Gieves & Hawkes is one of a handful of companies who currently hold three Royal warrants of appointment, i.e. from HM The Queen, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Savile Row is the famous street in London which houses the best exponents of classic British tailoring. It is fitting therefore that the company of Gieves & Hawkes occupy the address Number 1 Savile Row. Gieves & Hawkes was borne of two famous businesses; Gieves, founded in 1785 and Hawkes, founded in 1771.
Number 1 Savile Row, London
The magnificent full dress occasions of British state ceremonies have been embellished and enriched by Gieves & Hawkes craftsmen’s skills for decades and the first Royal warrant of appointment was awarded to Hawkes in 1809.
Gieves & Hawkes’ business was originally focused on military tailoring for the officer classes of the Royal Navy and British Army which formed the basis for their long relationship with the Royal family. They continue to produce uniforms for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Airforce via Gieves & Hawkes Military.
In 1835, James Watson Gieve was employed by ‘Old Mel’ Meredith, a Portsmouth based tailor by appointment to the Royal Navy. Meredith tailored the uniform for Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, aboard HMS Victory at the battle of Trafalgar in Britain’s most famous victory and marked Lord Nelson’s fatal wounding during the battle.
Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson
In 1852, Gieve partnered with Joseph Galt, and in 1887, Gieve purchased the remaining shares to form Gieves & Co.
On December 23, 1912, Hawkes & Co. bought No.1 Savile Row from the Royal Geographical Society. In 1974, Gieves Ltd acquired Hawkes & Co., and the freehold of No.1 Savile Row. The company was renamed Gieves & Hawkes.
Customers past and present include: Sir Winston Churchill, Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, The Duke of Wellington, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Mikael Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Diana Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Classic British tailoring at Gieves & Hawkes
The Company has close to 100 shops and concessions in the UK and in Asia and is a founding member of Savile Row Bespoke. Its product range stretches from the finest Bespoke Tailoring, through Personal Tailoring (or ‘made-to-measure’) to a full range of formal, military, business and casual ready-to-wear.
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