In A First, London's Savile Row Gets A Women-Only Tailoring House Altering 200-year-old Norm

Savile Row, situated in London's elegant Mayfair district, recently opened its first women-only tailoring house, The Deck, thereby altering a 200-year-old norm. Savile Row had tailoring houses catering to only men for over two centuries. Now, founder Daisy Knatchbull has opened a store that offers made-to-measure suits exclusively for women on the storied street.

The store is  expected to bolster other international female tailoring establishments like Gormley & Gamble, Kathryn Sargent, and Anderson & Sheppard. As per a Reuters report, The Deck primarily offers luxury suits, with prices starting at 2,200 pounds ($2,850). The tailoring house also has an all-female staff of tailors on board for fittings.

Also Read: 10 Laws That All Women Entrepreneurs Should Know About

What You Should Know: 

•  London's Savile Row recently opened its first women-only tailoring house, The Deck, thereby altering a 200-year-old norm.
• The Deck primarily offers luxury suits, with prices starting at 2,200 pounds ($2,850). It also has an all-female staff of tailors on board for fittings.
• Founder, Daisy Knatchbull said, “We’re called The Deck because it’s about reshuffling the deck."
• Knatchbull also said that fashion norms are evolving and suits for women is a trend that’s here to stay.

Reshuffling The Deck

Talking about the inspiration behind the store’s name, founder Knatchbull said, “We’re called The Deck because it’s about reshuffling the deck.” She also emphasised upon evolving fashion norms and said that the trend of suits for women is here to stay.

Savile Row has been the go-to place for discerning men in search of immaculate tailor-made suits for years. Describing the storied street as a male-dominated environment, Knatchbull added, “We are the first tailoring house to focus on women to have a shopfront on Savile Row.” She also expressed delight at being a part of a prestigious street that offers the best tailoring in the world.

Also Read: Rent It Bae Acquires Fashion Rental Startup Flyrobe, To Expand Abroad

The Way Forward

Reportedly, Knatchbull, a member of the Mountbatten dynasty, originally launched her store in an affluent Chelsea area in 2019. However, when an opportunity to move to Savile Row came along, she couldn’t resist taking it up despite the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reportedly, many Savile Row tailors admitted that they're "hanging by a thread." However, Knatchbull commented, “Yes, I know it seems a strange time … If you want to win big you back big, right?”

Furthermore, the store-owner remains undeterred by speculations regarding a shrinking market for business suits due to the Coronavirus-induced work-from-home trend. As per Knatchbull, suits are versatile and not limited to white-collar workplaces. She said, “I’m not going to say there hasn’t been an impact, but our clients invest for the future.”

Overall, the lockdowns imposed due to the Coronavirus pandemic have proved detrimental to the fashion industry. In June 2020, fashion brand Zara’s parent company, Inditex, announced the closure of almost 1200 stores worldwide. Fashion retailer JCPenney also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this year after suffering heavy losses.

Also Read: Renowned Fashion Designer Sharbari Datta Found Dead At Kolkata Home

Tarini Gandhiok is an intern with SheThePeople.TV