If there is one garment that is ubiquitous throughout the land, it is the business suit. And, if there is one spot on this big, friendly planet that can be referred to as its home -- in its unadulterated form -- it is London's Savile Row.
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Nick Hart
Now, with the recent opening of Savile Row-based designer Nick Hart's Spencer Hart boutique in Tokyo's trendy Daikanyama district, businessmen can get an updated taste of the quality workmanship of that famed English street right here.
Hart, in Tokyo to promote the brand, told me a little about Spencer Hart, past, present and future. "After just two years on Savile Row, we were approached by Japanese companies," he said, explaining that this eventually led him to establish, with Japanese partners, his business here -- first selling to specialty stores, then department stores, and now finally, also selling through his own boutique.
"Nonetheless," he said, "it has taken time, and we are putting our feet very gently into the Japanese market. We are pioneering a new category. We have to develop new relationships, we have to explain our concepts to the Japanese consumer, so we can't do anything in a hurry."
However, as he was the first to acknowledge, Spencer Hart seems to have got its Zeitgeist right. "There has been a big re-emergence in Brit style in recent years, which has taken over from Italian brands which dominated for a decade," he said. "Japanese have a love affair with Italian brands, and this has helped turn Italian style into a mass look."
Whereas virtually every department store here offers top-of-the-line Italian or French designer brands, Hart said that another major selling point at Spencer Hart is the concept of being able "to create phenomenally great detail to make a modern product. To summarize, our suits are made for the guy who is looking for the perfect suit.
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Spencer Hart jackets on display at the label's new shop in Daikanyama
"There is a real gap in the market, so why end up with a boring suit?"
The selling point is the uniqueness, and Spencer Hart aims to be able to cater to all clients, whatever their height or girth.
"We have 20 different shapes, we have an encyclopedic knowledge of menswear over the last 25 years. All our fabrics are made in the United Kingdom," Hart explained.
"The colors are very dark, understated -- a very conservative palette. Our clients travel and they don't want to spend two hours every morning coordinating things. We can supply clients with a modern, simple suit with charisma and character."
All in all, Hart says, "We try to make effort effortless."
Even though Spencer Hart may be a new name here in Japan, Hart says that he is in this country for the long term, and plans for the future include opening a flagship store. "People are respectful of what we are doing. The old-school people (in Savile Row) were sniffy, but no one can be snobby about us, as our product is as good as anything being designed on Savile Row."
Pricewise, too, Spencer Hart is pure Savile Row, with off-the-peg suits starting at £1,220 (from 240,000 yen) to bespoke ones from £2,260 (442,000 yen). Made-to-measure shirts start at £150 (29,000 yen).
Spencer Hart at Bespoke Gallery, Sunroser Daikanyama 1F, 11-6 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Tel. (03) 5457-1105.
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