Good Wool Hunting
Huntsman and Sons' Loyal Customers
“The task of the artist is to make the human being uncomfortable,” claimed Lucian Freud. Yet judging by his own very particular sartorial habits, he seems quite at ease in the style department. Known for donning chef’s trousers and shirts from Charvet, Freud has been frequenting the Savile Row bespoke tailors H. Huntsman & Sons to have suits custom-made for much of his adult life. Founded in 1849, Huntsman has long been a stomping ground for royals and other luminaries of both sexes, including Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales and Katharine Hepburn. Although Huntsman’s methods are steeped in tradition, the tailors continually strive for innovation. In the late 1940s they introduced single-button jackets, and every second year they produce limited-edition tweeds with their distinctive check. With suits costing as much as £15,000 (close to $23,000), Huntsman produces some of the most expensive made-to-measure ensembles on Savile Row, partly owing to their purchase of the world’s finest bale of 1PP graded wool ever made back in 2007––enough to make only 34 suits, and bringing new meaning to the word “exclusive.”