Savile Row
3 delige documantaire op BBC4, iedere aflevering duurt een uur en gaat over het wel en wee in die bekende pakkenstraat in Mayfair.
Deel 1: Love Thy Neighbor.
De opening van Abercrombie and Fitch op de Row veroorzaakt veel opschudding.
De link naar de goede download weten we wel te vinden toch.
Hier de link naar de aflevering op Google Video.
Deel 2:
Episode 2:
Henry Poole goes to China - an example of how not to franchise a brand and how to devalue its currency. The concession in Hanloon was no better than the one I saw in Tokyo. If you are going to franchise you need to have strong control over the brand. I would have walked out of the contract there and then. The evasion and lunching were symptomatic of how the European is treated in business in China we have a company there so I know. Poor Mr "Brent" was out of his depth.
The sooner Mr Cundy senior retires the better for the rest of the family and the company, I do not know the quality of the next generation but although a nice old buffer he was in another world.
Savile Row Bespoke - should Sexton and Tailor be allowed in. I have some sympathy with the association. If you allow tailors in outside your rules where do you stop. They must find some rules that are workable and stick to them. I would say you have to be on the Row. Having said that I do not think Sexton et all loose out much by not belonging and presumably will not have to pay the fees.
Florence - This part was a little disjointed but seemed to show the tailors working together. There seemed to be the exhibition at the palace and stands at the clothes show.
The exhibition looked fine. But I really think Savile Row tailors attending clothes shows are wasting their time. Their customers are not there. Spend the money on better websites and good PR.
The search through the old ledger books was an interesting example of how companies who pay stiff rents have not yet had the sense to clear out their old archives to somewhere where they have no rent. I am sure one of the Cundy family and the others must have some space in a barn or basement where this stuff could go, again Grant came across well in this area.
