Kilgour, A Savile Row Stalwart, Sold To Dubai Chemical Group

WWD reports that Kilgour, formerly Kilgour, French, Stanbury of Savile Row, has been sold to JMH, a Dubai-based group that supplies chemicals to the construction industry.

Kilgour traces its history back to 1882. In 2003, Kilgour was spun off from parent company Holland & Sherry, the British cloth maker after it merged with a U.S. company, Tom James. It was bought by Carlo Brandelli, the designer of house, and Hugh Holland who had been the managing director under Holland & Sherry, and Clive Darby, the retail director for a bargain $2.68 million. (I'm not sure, but I think there were other shareholders.) They quickly dropped the French, Stanbury, hired hip graphic artist Peter Saville (who better?) to work on a new logo, slimmed down the suits, fattened up the ready-to-wear options, introduced a wide range of accessories and introduced a swanky new store design at 8 Savile Row that reminded me a bit too much of Tom Ford's Gucci store design. Their goal was to go from competing with the new hipster tailors on Savile Row like Richard James and Ozwald Boateng to competing with men's wear guru Paul Smith. Plans for a Notting Hill store never panned out, though they did open a second space on Savile Row.

I'm a bit sad to hear about the sale. And not just because of nostalgia (although my husband had his wedding suit made there.) But because I think it is a bad sign for the other houses on the Row. Anderson & Sheppard, another old name there was forced to move off the street a couple years back. And new not-exactly-illustrious names, like Abercrombie & Fitch, keep coming in. Last week the BBC aired a program on the dilemmas facing the street that didn't give a sense that the old hands would be able to save themselves. The English Cut, a tailoring blog, said: "it appears the Savile Row Association is doing a better job than all the high rents, bad exchange rates and global fashion brands could ever do at eating away at the core of what makes Savile Row a wonderful and unique place."

Kilgour was the one Savile Row name that looked most likely to be able to manage the transition from tailor to brand, while keeping the tradition alive. If they can't do it without deep pockets from the middle east, what hope to the other independents have?