Suited Up On Savile Row

When and how did you set up Whitcomb & Shaftesbury?

We set up Whitcomb & Shaftesbury in 2005. We assembled a team of the best craftsmen on Savile Row. Our first clients were our friends and business associates from our banking and consulting days.

From Wall Street to Savile Row—how easy or difficult was it to make inroads?

We’ve been customers of brands on Savile Row for many years, so we had already built a relationship and understood the trade. However, when we launched our own business, convincing clients to pay a few thousand pounds for a suit, without a background, was not easy.

Savile Row is a discreet world. It's hard enough to get an appointment to purchase a suit and near impossible to establish yourself and gain acceptance and respect as a legitimate tailoring business. We had to learn the trade from the outside, since we had no background; in some ways, that also helped us as we always had a client's perspective when it came to the product, price and experience we wanted to provide.

How did you acquaint yourself with what goes into making suits—from finding the right tailors to the selecting the fabric to crafting the final product?

We had been buying suits from high-end Italian brands for ourselves, for over a decade. When we travelled to London, our natural curiosity about fabric, craftsmanship and styles evolved knowledge of what defines sartorial perfection. We visited fabric mills, and spent countless hours with tailors and retailers understanding different aspects of the trade.

When we decided to launch our own business we had a clear idea of what constitutes a perfect suit and the best way to create it. Our relationship with some of the best tailors on the Row, for over a decade, also facilitated a conversation that led to creating ‘the dream team’.

Tell us about your signature collection.

Our signature collection is unique to an individual customer. For example, the style and appeal that an actor requires are quite different from a banker. Our skill lies in understanding this and creating unique looks for each individual. From elaborately embroidered dress coats to suits with the customer's name embroidered in the pinstripe (à la Narendra Modi), we have done it all.

If you get an opportunity to style Prime Minister Modi, what kind of suit would you consider?

It depends on the occasion and location. If he were to visit the United Kingdom, we could consider a collection of smart suits for official meetings at 10 Downing and possibly a morning coat with striped trousers for a visit to Buckingham palace. For an evening function, a traditional Indian bandhgala would be ideal. For travel around the country, traditional tweed jackets and donegals would be ideal to keep him warm and show respect to local weavers by supporting their craft. In India, his style of bundhis with kurtas is wonderful and for more formal events either achkans with salwars or bandhgala suits would be ideal.

Who are your celebrity clients?

Our clientele includes Hollywood A-listers, famous rock stars, royalty, international sportsmen and leading businessmen in America and Europe.

What is the most expensive suit you have created?

It was for a celebrity in America and cost upward of £50,000. The suit was made of pure cashmere with over three carats of diamonds. We needed special customs clearance to ship this over.

Are you attempting to preserve and protect the handcrafted heritage?

We stay away from mechanisation. All our suits are made in the same time-honoured techniques, which have been used for over 200 years. From the way the cloth is sewn to how the wool is shrunk and stretched during pressing—it is the same as it has been for centuries on Savile Row. When we’re not with customers, you will find us pondering over a cutting board, discussing different techniques with our cutter or with one of our coatmakers discussing the hows and whys of their work.

Do you retail in India?

Yes, we retail out of Evolution in Chennai. We will be expanding to the other metros soon.

What is the true measure of a man?

That he has the time and conviction to do what he loves.