Norton & Sons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norton & Sons is a Savile Row bespoke Tailor founded in 1821 by Walter Grant Norton. The firm is located along with the other old Houses on the East side of the street at No. 16.
Norton & Sons grew rapidly during the nineteenth century when they were the tailor and Royal Warrant holder to William I, German Emperor. The firm made for many of the noble houses of Europe, achieving eminence through tailoring to the sporting elite.
It continues to this day to be known for its simple, unfussy clothing, the elegance of its sporting and touring clothing and its knowledge and use of fine Scottish tweeds and cashmeres. The firm uses exclusively British cloth and is passionate about the craft of weaving, offering an exclusive collection of fine handmade tweeds including a unique organic Mull tweed woven from the undyed fleece of the Black Hebridean sheep.
As one of the smaller Savile Row firms, Norton & Sons prides itself on its tailoring team. In John N. Kent they one of the finest Cutters working in Savile Row. Shirtmaker Stephen Lachter was the exclusive London shirtmaker to Frank Sinatra and has over the course of almost 35 years made for some of the worlds most elegant men.
During the 1970's the firm took over the venerable tailoring houses of E Tautz & Sons, creator of the Tautz lapel (an original pattern for which can be seen at 16 Savile Row), and J Hoare & Co, the only house to have had its work shown at the Musee de la Mode in Paris. Their connections with fashion remain strong. Norton & Sons' current team have made for many fashion luminaries. John Kent has cut for Lagerfeld, whilst Cutter Lee Webb has made for both McQueen and Marc Jacobs. Norton & Sons made extensively for Sir Hardy Amies, the great British couturier, who had one of the most extensive wardrobes imaginable. In January 2007 the firm made several pieces for Kim Jones A/W 07/08 collection. Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and a great admirer of Savile Row, is a client.
The firm's client list has included men such as Lord Carnarvon, the Marquis de Vogue, Chuck Yeager, Baron von Richthoven, Lord Mountbatten, and Wilfred Thesiger. Norton's and John Kent have also made for Fred Astair, Tony Curtis, Bing Crosby, David Niven, Alfred Hitchcock, and (through Tautz & Sons) for Cary Grant and A.J. Drexel Biddle, considered for a long period to be America’s best dressed man. The firm still subscribes to the old Savile Row doctrine of not discussing its living clients but todays list is known to include many of the worlds highest profile men, amongst them King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and at least two US Presidents. They are also known to make for Waris Ahluwalia, Jools Holland, Luke Pritchard, and Edward Norton, who wore a Norton & Sons suit in the 2007 Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue.
Today the firm is run by Oxford educated Patrick Grant who at 34 is the youngest Guv'nor on Savile Row.
