Pop-up Crisis Takes Over Old Police Station on Savile Row for a Cause
LONDON — More than 100 fashion brands — including Bianca Saunders, Jimmy Choo, Wales Bonner and Burberry — are participating in a fundraising pop-up event on Savile Row for Crisis, a charity for people without homes in the U.K.
Running from Monday to Dec. 14 at the old West End Central police station on the British tailor-crammed street, the event has been organized by fashion editor Tom Stubbs and Anda Rowland, director at Anderson & Sheppard and chair of the Savile Row Bespoke Association.
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Rowland said the pop-up idea was born on Savile Row in 2018, after a conversation that she had with Stubbs over a cup of tea.
“Many of our friends in the men’s clothing industry rallied around the initiative and donated as much as they could to support an important cause and a charity that is committed to helping. We were backed by The Pollen Estate, who lent us a space slotted in between some of the world’s most prestigious bespoke tailoring houses. It seemed natural for the menswear community to come together on a street that is world-famous for the best tailoring in the world,” she said.
Stubbs added that the project was launched to bridge the gap “between what we as fashion industry people could effectively solicit” and “what existing Crisis shops can sell — they’re not geared for it on the volume or varied levels we ended up receiving.
“We’ve also got the team knowledge to do a big retail moment. Collating all this stuff at one moment before Christmas makes a big impact. It’s an event and a buzz. The experience of coming to Savile Row is a big thing on the customer experience level,” he added.
Working with Crisis makes a real difference for those who are less fortunate, Stubbs stressed.
“The fact that Crisis addresses the omnipresent issue of real people really struggling with homelessness all around us in London makes them a very significant charity organ that clearly really makes a difference. I worked on the clothes banks in Hackney at Christmas and could see how they would benefit massively from donations of clothes we could raise,” he said.
They hope that this year’s pop-up can break its 100,000-pound record set in 2019, and raise 125,000 pounds for the charity.
Rowland also thinks that this pop-up can bring more attention to Savile Row for the holiday season.
“There is renewed momentum, following the pandemic, to bring more energy and talent to the area and to create smaller tailoring units and affordable workshop spaces to maintain this cluster of world-class excellence,” she said.
Sam Kershaw, buying director at Mr Porter, which is one of more than 100 brands and retailers that have donated to the pop-up this year, said he is pleased to see the return of the charitable event.
“We are proud to have supported them since the inaugural pop-up and into this year. And more so than ever before, 2022 feels increasingly important for us to show our support alongside our industry friends. Hosting on Savile Row, the world-famous destination for men’s tailoring, is central to the pop-up’s success by helping to drive footfall through the door and raise further awareness of Crisis and the team’s great work,” he said.
Milliner Stephen Jones said he is honored to be taking part in “such a wonderful event for Crisis.”
“I feel in these current times their work is such a vital part of society, ensuring everybody feels safe and allowing those who are less fortunate access to the very things we all take for granted. It is a delight to be able to donate hats and use my craft so Crisis can raise funds and hopefully there will be fewer people left in the cold this Christmas,” he added.
Men’s wear designer Daniel Fletcher believes that as “an industry with such cultural influence, we have to take more responsibility and have a positive impact where we can. The benefit here is two-fold; not only is this pop-up minimizing waste by selling amazing items that were otherwise not ‘saleable’, but also by donating said proceeds to one of the most urgent issues in the U.K. today. They are helping give people in need the best support possible.
Other notable participants include Barbour, CP Company, Ede & Ravenscroft, Edeline Lee, Gabriela Hearst, Giles Deacon, Globe Trotter, Huntsman, Johnstons of Elgin, Manolo Blahnik, Phaidon, Pringle of Scotland, Richard James, Shaun Leane, Tod’s and YMC.