H. Huntsman & Sons

H. Huntsman & Sons is a British luxury fashion house and bespoke tailor based at No. 11 Savile Row in London. Founded in 1849 by Henry Huntsman, the business developed from the traditions of an earlier breeches-making establishment and became associated with the sporting and equestrian wardrobes of British and European aristocracy. Its heritage remains visible in the company's continued production of equestrian and sporting tailoring, its historical archives, and the display of Henry Huntsman's breeches in the Savile Row shop. The house has maintained close links with royalty and public figures since the nineteenth century. It received its first royal warrant in 1886 as Leather Breeches Maker to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, and has held warrants or patronage relationships connected with British and European monarchs. Its historical clients have included Edward VII, Edward VIII, Alfonso XII, Winston Churchill, Lord Mountbatten, Gregory Peck, Clark Gable, Laurence Olivier, David Bowie, Charlie Watts, Ronald Reagan, Marc Jacobs, Lapo Elkann, and Gianni Agnelli. Gregory Peck was a particularly important long-term client: Huntsman made more than 160 suits for him and his film studios between 1953 and 2003. Huntsman moved to No. 11 Savile Row in 1919, after the First World War. The new location helped place the firm at the centre of London's tailoring district during the fashionable 1920s. Under Robert Packer, who acquired the business from Henry Huntsman's sons in 1932, the firm expanded its reputation from a specialist maker of gaiters and breeches into one of Savile Row's most prestigious and expensive bespoke houses. Head Cutter Colin Hammick played a major role in this transformation from the 1930s through the 1970s and mentored a later generation of influential Savile Row tailors. The Huntsman silhouette is recognized for structured shoulders, high armholes, a long waist, a subtly shaped torso, and a characteristic one-button jacket. The house combines the formal discipline of black tie with the practical and visual influence of hunting and riding clothes. Its bespoke process is conducted in-house and involves consultation, extensive measurement, drafting of an individual paper pattern, hand cutting, basted fittings, further alterations, and final finishing. A suit typically requires more than eighty hours of work. The house also commissions distinctive cloths, including bold checked tweeds, cashmere tweeds, and limited-production luxury woolens. Following Pierre Lagrange's acquisition in 2013, Huntsman modernized its commercial model while retaining its bespoke identity. The house introduced the Archive Collection, restored a more substantial ready-to-wear offer, added e-commerce, expanded international client appointments, and opened a permanent New York location in 2016. Campbell Carey became Creative Director and Co-Head Cutter in 2015, sharing the cutting leadership with Dario Carnera. The company has also used collaborations, polo sponsorship, film visibility, and special projects to connect its historical tailoring with contemporary luxury culture. Huntsman's Savile Row premises served as the exterior and interior setting for the Kingsman tailor shop in the film franchise beginning with Kingsman: The Secret Service. The relationship grew from director Matthew Vaughn's longstanding connection with the house and helped introduce the Savile Row tailoring concept to a broad international audience. Alongside its bespoke suits, Huntsman continues to offer cashmere ready-to-wear, shirting, accessories, leather goods, exclusive fabrics, sporting clothing, and special commissions. It is also a founding member of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, a trade body intended to protect and promote the district's bespoke standards.

H. Huntsman & Sons traces its identity to the nineteenth-century tailoring and breeches-making traditions of London. Henry Huntsman founded the house in 1849, building on an earlier establishment associated with No. 126 New Bond Street and dating to 1809. The young company became known for dressing the hunting and riding aristocracy of Britain and continental Europe. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were among its early royal patrons, and the company's equestrian orientation remained central to its design language. In 1886, Huntsman received a royal warrant as Leather Breeches Maker to the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII. The warrant reinforced the firm's specialist reputation and its connection with elite sporting dress. During the First World War, the company produced dress uniforms for British officers. Surviving ledgers record military commissions and, in some cases, later notes concerning the officers who had ordered them. After the war, in 1919, the firm moved to No. 11 Savile Row. The relocation placed Huntsman in the street that would become synonymous with British bespoke tailoring. In the 1920s, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, was a customer, and the house attracted a wider circle of fashionable clients including Cecil Beaton, Laurence Olivier, Bill Blass, and Lord Louis Mountbatten. Two stags' heads displayed above the shop were acquired during this period after being left behind by a customer who did not return for them. In 1932, Henry Huntsman's sons transferred the firm to Robert Packer. Packer directed a long transformation of the business. Under his leadership, and with Head Cutter Colin Hammick, Huntsman moved beyond its earlier association with gaiters and breeches to become a glamorous, high-priced bespoke fashion house. The company developed a strong international clientele and a reputation for quality and distinctive cut. Hammick's work combined traditional Savile Row construction with a more fashion-conscious approach, and his influence extended through the tailors he trained and mentored. Huntsman's twentieth-century client list included political figures, royalty, actors, artists, designers, and industrialists. Gregory Peck had an especially sustained relationship with the house, which made more than 160 suits for Peck and his studios over five decades. Photographs and archival material also document garments worn by Clark Gable, David Niven, and other Hollywood figures. The house's signature style became associated with structured shoulders, high armholes, a long waist, a subtle hourglass shape, a flared skirt, and a difficult-to-balance one-button front. These elements gave the tailoring a formal but sporting character. The house has also cultivated a distinctive textile tradition. It commissions bold checked tweeds and other exclusive cloths, including work produced with the Islay Woollen Mill. In 2007, Huntsman acquired a very fine bale of Australian wool and developed it into the Opus cloth, a limited-production Super 240s fabric. Later projects revisited archival cloths associated with Gregory Peck, including a large-check design and a cashmere houndstooth inspired by a 1952 Huntsman fabric. In 2013, Pierre Lagrange acquired Huntsman. The new ownership introduced an Archive Collection of ready-to-wear tailoring, shirts, and accessories, restored a more visible non-bespoke product offer, and introduced e-commerce. The strategy sought to make historical Huntsman design codes available in more accessible formats without abandoning the house's bespoke core. Campbell Carey joined as Creative Director in 2015 and shared the role of Co-Head Cutter with Dario Carnera. Carol Pierce was also appointed General Manager to oversee bespoke operations. The Kingsman film connection became one of Huntsman's most visible modern developments. Director Matthew Vaughn had been a Huntsman customer since his youth, and the shop inspired the fictional tailor's premises in Kingsman: The Secret Service. The real shop was used for both exterior and interior scenes and continues to display a Kingsman plaque. The association linked the house's one-button tailoring and secret-agent imagery with a global entertainment property. Huntsman expanded its international client service through trunk shows in North America and Asia and opened a permanent New York location in 2016. It also participated in polo, racing, and other sporting activities, including the Huntsman Polo Team and a collaboration connected with the Sentebale Polo Cup. The company was one of the founding members of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, reflecting its role in promoting standards for authentic bespoke work. Today, Huntsman remains an active Savile Row house offering bespoke tailoring, ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, special commissions, and exclusive cloths.

1. 2016Permanent New York location opens

   Huntsman opened a permanent location at 130 West 57th Street in New York.

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2. 2015Campbell Carey joins the creative leadership

   Campbell Carey became Creative Director and Co-Head Cutter, sharing cutting leadership with Dario Carnera.

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3. 2013Pierre Lagrange acquires Huntsman

   New ownership initiated modernization, including an Archive Collection, e-commerce, and expanded international client services.

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4. 2007Opus cloth developed

   Huntsman developed a limited-production Super 240s fabric from exceptionally fine Australian wool.

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5. 1932Robert Packer takes over

   Henry Huntsman's sons transferred the business to Robert Packer, who drove its development into a major bespoke fashion house.

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6. 1919Move to No. 11 Savile Row

   The firm moved to its long-standing Savile Row premises after the First World War.

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7. 1886First royal warrant

   Huntsman received a royal warrant as Leather Breeches Maker to the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

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8. 1849Henry Huntsman establishes the house

   Henry Huntsman founded the tailoring business, developing it around high-end breeches, sporting clothing, and bespoke work.

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A heritage British luxury tailoring house positioned around Savile Row craftsmanship, a distinctive structured silhouette, royal and aristocratic associations, exclusive cloths, and highly personalized in-house bespoke service.

• Bespoke tailoringBespoke fashion1849

  Huntsman's core offering is individually patterned bespoke tailoring for men and women. The house's process includes consultation, extensive measurement, paper-pattern drafting, hand cutting, in-house making, basted fittings, alterations, and final hand finishing. Its characteristic design language includes structured shoulders, high armholes, a long waist, a shaped torso, and a one-button jacket. A complete suit requires more than eighty hours of work.

• Archive CollectionReady-to-wear2013

  Introduced after the 2013 ownership change, the Archive Collection translated elements of Huntsman's historical tailoring blocks and archives into ready-to-wear tailoring, shirts, and accessories. It was part of the house's effort to complement bespoke production with a product range that could be sold through e-commerce and international channels.

• Exclusive house tweedsTextiles and tailoring

  Huntsman commissions distinctive tweeds, often in bold checks, for bespoke and limited-edition garments. Some cloths are developed with the Islay Woollen Mill. Later designs revisited archival fabrics associated with Gregory Peck, including a 1961 check and a cashmere houndstooth based on a 1952 Huntsman cloth.

• Opus clothLuxury suiting cloth2007

  Opus was a limited-production suiting cloth made from exceptionally fine Australian wool acquired by Huntsman in 2007. Woven as a Super 240s fabric in navy twill and herringbone versions, it was produced in a very small number of suit lengths and became an example of the house's interest in rare, technically demanding textiles.

• Sporting and equestrian tailoringSporting apparel1849

  Sporting and equestrian clothing reflects Huntsman's original specialization in breeches and riding dress. The category continues through bespoke sporting garments, riding-inspired jackets, driving clothing, polo-related products, and special commissions that adapt traditional sporting functionality to luxury tailoring.

• Leather accessoriesAccessories

  Leather accessories extend the house's historical association with leather breeches and formal sporting equipment. They form part of Huntsman's broader ready-to-wear and accessories offer alongside tailoring and shirts.

• 2014Huntsman Polo Team

  United Kingdom

  Huntsman formed a polo team and participated in the Land Rover International Polo Tournament, reflecting the house's continuing relationship with sporting and equestrian culture.

  Outcome. The team won bronze, silver, and gold cups during the tournament.

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• 2014Sentebale Polo Cup collaboration

  United Kingdom · United Arab Emirates

  Huntsman dressed the Huntsman Sentebale Polo Team for the Sentebale Polo Cup in Abu Dhabi and produced a limited number of polo shirts connected with the event.

  Outcome. A portion of proceeds from the shirts supported Sentebale, and the garments incorporated a forget-me-not lining motif associated with the charity.

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• 2013Kingsman film partnership

  International

  Huntsman's Savile Row shop inspired and appeared as the fictional Kingsman tailor shop in Kingsman: The Secret Service. The relationship drew on director Matthew Vaughn's longstanding connection with the house.

  Outcome. The film association gave Huntsman substantial international cultural visibility and connected its one-button tailoring with the modern spy-film genre.

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• 2016Opening of the New York locationStrategy

  The house had been serving American clients through regular visits and trunk shows.

  What changed. Huntsman opened a permanent location at 130 West 57th Street in New York.

  Aftermath. United States clients gained a fixed local destination for the brand's bespoke and related services.

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• 2013Acquisition by Pierre LagrangeM&A

  The historic Savile Row house sought to modernize its commercial model while preserving its bespoke identity.

  What changed. Pierre Lagrange acquired the company and introduced a broader development program.

  Aftermath. Huntsman added the Archive Collection, e-commerce, international client services, and later a permanent New York location.

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• 2013Launch of the Archive Collection and e-commerceStrategy

  Huntsman wanted to make elements of its historical design language available beyond one-off bespoke commissions.

  What changed. The house launched ready-to-wear tailoring, shirting, and accessories based partly on its archives and made the collection available through e-commerce.

  Aftermath. The move broadened the brand's product architecture while keeping bespoke tailoring at its centre.

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• 2016Huntsman opens permanent New York location

  The house opened a permanent American location at 130 West 57th Street, extending its service for United States clients beyond periodic trunk shows.

  Other
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• 2015Campbell Carey appointed Creative Director

  Campbell Carey joined the creative and cutting leadership, helping develop the house's ready-to-wear offer alongside its bespoke business.

  Leadership change
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• 2013Huntsman acquired by Pierre Lagrange

  Financier Pierre Lagrange purchased the Savile Row house and began a program of modernization that included ready-to-wear, e-commerce, international development, and broader brand positioning.

  M&A
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• 2013Huntsman inspires the Kingsman tailor shop

  The Huntsman premises became the model and filming location for the Kingsman tailor shop in Matthew Vaughn's spy-film franchise.

  CampaignOther
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1. H. Huntsman & Sons