Apprentices breathe new life into historic Savile Row
Beneath the old-world exterior of a tailor's on London's famed Savile Row_ the workshop where the magic happens is more youthful than ever as aspiring coatmakers vie for competitive apprenticeships.
The sartorial street known for dressing the world's elite_ from royalty to spies_ is celebrating its trainees at a showcase coinciding with London Fashion Week_ which runs until Monday.
"In the last year and a half_ we've seen a big surge... of people applying for apprenticeships_" said Simon Cundey_ managing director and owner of Henry Poole & Co_ one of the oldest bespoke tailors on Savile Row.
For years_ apprenticeships at the street's exclusive houses were informal and even unwelcome_ with master tailors reluctant to share the tricks of their trade with newcomers.
But with the rise of ready-to-wear fashion_ tailors on the Row came together two decades ago to formalise an apprenticeship programme that would ensure the craft gets passed down between generations.
Over 100 people have graduated from the Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA) Apprenticeship Scheme since it launched in 2007.
Apprentices spend between two and six years being trained by a Savile Row house to specialise in making coats or jackets_ trousers or cutting before being appraised by a panel of master tailors.
While the UK's heritage crafts are increasingly considered at risk of dying out_ Savile Row retailers say the scheme has reinvigorated the tailors_ maintaining the quality and reputation of their craft.
When Jinny Seals_ 45_ joined Henry Poole in 2002-2003_ the average age in the workshop was around 55_ and she was only one of three women.
"There was a bit of a drought of apprentices_" the veteran coatmaker told AFP. "However_ now ... they've got piles of CVs for people wanting apprenticeships."
And "there's just as many girls as boys"_ Seals added. "Things have changed a lot in a relatively short period of time."
New lifestyle
In the Henry Poole workshop below the shop floor_ hip-hop music blasts on the radio and trainees and mentors work side by side_ heads bent over sewing machines and sheaves of cotton and wool.
There are three apprentices at the tailor's_ with two more poised to start. Wendy Berberi_ 22_ joined Henry Poole during the pandemic when she was 16 and looking for a career in fashion.
"I didn't really think it'd be Savile Row because it is mainly menswear. But when I did start here_ I really_ really enjoyed it_" said Berberi_ who completed her apprenticeship this year.
For the newly qualified Savile Row tailor_ an apprenticeship makes sense because "you've got to be right next to a person to learn it".
"I do feel like apprenticeships are starting to become the way forward in certain industries_" she said_ adding that she enjoyed learning the "old-school methods" and "keeping the tradition going".
According to Cundey_ "there's a high demand now for a different way of life" since the Covid-19 pandemic_ with people turning away from office jobs and looking for stable careers making things with their hands.
"Learning a craft... it's a safeguarding job because you only tend to get better as you get older_" said Cundey.
Slow fashion
A few shops down from Henry Poole_ Dege & Skinner has four apprentices_ with a fifth starting in September.
It is the "most ever at any one time"_ managing director William Skinner told AFP_ adding all of them will be women.
The Golden Shears Award_ which celebrates tailoring students_ marks its 50th anniversary this year_ with Savile Row houses displaying the works of past winners in their windows during London Fashion Week.
The London Academy of Bespoke (LAB)_ located on Savile Row_ last year launched a pre-apprenticeship course for budding tailors.
"There was quite a lot of sustainability in mind" and talk about "slow fashion"_ said Seals about the courses she has taught at LAB.
A "kickback" against fast fashion and the environmental consequences of the waste it produces also lies behind interest in the LAB course and apprenticeships_ added Seals.
"It was interesting to see that people have actually looked at that (fast fashion) and thought_ nah_ I'd like to learn the old ways_" she added.
"It kind of makes you realise what we are... doing is never going to end."(AFP)