For over 200 years the historic London street, known as Savile Row, has been the home of the world’s most exclusive tailors who create unique bespoke suits for exceptional men.

The Master Tailors of Savile Row have dressed famous and infamous men and women the world over who demand the Row’s touch of elegance and eccentricity. Icons of Savile Row’s past include Admiral Lord Nelson, The Duke of Windsor, Sir Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and John Lennon. Customers today show the Row’s spectacular diversity: The Princes William and Harry, Mick Jagger, Tom Ford, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Pete Doherty to name a few.

The London Cut, planned together by Pitti Immagine and Florence to take place next January, is a decisive historic moment in the entrepreneurial activities of Savile Row. It is the first time so many of the leading tailoring houses and individual craftsmen have cooperated to promote the Savile Row ethos and product. It is even more important because it will be staged abroad with the explicit intention of placing the Savile Row product and influence in an international context. The exhibition coincides with the emergence of the Savile Row Bespoke Group, which has attracted both historic family firms and individuals to exploit and develop the Savile Row image around the world, stressing the original and fundamental qualities of exclusivity and quality. Thus it is appropriate that Pitti Immagine and the City of Florence should provide an ideal focus for such a project, combining both creativity and craft in a modern culture. Italians have noted the efforts of the Prince of Wales to foster continuity in communities by encouraging a fresh look at tradition and native skills. The continued prosperity of Savile Row is a graphic example of how these elements can survive and thrive in the 21st century.

The London Cut: Savile Row Bespoke Tailoring is an exhibition and a book and a showcase