For good measure: Hackett

Taking a fresh approach to an age-old craft, Hackett’s new global flagship store on Savile Row is an elegant yet playful fusion of tailoring heritage and modernity

Style 15 Dec 2019

The spacious first-floor drawing room.
Jeremy Hackett and head cutter Jan Carlos Benito.
An opulent staircase reflects the rich history of the building.

Even men who don’t take much of an interest in fashion have heard, or even own a piece, of Hackett clothing. Whether it’s through connections to sport, a ‘first’ suit for a graduate job, a bespoke or made-to-measure suit for a special occasion, or a tweed jacket for country pursuits, Hackett remains a household name.

Founders Jeremy Hackett and Ashley Lloyd-Jennings first met 35 years ago in London’s Portobello Road, renowned for its vintage clothes and accessories, and came up with the idea to produce new clothes of the same quality, made from natural fibres in traditional English styles. The brand now has 1,000 stores, concessions and franchises around the world, and recently opened its new global flagship store J.P. Hackett at No 14 Savile Row, dedicated to its Bespoke and Made-to-Measure tailoring services.

Built initially as a family home in the 1730s, the space is rooted in history. It was converted to a tailoring house in the late 19th century, and is the former studio of British fashion designer Sir Hardy Amies, who was a dressmaker for HM The Queen between 1952 and 1989. Working with British architect and interior designer Ben Pentreath, Hackett has revived the Grade II listed Georgian property to create an interior Pentreath describes as ‘Timeless, quintessentially British and in places, hopefully, a little unexpected.’

On entering the four-story townhouse, visitors can see restored original panelling, doorways, fireplaces, stone floors and 17thcentury chandeliers juxtaposed with modern design features such as recreations of 19th century wallpapers and art by exciting young artist Hormazd Narielwalla throughout. The decadent clubroom at the back of the store on the ground floor is a luxurious home-from-home for Hackett customers, complete with a cocktail bar bedecked with zebra-print wallpaper, and bright green painted panelled walls.

Serving as the global headquarters of J.P. Hackett Bespoke Tailoring, the bespoke tailoring department is overseen by a dedicated head cutter and a skilled team of craftspeople. Each bespoke Hackett suit is handmade using traditional techniques and up to 80 hours of painstaking work, and customers will be able to see the cutter at work in the grand first-floor drawing room.

A bespoke commission requires a customer’s measurements to be taken, before a unique paper pattern is drafted. The suit is then hand-cut, fully-canvassed and fitted in-house, requiring an average of three fittings at No14 to ensure a flawless finish.

For those who don’t require a fully bespoke suit but who still desire a personal service, the Made-To-Measure option offers customers complete flexibility to create their own suit, with a dedicated design consultation and follow-up fitting. Choosing from one of two tailoring blocks: the Windsor – a soft, modern British cut, or the Duke – a more classical, structured design.

J.P. Hackett’s new ready-to-wear spring/ summer 2020 collection, will also be exclusively available in store from January. The definition of elevated luxury, the tailoring collection features a subtle sleeve head roll, a higher-cut arm hole for more movement, wider labels, slanted pockets, signature trims, real horn buttons, luxury linings and unparalleled attention to detail.

J.P. Hackett Bespoke from £4,500, Made-toMeasure from £1,800; hackett.com/14savileorow