Hardy Amies

Hardy Amies Returns to Its Savile Row Roots

Hardy Amies, the firm named for the British couturier who opened a shop on Savile Row in 1946 and went on to design gowns for the Queen of England, is returning to its men's tailoring roots. The move comes after the company nearly went bankrupt in 2008 following an ill-timed expansion into ready-to-wear women's clothing and accessories, while the original bespoke business was neglected. On Monday the company announced that in a bid to avoid further financial problems it was returning to its founder's original purpose, and wwill now concentrate on being "the quintessential English tailor" providing fine tweeds and bespoke suits to well-heeled gentlemen. A bespoke suit, the company said, would start from about $5,400. The company's new owners are the investment arm of the £8 billion global trading company run by brothers Victor and William Fung. Sir Hardy Amies himself died in 2003 at the robust age of 93.

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Tags: bespoke, Hardy Amies, London, mens style, Queen of England, Savile Row, suits, tailoring, UK

Hard Times For Hardy Amies

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

One of Britain's esteemed Savile Row clothing firms Hardy Amies may become a victim of changing styles and changing finances. As my colleague Jared Paul Stern reported earlier this year, British couturier Hardy Amies, whose Savile Row shop opened back in 1946, designed clothes for everyone from Stanley Kubrick to the Queen of England. Sir Hardy Amies died in 2003 (at the robust age of 93) but since then his company has carried on and recently launched a handbag line.

But The Guardian delivers the sad news that the firms is now struggling and has said that t it may have to go into administration after failing to secure funding from a major shareholder. When the funding didn't come through the company requested that the stock exchange suspend the shares until the company can regroup. Icelandic investment firm Arev Brands Limited (ABL) owns a 49.3% stake and has provided substantial loans to prop up the company but has refused to give additional funding. The company has has losses for several years. Some say that the brand is done, that it is too matronly and does not understand today's woman. A ready-to-wear line also failed to capture public attention.

It seems that unless the brand is sold to someone who will buy the business as a whole or additional funding is secured, we may witness an ignominious end to a great British brand.

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Tags: england, hardy amies, HardyAmies, savile row, tailor

Sir Hardy Amies' Signature Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Men's Style

British couturier Hardy Amies, whose Savile Row shop opened back in 1946, is launching its first line of women's handbags this month. The new line comprises four key styles "inspired by traditional English luggage and the secret lives of female spies in the second world war," British Vogue reports. The theme is fitting since the dashing Sir Hardy himself, who died in 2003, was something of a real-life James Bond, serving as an officer in the British secret service during World War II. The bags, which start at about $1,600, each come with their own code name (and, we suspect, several hidden compartments).

Amies had an illustrious career as a couturier, designing clothes for everyone from Stanley Kubrick to the Queen of England. A self-described snob, he was a world authority on men's fashion, and his house carries on in high style. Among his many stylish epigrams, he once declared that "Luxury lies not in riches, but in the absence of vulgarity." Though he didn't live to see them, we think he probably would have approved of these bags bearing his name.

Gallery: Sir Hardy Amies