Savile Row documentary on BBC

[masco]

or just click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=3

[Daedalus]

or just click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=3

A better quality download (zipfile, MP4 format, 563 MB) can be found here:
http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=1

The Stijlforum.nl member "Sergio" uploaded it.

[culverwood]

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.

[le.gentleman]

Did anybody upload the second episode yet?

Thanks in advance

[Shandy]

Dear All,
Having watched the second part of the 3 part documentary, I have to say that the tailors of the Row are certainly shaking themselves free of the shackles of discretion that have been their byword for the past couple of hundred years. The second part concentrates on Henry Poole's endeavours with brand franchising in China and the Savile Row Bespoke organisation's efforts in Florence at the Pitti Immagine Uomo extravaganza in Italy. While raising the profile of the world's finest cutters and tailors is an excellent idea, i can't help but feel a sense of loss that advertisement, promotion and franchising is something that
they have managed without for so long, perhaps the soul of the Row has been sold. These are new times...hopefully they too will be good and these brilliant men and women will hand down their knowledge and skills to many subsequent generations.

[RWS]

or just click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=3

I did, and I enjoyed what I could see (is not the clip, at 32' 58", cut a bit short?). Thanks, masco, for having posted the portion.

Might any Lounger suggest where to see the entirety from the Western Hemisphere?

[sartorius]

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first episode I was a little disappointed with the second. The concept was fine - focusing on SR's attempts at marketing and brand exploitation - but concentrating almost solely on Henry Poole and Edward Sexton meant that the programme overall ended up being very narrow. There also seemed to be a lot of rather needless scenes, for example with Henry Poole's "man in China" having to endure local hospitality.

The issue of brand exploitation, and the way many SR houses are diversifying, is a fascninating subject, and it was a shame that the programme makers didn't feature more of Gieves & Hawkes and Kilgour. G&H has rolled out dozens of RTW outlets in the UK and as a bespoke customer of theirs I do feel at times that they are diluting the brand too much. Kilgour have also gone into RTW, although still only on SR, having recently opened expanded premises. I personally feel that the design of their RTW line is great, but quality and service are shocking. I have never been a bespoke customer, but am unlikely ever to try them because of negative experience with their RTW.

If you compare G&H and Kilgour with high-end Italian RTW outlets like Zegna, Loro Piana and Kiton, there is really no comparison. That's when you realise that G&H and Kilgour have moved a hell of a long way from what they know best, and in a hell of a rush. I hope it works for them, but I'm really not sure they have their strategies right.

So, as I say, there is a great deal here which episode 2 didn't touch on. Perhaps we will see it in one of the next two installments.

[Daedalus]

I have links to the movie uploaded on www.rapidshare.de.

Some instructions:
1) This is a self-extracting archive for Windows. On Mac, use Rar archiver on first file.
2) There are six files (total size ~500Mb); all of them should be downloaded.
3) Downloading from rapidshare.de might be tricky: there are plenty of ads; you might have to wait before download starts; you might have to wait before allowed to download next file.

Given the touchy nature of these links, I will delete the message after a week.

(links)

Andrey

If you can provide upload second episode on rapidshare I can have it converted in a zip file and provide fast downloading service from a private server.

[Daedalus]

or just click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=3

A better quality download (zipfile, MP4 format, 563 MB) can be found here:
http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=1

The Stijlforum.nl member "Sergio" uploaded it.

The google video contains only the first half of the episode. The link I posted provides you with the entire episode (1 hour) and I must say the download speed is quite high (I measured 840kB/s).

http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=1

[Daedalus]

or just click here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &plindex=3

A better quality download (zipfile, MP4 format, 563 MB) can be found here:
http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=1

The Stijlforum.nl member "Sergio" uploaded it.

The google video contains only the first half of the episode. The link I posted provides you with the entire episode (1 hour) and I must say the download speed is quite high (I measured 840kB/s).

http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=1

Thanks you Sergio!

http://www.nedline.nl/cgi-bin/track/click.cgi?id=2

[masco]

The days of the Row are ending, I saw Anges Cundey without a tie !

[andreyb]

After watching second episode and seeing a tailor and his son walking along and counting steps in a vain hope to remain in Savile Row Bespoke Association, a thought occured for a moment... perhaps Pollen Estate is the real backer of SRBA?

Andrey

[culverwood]

The third episode apart from a strong basic topic of training seemed to be the place they put all the pieces of film they did not want to throw away but could not fit in elsewhere.

As an outsider my own opinion of which firms benefited from taking part based on what the editors showed us.
Top - Maurice Sedwell - quality, quality, quality
Then - Sexton - style and history
Then - Norton - sensible boss with aiming to do the right thing
Then - Richard Anderson - friendly team

The ones that did not do themeselves much harm or good
Ravi Tailor
Anderson and Sheppard
Dege and Skinner
Richard James
Henry Poole - though their Chinese adventure may put then in the loosers.

The ones who would have lost customers if they had watched the program
Gieves and Hawkes and Ozwald Boateng - even thinking of a "Montague Burton" central manufacturing facility for Savile Row clothes!

[wether]

DVD’s of the BBC4 Savile Row series can be purchased at a cost of
£15 (GB pounds, sterling) plus postage fee.
International postage to the U.S costs approx. £5.00(pounds, sterling)

For DVD sales contact the production company directly, see contact details below:

Bellwether Media Ltd
48 Great Eastern Street,
London EC2A 3EP
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 729 4682
Fax: + 44 (0)207 749 4560

Bellwether Media is currently updating their website and will be up & running again at the end of the month. DVD enquiries can be sent through the website from next month.

www.bellwethermedia.co.uk

[Kate]

Dear All,

After watching the final episode of the three part series, I would like to agree with culverwood's views on the Savile Row firms, in particular the Henry Poole statement!

However being a Tailors apprentice (although not a Savile Row one), I have to say I very much enjoyed the third episode and was pleased that they highlighted the problem of trying to attract the younger generation in the trade.

I appreciated the fact that they highlighted that to want to learn to become a Tailor is not about wanting to change the radical world of Fashion but instead spend most of the time behind closed doors producing one off high crafted suits ( as one of our Tailors customers compared us to elves, on seeing us for the first time in the work room!).

I was also pleasently suprised how modest the lady who won the Golden Shears compeition was about her talents and would one day hope to meet her.

Also thankyou wether about the information on the DVD collection I may just have to purchase one!