Richard James Offers Tailoring, Plus Cocktails and Coffee, at Refurbished Mayfair Store
LONDON — Tailor Richard James is taking its service up a notch, offering clients home comforts at its newly refurbished, 2,500-square-foot store on Clifford Street in Mayfair, around the corner from Savile Row.
Following a 2 million pound refurbishment, the new House of Richard James has colorful interiors that mirror the silks and fabrics from the archive, a fully stocked bar, and spaces for socializing before, and after, appointments.
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Cofounder Sean Dixon said the aim was to make the shop more welcoming for customers, and fit for hosting launches, talks and events.
“We know we have this community, and this is our chance to engage more with them. We want to cater to our customers properly, host events and launches, and keep up with our clients’ expectations,” said Dixon during a walk-through of the space, which re-opened Friday.
Dixon added that he wants clients to feel at home as soon as they step inside. He said that shopping at Richard James “should be a very relaxing experience and should not be intimidating — our aim is to make it like a spa experience for men.”
The brand has long attracted a music and entertainment crowd, and current clients include Stormzy, Jacob Elordi, Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, John Legend, Michael Ward and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Suits range from 1,500 pounds for off-the-peg to 2,000 pounds for made-to-measure and around 6,000 pounds for bespoke.
The time was right for a refurb. Dixon, like others on Savile Row, said demand for tailored clothing, and especially looks with lots of color and texture, has been flourishing.
“A pale pink corduroy suit has been one of our bestsellers,” said Dixon, who founded the tailor in 1992 along with Richard James, who has since stepped away from the business. Charles S. Cohen, an American real estate and film industry entrepreneur and longtime customer, acquired a majority stake in the brand in 2017.
At the time, Dixon and James were famously unpopular with the other tailors on the Row, a few of whom sniggered that Richard James wouldn’t last “five minutes.” Since then, Dixon and James have seen so many other tailors come and go, and the business is solid.
The clients’ love of color — and texture — has spilled into the store design.
The company tapped interior designer David Thomas to reimagine the space and the result is a rainbow of saturated, earthy colors with names like Blue Pearl, Rhubarb, Noon Whiskey yellow, Caravan orange and Georgetown red.
The place is awash in luxe fabrics while the furniture and chandeliers have a midcentury modern twist.
Thomas worked alongside creative director Toby Lamb on the project, and the two drew on the Richard James archives for inspiration.
The jaunty polka dot carpet on the staircase and the striped curtains reference the brand’s silk ties, while the custom rugs are inspired by pocket square designs.
Thomas said he felt strongly about respecting the building’s exterior architecture (it’s the only all-white building on Clifford Street) “and bringing back the interior to its former glory.”
He restored the original details, adding soft furnishings, new dark wood cabinetry, custom-made rails, and English walnut angular shelving units finished with brushed brass edging.
Dixon said they chose Thomas, a well-known retail architect, after seeing the work he did on the Manolo Blahnik store in New York.
The ground floor showcases ready-to-wear, bespoke, special projects, exclusive limited editions, and one-off collections that are only available on Clifford Street.
The bar and social spaces are located on the first floor, along with the library of swatch books and private fitting rooms. The walls feature limited-edition prints by artists including Marc Quinn, Howard Hodgkin and Albert Irwin.
The basement will house the workshop space. All the floors are connected via a new elevator that’s been furnished with an array of framed magazine covers of customers wearing the brand from the 1990s onward.
The feeling is clubby — but not dusty — and the color scheme adds a big shot of energy to the space.
There is more to come.
Dixon and his team are already planning to refurbish the second Richard James store, located across the street, on the corner of Clifford Street and Savile Row. That store, with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows, currently stocks the ready-to-wear collection.
Dixon said he’s working a new concept that should be ready by the fall. That store will house collaborations and one-off collections and there will be a special area dedicated to Harrys of London shoes.
Harrys, which is also owned by Cohen, currently has a store on Motcomb Street in Belgravia. Its creative director is Graeme Fidler, the former designer at Aquascutum and Bally.
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