Sheep on the Row Wonderful and Wet!
Sheep on the Row celebrated wool and its characteristics, hardiness and versatility. What better way to show this off than with torrential rain and sixty sheep, none of whom seemed to remotely mind the wet weather thanks to their thick fleeces! Turning on to Savile Row last Monday morning was a magical experience. The site of the street turfed over with fresh grass, accompanied by rustic barns, bales of hay and two pens full of gamboling sheep brought an instant smile to faces, followed by wonderment and awe at the spectacle of over twenty five elegantly dressed models and members of the Savile Row community parading in their finest bespoke suits!
The Campaign for Wool’s, Sheep on the Row feels very much like a village fete or country fair. A bustle of activity up and down the street also fed through into each of the tailoring houses, who opened their doors to everything from afternoon teas and demonstrations, through to talks and tours and a general celebration of our work with wool. Huntsman led the way on the activities theme throughout the day, welcoming visitors for regular tours as well as the opportunity to view our cutters at work and learn about the pattern cutting process. We also held a reception for customers and press; a great opportunity to catch up with friendly faces and old and new and to introduce our cutting team, including Creative Director, Campbell Carey and Co-Head Cutter Dario Carnera.
Dario also cut our show piece for the day, a superb belted Norfolk jacket, paired with plus twos, an Emma Willis shirt and navy knitted tie. Cut from Harris tweed, one of the country’s best and most iconic mills, it cut a dash out on the Field and many an admiring glance. Twenty five houses from London’s bespoke tailoring community created outfits for Sheep on the Row, and whilst many of them were striking, ours was definitely a stand out piece, reawakening people’s awareness of the Norfolk jacket and how its slim lines and belted details lend themselves equally well to a contemporary look, whilst drawing on traditional, period principles.
Our window fully entered into the spirit of the day, the combination of Joy Pitt’s Bespoke Merino of Savile Row (see previous blog) and our superb LaLanne Apartment Herd Sheep lending a whimsical and enticing note to proceedings and drawing visitors inside. Our Apartment Herd Sheep continue to be on display in the Huntsman window for another ten days, greeting passes by and providing a keen nod to another great London activity this October, the Frieze Art Fair.