island. There’s a couple of books that I’ve put
IT’S 20 YEARS since I joined Anderson & Sheppard, which was previously owned by my late father, Tiny Rowland [a former chairman of the Observer and noted businessman who wrestled for control of Harrods with Mohammed Al Fayed in the 1980s]. Then we were still at 37 Savile Row. We were in an ageing building and not recruiting younger people. But today we have our bespoke shop on Old Burlington Street and our ready-to-wear haberdashery shop on Clifford Street. We also have six young apprentices working in the firm and we have, on average, six applications a week for apprenticeships. There’s definitely a new energy on Savile Row.
WOMEN IN TAILORING When I arrived, I was the only female principal of a big firm on Savile Row. Now there’s Kathryn Sargent – who is incredible. She’s a master tailor and has her own company. But women have
When I arrived, I was the only
female principal of a big firm on Savile Row
always had a very strong place in tailoring, it’s just that it hasn’t necessarily been recognised. In the past they’ve usually been behind the scenes, making, not cutting. And that’s what’s changed. There are more and more women in our community.
TEXTILE MESSAGE Looking at textiles to find the right colours for our range is a really important, time-consuming part of what
aside for the summer. I promised myself I would try and read the Proust novels properly. I’ve tried several times but I’ve always put them down, so I’ve got those waiting for me.
NETWORKING I’m really looking forward to our next Women in Tailoring event in September. At our event in June we had ‘What I wish I’d known when setting up my business’ featuring four young entrepreneurs with tailoring or shirtmaking businesses. Molly Anderson, from Richard Anderson, one of the other great tailoring houses, was the moderator and it was sponsored by Luxury Fabrics, which owns four or five different mills in Huddersfield. At our meeting in April, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes spoke and 80 people attended. In fashion-textiles you’ve got to get out and meet different people and exchange ideas. That’s crucial for Savile Row’s next generation to thrive. As told to Alec Marsh
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 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
