Henry Poole and Co celebrates 220 years as the founding father of Savile Row

Savile Row is known around the world as the home of bespoke tailoring, and one house can claim to have started it all. Henry Poole and Co, often described as "the founding father of Savile Row", is celebrating its 220th year in 2026.

The business was founded in 1806 by James Poole at Brunswick Square, where he made military tailoring during the Napoleonic Wars. After his death, the firm moved to Savile Row in 1846. His son Henry Poole ran the company until his own death in 1876, when his cousin Samuel Cundey took over. The Cundey family has now controlled the business for five generations, and Simon Cundey became managing director in August 2024.

Henry Poole's place in fashion history is secure. Around 1860 the house made a short smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. When James Potter of Tuxedo Park, New York, had a jacket made there in 1886, members of the Tuxedo Club adopted the style, and it became known in America as the tuxedo.

The firm holds royal warrants and supplies court dress to the Lord Chamberlain's office, and its livery department made uniforms for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Today, at 15 Savile Row, every bespoke garment is hand made by a master craftsman to the client's individual pattern. The shop holds more than 6,000 fabric choices, and its archive includes ledgers dating back to 1846. Trunk shows take the firm's cloths to clients in Europe, the Americas and Japan.

The house has also looked to its past for new ideas. The Travel Trench, a made to order coat created with GORE-TEX, was inspired by designs in the Henry Poole archives, and the online shop offers accessories from ties and cufflinks to umbrellas.

The 220th year has been marked with a programme of events, including a thank you celebration, an Evening with Henry Poole in London and a Motoring Month at Goodwood, as well as a visit from the Lord Mayor to experience Savile Row tailoring first hand.

Henry Poole and Co is at 15 Savile Row, W1S 3PJ. To book a bespoke appointment or take a virtual tour of the cutting room, visit henrypoole.com or call 020 7734 5985.