The Interview: Richard Anderson on 25 years of his eponymous bespoke business on Savile Row

This year marks 25 years since tailor and Master Cutter Richard Anderson set up his own shop at 13 Savile Row with business partner Brian Lishak. In 2001, it was the first bespoke tailoring business to open on Savile Row in 50 years.

Both had previously been at Huntsman on Savile Row, one of the longest-standing and most revered bespoke tailoring businesses in the world, with Anderson as Head Cutter - having joined as an apprentice in 1982 - and Lishak as Managing Director, before both leaving in 2000.

After dabbling with ready-to-wear pieces for some 20 years, spring 2025 saw the full launch of RICH’s - a standalone, contemporary ready-to-wear business in the shop below the original bespoke tailoring premises. Ready-to-wear sales have doubled year-on-year as a result, and there are plans to expand it and launch a dedicated website.

Anderson’s daughter, Molly, is also now on board for bespoke, learning all the traditional Savile Row tailoring techniques from two of the best in the business, with women’s tailoring now another focus. TheIndustry.fashion sat down with both Richard and Molly to get the full story.

How did you get into tailoring in the first place?

RA: I realised I wasn’t going to be a footballer, and I didn’t know what else I was going to do! My father was quite exasperated with me, as he was getting me interviews that I didn’t turn up to. He read The Daily Telegraph at the time, which had the job adverts in the back pages. There was a little box advert for Huntsman, which basically said ‘young person needed for an apprenticeship in tailoring. Must be of good appearance’ – or something along those lines. Anyway, they were kind of the only boxes I ticked at that point! So, my dad actually took me up to Savile Row to make sure I made the interview, aged 16.

They took me on at 17, and it was unbelievable really, like another world. There was a real energy to the place, with people dashing around with rolls of cloth. It was in the days when Huntsman had a green curtain over the window, so you couldn’t actually see inside the shop. It was like opening the door to this hallowed world. It was 1982, but it could quite well have been 1932 or 1942! Looking back, I absolutely loved it. I was very proud and privileged to be this tiny cog in a big wheel. They (Huntsman) were the best then, and you soon realised that their attention to detail and attitude was really something else.

How long were you at Huntsman for and how has Savile Row changed from that time?

RA: I was at Huntsman for about 18 years, from 1982 to 2000, culminating in the role of Head Cutter. In terms of change, there are fewer “true” tailors now - probably only five or six. More designer-led brands have come into Savile Row, which is fine, but the landscape has certainly changed. The old guard still includes Dege & Skinner, Henry Poole, Anderson & Sheppard, Davies & Son, and Huntsman, who are still practising the traditional way of making.

Is it a different customer base you see on Savile Row these days?

RA: When I started in the early ’80s, it was aristocratic customer-driven, twinned with a lot of American businessmen. To an extent, that’s still true now, but it has changed - it’s more diverse, certainly coming to us at number 13 Savile Row. Hopefully, that’s because we’ve got a slightly less intimidating atmosphere to walk into! I think we’re lucky in that we do have a wider age group of customers.

What prompted you to go out on your own in the first place?

RA: I loved it at Huntsman as Head Cutter, and we were flying, but the business was sold to a consortium of 17 investors in 1999. I didn’t think that they would look after the business in the manner that I’d been trained. So, it wasn’t quite with a heavy heart, as I knew I had built up a certain reputation of my own in 18 years, but I didn’t think I would flourish under the new regime. That was the catalyst. At the age of about 35, I was still young enough to do something. I was also aware of the new guys coming in, such as Richard James and Ozwald Boateng, which was great for Savile Row. Then there were still the very traditional guys. I thought there could be a brand positioned in the middle that could maintain the quality of what I’d learnt, but also do it with more of a modern flair.

How difficult was that to start up on your own?

RA: It was very difficult. In terms of financing it, we - my business partner Brian Lishak and I -managed to get some investors to help, but we started with a very minimal amount of money. Initially, I was cutting in my garage, and Brian was renting a desk on New Burlington Street, which runs adjacent to Savile Row. It was a case of having to make it work - I had four kids under six years old, and a big mortgage. I’d also just walked away from a director’s salary, which was pretty good at Huntsman, so there were no grey areas, no thoughts that this is just going to be a “play thing” for a couple of years. It was foot down and make it work.

I also had to build a new team. Previously, with my work as a cutter, I was protected by the tailors at Huntsman. But I’m the architect and they are the builders, in a way. Part of my remit was to really build a team that was as good as those guys, if not better.

Have you had any famous clients over the years?

RA: Over the years, I’ve had quite a few (including at Huntsman), such as George Michael, Henry Kissinger, Gregory Peck, Benicio del Toro, Bryan Ferry, Ian McKellen and Simon Cowell. Ralph Lauren also ordered suits from us at Huntsman, as well as from Anderson & Sheppard and Henry Poole - two from each. That would have been in the mid-’80s. He ordered a grey flannel suit and a grey pinstripe flannel suit from us, but he never ended up taking them. I’m sure he came in just to check out the ambience, the styles, how it all worked and the rugs on the walls!

What are the two books you’ve had published in the past?

RA: There’s ‘Making The Cut’ from 2017, which is more of a coffee table book. Publishers Thames & Hudson approached me and asked me to put together some of the more interesting garments that we were making to feature, so not just your regular single-breasted grey flannel suit. We were doing patchwork tweed jackets, bomber jackets, duffle coats - things that I like to do, a bit more rock ‘n’ roll. We once did a sequinned suit for Bryan Ferry and we’ve done a red leather jacket and a leopard-print jacket. It makes it more fun. We have copies of the book for sale in the store, priced at £29.95, and we still regularly sell them.

The first book I did, in 2009, was called ‘Bespoke: Savile Row Ripped and Smooth’, which is basically my story from first walking into Huntsman for a job at 16.

Do you travel to see your clients too?

RA: We go to America three times a year - in January, May and September. That covers New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Palm Beach and Los Angeles. Around 50% of our business is in the UK - across bespoke and ready-to-wear - and 50% is export, the majority of which is to America.

What is your unique house style?

RA: My house cut is based on a riding coat. I use the Thornton System of cutting, which goes back to the 1880s. It gives a framework for constructing a very balanced garment. Then, within that framework, someone like me has to put their own artistic ideas into it. The armholes are quite high for ease of movement, which also gives a nice line across the sides, with a single button into the natural waist. The pockets and vents are also a little higher. If it’s working well, it should make the wearer look a bit taller and slimmer than they are. On the shoulders, we use no rope on the sleeve head - it’s more of a continuous line. It’s not a soft shoulder, but I’d say medium.

What are the trends in tailoring and what are being asked to make more of?

RA: A current trend is probably suits in less formal fabrics, such as corduroy. Also, people are wearing suits in a slightly different way - without a tie and with trainers and T-shirts - so we’ve got to roll with that. I think it’s quite cool actually. We’re also doing safari-style jackets, which are proving popular.

Molly, when did you join the business?

MA: I came on board in 2019. I always wanted to be in the cutting room, but I was more front of house to begin with. I was trained by Brian, Dad’s business partner. He taught me all the house rules and about cloth, as well as the admin side. That was for about a year, and then Covid hit. Then everyone was on furlough, but it gave Dad the opportunity to start teaching me in the cutting room - learning the ropes of striking (marking with chalk) and cutting.

RA: That gave us the time. It was quite incredible coming up here during that period, as there was no one else here and no phones ringing! So, I could really teach Molly how to cut a pattern and go over those little things that you don’t get time to during a normal working day.

What level is Molly at now?

MA: Now I’m doing pattern work and I’ve just started to get a list of customers – so hopefully that will continue to grow as I keep getting better. It’s really fun. I’m striking, trimming, cutting and I get to travel on behalf of the company as well. Dad is still teaching me, of course.

What attracted you to follow your dad into the tailoring business?

MA: I liked the idea of making something. Producing something always got me more than sitting at a desk on a computer. I just wanted to be a bit creative. I grew up with it, but I didn’t really hear much. When Dad came home after work, he didn’t go into the details of the day-to-day, so Savile Row was quite elusive. I’d done a few work experience things, but then I’d come up to see Dad and think it was quite cool and something I’d like to try. It seemed like such a challenge, and I like the idea of a challenge. It’s incredibly difficult, and you are always learning. Unfortunately, the only good way to learn is to make mistakes, which is annoying, but you don’t make the same mistakes twice! It’s also pretty niche, and it’s quite nice when people ask, “So, what do you do?” I love being able to say I’m a tailor. It’s very different - you get to work with your hands, learn a skill, and meet all sorts of characters.

There wasn’t much demand for bespoke tailoring during Covid, so how did you manage to get through that period?

RA: Luckily, we had a lot of gas in the tank, as going into it we were absolutely flying. We’d just taken on the downstairs, which now houses our RICH’s ready-to-wear, and we were doing really well. But when Covid came along, we virtually couldn’t work for 18 months to two years, with all the various lockdowns and uncertainty. Fortunately, the landlords were good to us, and we had the furlough scheme as well. We also had some great customers who supported us with orders - not many, but some who phoned us up - so we managed to get through it.

Do you also sell coats and more casual pieces?

RA: Coats always do well for us, in bespoke and ready-to-wear. We’ve also introduced raincoats for ready-to-wear (retailing at £1,050) which have been really good, as have our safari jackets, in linen for the summer and in tweed or cotton for theautumn/winter. We also do Japanese denim jeans (retailing at £565), made in the traditional way on the old looms, as well as some colourful cord trousers (at £245).

How long have you been doing the RICH’s ready-to-wear?

RA: We officially launched RICH’s in its own space last spring, downstairs from the bespoke store, though we’ve been doing ready-to-wear pieces for about 20 years under the Richard Anderson label. We acquired the extra space originally just before Covid hit, to also use as a tailor’s shop. As well as housing the RICH’s ready-to-wear, I have my workshop at the back, along with some storage space.

How have you seen the ready-to-wear grow?

RA: It’s been absolutely fabulous and it’s a real growth area for us. It’s a great product and I’m very pleased with it. It took us about a year to get the balance and the model correct, working with a factory in Italy. We are also working on a dedicated website for RICH’s to build up sales through that, and we may look at wholesaling it too, or even open another standalone store somewhere else. It’s slow steps, but we want to expand it and make it as successful as it can be. Ready-to-wear now accounts for around 25-30% of the business, so it’s certainly growing in importance. It’s a long way from 20 years ago when we started ready-to-wear with one single-breasted blazer and one double-breasted blazer. We also offer a made-to-measure service.

Are you also offering womenswear?

RA: We’re hoping to launch our women’s ready-to-wear later this year. With Molly wearing bespoke pieces in the shop, as well as on socials, and looking so good in it, people are really responding favourably and that’s given us a massive boost.

MA: We’ve certainly seen more interest in bespoke tailoring for women in the last few years. I had to wear something just for “uniform” in the shop, and subsequently customers were coming in and asking if we did womenswear. It’s something that not a lot of cutters want to do either, or so I’ve found out, but when I asked Dad he was fine with offering a women’s bespoke service as well. It made sense. I travel to the States on behalf of the company too, and now existing customers bring their girlfriends, wives, daughters, sisters and friends to appointments with them, so it’s brilliant on that side. Women’s tailoring is definitely another growth area - for suits, coats, jackets, trousers and skirt suits.