H.Huntsman & Sons

H. Huntsman & Sons is a London bespoke tailor with premises located at No. 11 Savile Row.

Founded in 1849, Huntsman is a Savile Row tailor, creating bespoke tailoring and tailored sportswear for gentlemen and ladies. The company has been granted several royal warrants bestowed by British and European monarchs, including The Prince of Wales, (later Edward VII) and Queen Victoria. Huntsman is also one of the founders of the Savile Row Bespoke Association - the trade body responsible for protecting and promoting the working practices of Savile Row. Pierre Lagrange, owner of Huntsman, is currently serving as Chairman of the SRBA.

Founded in 1849 by Mr. Henry Huntsman, H. Huntsman & Sons incorporated a Victorian breeches-maker dating back to 1809 when the house was first established at No. 126 New Bond Street. Henry Huntsman thereby founded a tailoring house which quickly gained a reputation for dressing the hunting and riding aristocracy of Europe for much of the nineteenth century. Huntsman continues to make equestrian and sporting tailoring today and Henry Huntsman's very own breeches are still displayed in the company's Savile Row shop. Early twentieth century advertisements for Huntsman breeches survive in the company's archives, as do photographs depicting many golden-era Hollywood celebrities (Clarke Gable and David Niven for example) wearing Huntsman breeches and riding trousers, as well as images of His Royal Highness Edward VII in full equestrian dress atop horse. The house's relationship with British royalty extends as far back as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who both patronised the house from its opening in 1849.

During the First World War, Huntsman's was a tailor to the military, producing dress uniforms for British officers throughout the conflict. Several ledger books remain in Huntsman's archives today, listing the names of each officer and their commissions, often with a note revealing their fate in the margins. The firm moved to No. 11 Savile Row with the ending of the war in 1919 with the onset of the Roaring 20s. The Prince of Wales (soon to become Edward VIII) was a customer during the 1920s, which prompted much of the jet-set of the time to follow. Cecil Beaton, Laurence Olivier, Bill Blass and Lord Louis Mountbatten were all notable clients. It was during this time that Huntsman came to acquire the two stags' heads which overlook the shop-front today. They fell into the company's hands by chance; being left by a customer who went out to lunch in 1921 and neglected to ever return.

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