NEW YORK — A touch of Savile Row is about to land in New York City.
On Oct. 24, Cad & The Dandy, the bespoke tailor headquartered on London’s famous street, will open a street-level store at 130 West 57th Street, a building that houses a number of custom clothiers including Huntsman and Paolo Martorano.
But rather than showcasing its custom offering, the 1,500-square-foot space will be dedicated to the brand’s ready-to-wear collection.
Cad & The Dandy has had an appointment-only bespoke shop in the penthouse of the building off Seventh Avenue since 2018, and that space, which spans two floors and houses the company’s in-house tailor, will remain. The store will focus instead on the off-the-rack collection of suits, tuxedos, jackets, coats, shirts and knitwear that launched during the pandemic.
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The store is the only outpost of the company’s space in Savile Row, where it operates a 2,000-square-foot showroom and a 3,000-square-foot retail store.
The rtw collection, which is priced at about two-thirds of a custom garment and offered in sizes 36 to 50, has a similar aesthetic to what the brand offers in bespoke garments: a modern interpretation of classic English style with a natural shoulder and a more pronounced waist. The line is also fully canvassed, handmade and created in a neutral color palette centered around browns, creams, ivories and green.
That palette is broken up by one yellow beanie, placed on top of a book on a display table in the center of the space, an intentional juxtaposition by creative director Oliver Mumby intended to catch customers’ eyes when they enter the store.
“Our collection is curated to embrace the elegance of classic English style, made by hand and without compromise,” said Ian Meiers, co-owner. “We take pride in offering a distinct alternative to the prevailing Italian-influenced designs often found in New York. Our garments epitomize traditional English tailoring with more structure, shape and impeccable attention to detail. This collection is a testament to our commitment to preserving our tailoring heritage while offering a sophisticated and contemporary choice.”
Even the off-the-rack tailored pieces still require 50 hours of handwork to complete, he said. “We put the same effort into our ready-to-wear that we do in our bespoke product,” he said. That allows Cad & The Dandy to “build more shape” into its garments. “A lot of suits are unconstructed these days and that looks good on 20 or 30 percent of guys but the rest of us need a little help,” Meiers said.
“At Cad & The Dandy, we have become known as a house with a truly defined style, making garments by hand with exceptional skill that are both elegant and easy to wear, whether that be bespoke or our ready-to-wear,” added James Sleater, co-owner.
“The opportunity to expand into New York with our second premises in the city is an exciting step for the brand and I hope this becomes one of many new shops in our planned company expansion.”
In a walk-through of the space, Meiers said next year, the brand will work to grow sales in the store but after that, “we will look to our next venture.” He declined to say where Cad & The Dandy may expand, but said it would definitely be on the East Coast. “There are a couple of places we’re looking at,” he said. “There’s so much opportunity in the Northeast with Boston, Washington and even additional places in New York.”
Cad & The Dandy was founded in 2008 by Sleater and Meiers, two former bankers whose families had roots in sartorial menswear: Meiers’ mother was a tailor and Sleater’s family owned a mill. Although neither had experience in bespoke suit making, they believed that there was room for a younger, more modern alternative to what is often the stuffy, rigidly traditional bespoke tailors who have called Savile Row home for more than two centuries.
Mumby reiterated that every rtw garment is made by hand, “something we take enormous pride in. When launching our ready-to-wear collection in 2021, we only knew one thing, bespoke, and that’s how we have approached our latest collection. Each garment is made the old-fashioned way: hand-padded lapels, hand-sewn collar, working buttonholes and fully canvassed, all made by hand.”
Steve Knorsch, managing director, said the collection in the store is intended to be a complement to the “full bespoke experience” offered upstairs in the building. “For the client that needs something on a shorter timeline, it’s a viable alternative. Current bespoke customers will now have the ability to augment their wardrobes with ready-to-wear items such as knitwear, suedes, etc., from the source and not compromise on the quality they are used to.”
Mumby said the selection is kept intentionally tight and is centered around menswear essentials. “It’s concise, neat and organized,” he said. “We’ll always be a bespoke tailor and our ready-to-wear is a reflection of that. They’re beautiful clothes that guys will love, but we’re not trying to be a lifestyle brand. We are an English tailor with worldly style. Other companies are confined by the past, but we’re all about looking forward.”
In the store, there are two pieces of every style offered but a larger backstock is housed on the lower level allowing the store to always remain uncluttered. “It’s not an art gallery, but we don’t need six or seven pieces of every garment” hanging in the store, Mumby said.
In addition to the apparel, the store offers accessories such as socks and hats as well as bags and small leather goods by Baron Bags, a Swedish company in which Cad & The Dandy owns a small stake.
The store has a bar — similar to a larger one in its Savile Row unit — and a seating area in the rear where customers can relax. Tucked into the back, up six steps, is a private VIP dressing room. While elements of the space will be familiar to those who shop in London, the store was clearly intended to reflect its home city.
“It’s very architectural and New York,” Meiers said. “We try to make every space unique.”