Luxury London tailor celebrates 85 years of business

Based in the heart of London’s Savile Row - famous for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men - Savile Row Company has been crafting tailored clothes since 1938 after being founded by Gerry Doltis. Eighty-five years later, having survived various economic downturns and its London factory being destroyed during the Blitz, the business is celebrating its growth having been handed down to Gerry’s granddaughter Lee-Anne Harris.

After joining Savile Row Company eight years ago while her father Jeffrey Doltis was running operations, Lee-Anne is now the third generation Doltis to take over and explains that their year-on-year growth can be attributed to their willingness to take risks and evolve with the times.

“Stepping into the family business felt very natural to me - I’d been working for 10 years in buying and marketing in another leading retailer and retail runs in my blood," says Lee-Anne. "Our core values have never changed from the foundations my grandfather laid and we work hard to maintain the culture he built over the years. When I stepped in we became one of the first Savile Row tailors to get rid of all plastics in our packaging - I want to see us become the most sustainable menswear brand in the country”.

Lee-Anne and Savile Row Company even decided to move away from their flagship store on 40 Savile Row - where they’d lived for 25 years - and into their own building in Coach & Horses Yard to create a purpose-built showroom providing an appointment-based, try-on service alongside bespoke apparel fittings and the opportunity to purchase short-run garments for those wanting to buy on the spot.

“It made sense to move into our own building and be completely independent. Luckily we have a loyal customer base who still come down to see us regularly in our new store and generate new business through marketing and word-of-mouth. 

"Over the years we’ve progressed from mail order tailoring to online, and now with our new showroom, we can give our customers the chance to really get to know our garments. It’s great to be able to put our products in customers’ hands”.

To find out more, visit www.savilerowco.com