The
Huntsman Gazette
Welcome back to the Huntsman Gazette, bringing you all of the latest news and developments from 11 Savile Row and W57th Street. Whilst many of you have been unable to make your regular visits to us this year, we’re sharing all of the new ways to connect with us and enjoy uninterrupted service.
You’ll also discover what our team got up to over lockdown, from sewing scrubs to support the NHS to maintaining business as usual for your bespoke orders! Plus, all of our winners from our competitions.
Huntsman Tailors Carry On
Whilst we had to close our doors at 11 Savile Row and W57th Street to help beat COVID-19, our tailors diligently kept working from the confines of their homes to ensure our clients’ orders were delivered on time. Being both resourceful and ingenious, we transformed lounges, bedrooms, and even terraces (weather permitting!) into makeshift workshops and Cutting Theatres, to ensure that everybody could work safely and comfortably, without compromising on quality!
Huntsman Face Masks
With face coverings becoming the new normal, the demand for a more permanent and stylish alternative to the blue disposable options became obvious.
Made from the finest Swiss cotton and cashmerello, Huntsman launched our first range of face masks for the sartorially discerning social-distancer!
Available in both box-pleat and wrap designs, these masks have been designed using the best quality fabric, for a mask that provides the softest and most comfortable wear. Huntsman face masks are machine washable, with comfortable elasticated straps. You can team your mask to match your shirt and tie, with a new style for every day of the week.
Huntsman Sews Scrubs
Whilst the regular business was halted, our team borrowed their skills to sew medical scrubs for NHS healthcare workers. Joining forces with The Scrub Club and fellow tailoring house Cad and the Dandy, we were grateful to be able to show our appreciation and lend our bespoke services to a good cause. The team worked to produce 50 sets of scrubs in the time it would usually take to create a single bespoke garment. The combined skill of the individuals helped to produce workwear that could withstand the demands of busy hospital environments.
“We came up with new ways to make the scrubs even better, perhaps something nobody’s thought about before. We weren’t just making these quickly, we were making them really durable as well.”
~ Francesca Lee Kerwin, Huntsman Trouser Maker
Letters From Confinement
Whilst many of the Huntsman team kept busy in lockdown, for many the frustrations of isolation and confinement understandably weighed heavy. Inspired by Nick Farriella’s satirical fake letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald whilst quarantined in the South of France , Huntsman’s owner Pierre Lagrange came up with a novel idea to help alleviate the onset of isolation boredom and break the rhythm of confinement with a unique competition. Huntsman’s ‘Letters From Confinement’ invited you to share your words with us, whether you were already an accomplished penman or a budding wordsmith in search of a new creative outlet, we accepted hundreds of submissions from around the world.
Senior Client Manager David takes a quiet moment to pen his letter from confinement
With entries from the hysterical to the sober, thought-provoking, and downright wacky, Pierre assembled a panel of literary titans to judge submissions before we turned the vote to you! You can now enjoy the work of all of our finalists , but it was two entries that stood out in particular.
The winner of Letters From Confinement is Mr Shoaib Sumar, whose satirical take on Huntsman during the Spanish Flu of 1919 entertained us with its historical accuracy. Our very worthy runner up, Mr Justin Li, came a close second place, with his Ode To The Lavatory, which we found to be very sophisticated toilet humour indeed. Visit the Journal where you can read these letters and the letters from all of our finalists at your leisure.
Huntsman’s own Ed Turco revealed himself to be a top penman, drafting his own letter to inspire other entrants. However, this was not Ed’s first foray into creative writing, having won first place in the Good Writers Club annual contest of 1966!
“I was actually writing a letter to JD Salinger. Hey, I was No. 1 among 50,000 entrants anyway!”
Huntsman’s Ed Turco in 1966The Huntsman Tweed Competition
To the delight of many, the much-loved Huntsman Tweed Competition was back, but this year it looked a little different. From lockdown, we invited you to create your own tweed designs, and submit them to us using the hashtag #HuntsmanTweed2020. You turned our social media into a vibrant blanket of tweed submissions!
From the confines of isolation, many found solace in taking time to create their own tweed. Or in some cases several tweeds. Between our distinguished panel of judges, votes from the public, and with the approval of Huntsman Creative Director Campbell Carey, our finalists were decided. Amongst them was one clear standout winner.
The Winner
Mrs Miller, who whilst in lockdown welcomed the arrival of her firstborn daughter, stole some time while her newborn napped to get creative. Based in Mississippi, U.S.A, Amy had admired Huntsman tweeds from afar for quite a while. Like all good tweed designs, Amy took inspiration from that which she knew and loved in nature, to create a tweed evocative of country pursuits from her natural surroundings.
Amy Miller’s winning tweed design, featuring hues of pine green, cardinal red and duck egg blue.
As our winner, Amy has already started enjoying her Tweed Experience and will receive a pair of bespoke slippers in her twinning tweed design.
Up Next
Huntsman Shooting & Sport
Discover why Huntsman is your go-to sartorial partner for shooting and sport
THE SHOOTING QUIZ
Whilst many enjoyed the Huntsman Tweed competition, it brought back some nostalgia to those pleasant weekends spent in the field and at the peg. So with the shooting season disrupted or put on hold indefinitely, we offered the opportunity to test your shooting acumen and keep up to scratch with the Huntsman Shooting Quiz. Presented in partnership with Roxtons, with questions compiled by some of the keenest sportsmen and women, you had to beat the clock with 43 brain teasers, from the top speed of grouse to the inventor of the breech-loading shotgun.
Mr Michael Acland got top marks, and in record time. As the winner of the quiz, he will now enjoy future shooting parties in a new bespoke Huntsman jacket.
Huntsman x Harrisons
An exclusive cloth curation for every occasion
One of the trickiest things when choosing your bespoke garments is finding the choice of cloth that is right for you. Fortunately, planning for this season, and indeed seasons to come, our Head-Cutters Dario Carnera and Campbell Carey, and Harrisons’ Managing Director Mark Dunsford, worked together over lockdown to produce a collection of essential clothes for every occasion. Whether that be at home, at work, in nature or at different social occasions. In a Zoom interview, the three talked over their every choice and described what makes this collection so special. They also offered invaluable garment recommendations. Many of you will have already received your email inviting you to order samples of these cloths for yourself. If not, you can still order your brochure here for bespoke commissions in 2021. You can also watch the full interview with Campbell, Dario and Mark.
Ron Arad x Huntsman x Morgan
Morgan Undercover: The Art Of Bespoke in 11 Savile Row
Unable to resist a challenge, Huntsman’s Co-Head Cutter, Dario Carnera, turned his bespoke skills to Huntsman’s largest challenge to date! The cutting and stitching of a bespoke car suit, designed by internationally renowned artist and designer Ron Arad, which took centre stage in the window of 11 Savile Row.
Inspired by the protection blankets covering cars in the street, Ron began sketching what he imagined to be the cars undercover, with these sketches then woven into car covers. Arad collaborated with renowned car manufacturer Morgan about creating an art piece to cover one of their models.
Thinking of the cover as a bespoke garment in this respect, Arad approached Huntsman, as the most innovative tailor on Savile Row, to stitch the cover.
Masterfully cut and hand-stitched by Dario, it was by far his largest and most unusual undertaking with Huntsman. Taking over 72 hours of skilled handwork, the size and weight of the fabric required a special kind of thread - traditional cotton stitching wouldn’t offer enough support. Using leather thread, Dario applied the same style of baste stitching you’d expect to find on a bespoke garment, but on a much larger scale!
“Of all the projects I’ve worked on, this has been by far the most challenging, but also most rewarding! It was fascinating to see how translating Ron’s initial design into canvas and then into a pattern to be cut and stitched as you would a garment really brought it to life. Just as putting pattern to cloth requires a certain rock of eye, so too did creating this car cover, albeit with a completely different framework!” Dario Carnera, Co-Head Cutter
FREE PARKING
Dario stands with the finished cover.
The installation in 11 Savile Row filled the entire front of the shop.
For all of you that were unable to come to visit 11 Savile Row in person, the installation can now be viewed directly opposite Huntsman at number 34 Savile Row. For all of you in Mayfair, take a stroll down the street to see this unique collaboration, which is on display until March 2021.
Huntsman At Home
With the onset of lockdown closing off entire territories and keeping us indoors, we turned our attention to providing the same unparalleled Savile Row service in the comfort of your own home. We had for some time already begun investing in new technologies which allow us to transport the team to you, overcoming the limitations of time and travel. For you, the Huntsman client, that means providing the same in-store experience at home, with our full services available and shorter wait times.
SAY GOODBYE TO CHATBOTS
Spending more time than ever before online, we shared your frustrations of talking to chat-bots and waiting for emails. Which is why we introduced HERO to enable you to connect live with our team in-store via video. If you’re shopping online, it’s the easiest way to enjoy a personal shopping experience with one of our client managers. You can check out the latest collection, accessories and see inside 11 Savile Row for inspiration.
COVID has drastically seen changes in the way we dress. From our Spring-Summer and Autumn-Winter Ready To Wear collection of chic separates to our bespoke orders, take a peak at Campbell and Dario’s boards and they’ll tell you that separate trousers, sports coats and jackets are the order du jour!
Which is why we’ve launched our Made To Order service. This new service enables you to customise our ready-to-wear collections, to create one-off pieces that are exclusive to you. Choose from over 1,000 cloths across our Ready To Wear collection and personalise your favourite styles, with a choice of pocket details, lapels and finishes.
Available in only 4 weeks, and at the same price as our Ready To Wear collection, it’s the easiest way to build your Huntsman Wardrobe. For making your Made To Order purchases our team in 11 Savile Row is standing by to help you every step of the way. Use HERO to video chat live
Up next: Teleporting Bespoke Services
THE FUTURE OF BESPOKE TAILORING
Inspired by the precision of robotic surgery, Pierre Lagrange, and Head of Retail Taj Phull, devised a revolutionary service that transports our Cutters to your home or office without leaving London or New York. Using Omnipresent technology, Teleporting Bespoke Services allows you to access your cutter on-demand, without the need to travel or wait. Mr Hammick is Huntsman’s first telepresence robot. Named after Huntsman’s famed Head Cutter of the 1970s, notoriously the world’s best-dressed man, Mr Hammick travels with his locally-based human assistant, who executes all tasks as directed live by your Cutter from London or New York. Your Cutter will be teleported into your room via Mr Hammick’s screen and will control Mr Hammick remotely to manoeuvre around your body. They can zoom in with telescopic precision, record, and photograph details of your garments during your fitting. We first launched our Teleporting Bespoke Services in Asia earlier this year, where clients have already begun enjoying uninterrupted bespoke service, despite lockdown! Coming at the start of 2021, Mr Hammick will be joining Ed and the team in the US, giving an even greater level of availability to the team! If you’re not able to join us on one of our regular trunk shows across America, you can book an appointment with Ed, Ralph and Mr Hammick at your leisure.
In The Press: Dario and Mr Hammick Make Headlines!
We invited David Segal of the New York Times to experience Mr Hammick in action, with Dario conducting a Teleporting Bespoke Fitting from the clubroom of 11 Savile Row. You can check out the full article here, which made front page news. for details of all the ways we’re beating COVID with new initiatives Or visit huntsmansavilerow.com to find more about our our Teleporting Bespoke Services.
Huntsman Home:
Bespoke
Interiors
For those of you who have been inside the Clubroom at 11 Savile Row, you’ll recognise our House Tweed wallpaper. We received so many compliments and requests, this exclusive design is now available to buy online. But why stop there? We can produce a range of beautiful, bespoke soft furnishings in our exclusive house cloths for you to enjoy. From bolsters to scatter cushions, throws and lampshades, Huntsman Homewear brings the sophistication of Savile Row to your own home. Why not chat to us about bespoke commissions for your home and discover what we can create for you?
Get Dressed For Spring
Prepare for Life After Lockdown
Join Huntsman in our New Year’s Resolution and Get Dressed For Spring. Prepare for life after lockdown and start planning your wardrobe.
2021 marks the start of a New Year, and though many of us continue to navigate life under lockdown, we offer a sartorial resolution. One designed to shake off the sweatpants of 2020, and Huntsman is here to help you keep it:
We Will Get Dressed For Spring
Invest in a wardrobe that works. Whether you’re looking to dazzle on your Zoom interview or want to cut a dash when you’re finally back in the boardroom, you will feel re-energised and reinvigorated with garments you’ll love both in and out of confinement. Huntsman offers seasonal collections available to shop online and even more choice with our Made To Order service.
The promise of a vaccine means that many of us will, at last, begin to consider life after confinement. Perhaps you’re planning a wedding, thinking about throwing a party, or perhaps you’re eager to get back in the swing of the season – Ascot is just around the corner!
How do you want to look for life after lockdown? If it’s shopping our Ready To Wear collection, customising your wardrobe with Made To Order or getting your new bespoke appointments ready now, Huntsman is here to help. It’s never been easier to connect with us live from the comfort of your own home.
For clients in London, you can enjoy a premier concierge service from our delivery partners at TOSHI. Experience personal shopping in the comfort of your home, with our ‘Wait & Try’ option. Your TOSHI assistant will deliver your garments and wait whilst you try. So you can decide what you love and what you want to return.