Case Study // Huntsman

We add to our portfolio of electrical works on Saville Row it’s most expensive Tailor - Huntsman, established in 1849, H. Huntsman & Sons proudly boasts an enviable reputation as the leading tailoring house on Savile Row with customers worldwide. Huntsman has attracted a king, a queen and plenty of Hollywood royalty, Royal Warrants appeared on Huntsman's walls, including those of Edward VII (1901) and George V (1910) the Prince of Wales (1921) and King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1926). Then came Hollywood royalty, Gregory Peck was Huntsman's most devoted movie star fan, placing some 160 orders. No. 11 made many of Peck's on-screen clothes, from the costume he wore in The Million Pound Note to the tweed overcoat that is the real star of The Omen. Clark Gable also became a customer after having Huntsman make his costume for the big-game-hunter movie Mogambo.

At the heart of Huntsman’s rebirth is the modernisation of its flagship store and cutting rooms at 11 Savile Row. The front of the shop remains the gentleman's club it has always been – a pair of stag heads still hang above the slate fireplace. There are new cutting tables under the massive skylight and at the back is a sort of den, with tweed-covered walls and a tweed-covered billiard table, which can be transformed into a dining table

Huntsman was the inspiration for the action movie Kingsman ‘The Secret Service’ starring Colin Firth. The film was inspired with the idea of Kingsman being set within a tailors during a fitting at Huntsman, were this tailor shop at 11 Savile Row acted as a smoke screen to hide a secret society of spies, the Kingsmen. Viewers of the film will recognise the shop front, iconic stag heads and fitting room with its familiar wood panelling, coat hooks and three ways mirror. In celebration of Huntsman’s film cameo works got under way to close the gap between reality and fiction reinstating the green textured walls, ensuring that anyone trying on a garment feels like a Kingsman themselves! In the new club area at the rear of the shop we installed spotlights which match those at the front of the shop incorporating control settings to change the mood according to time of day, whether customers are choosing cloth or being entertained etc.

Our brief was to create lighting with a ‘club type feel’ which will be used by VIP guests to be serviced. The lighting plan for the club area was set that is was not bright as the store, in keeping with the club feel, but would allow to increase the intensity of the light, should the customer want to look at fabrics in more detail, or play pool!

Testimonial: What the client said..."Thank you for your help and ideas for our recent lighting upgrade at 11 Saville Row, your time and input was very much appreciated and we are pleased with the end result"- Huntsman