Love in the time of Coronavirus

Scrubs by Henry Poole

Henry Poole now has five members of staff making hospital gowns and scrubs with another two starting this week.
28th May 2020
Love in the time of Coronavirus  Scrubs by Henry Poole

Cutters Daniel McDonald and Charlie Button, coat-maker Roy Wain and waistcoat-maker Sarah McSweeney are making the garments with cutter Joe Holyoak both making and delivering. Cutter, Philip Parker, a Liveryman at Merchant Taylors, is making scrub bags. Coat-makers Abigail Robertson and Jeni England are all set to join their Henry Poole colleagues.

The garments and their bags are being made for the charity 'Show Love with Colour', set up by Victoria Townsend to supply vital hospital garments to the NHS. Victoria, a tailor and Freeman of the Merchant Taylors’ Guild, left Savile Row to found her Battersea-based London Academy of Bespoke, a school specialising in teaching tailors the fundamentals of bespoke craft.  She set up the charity to make fun, colourful gowns to brighten the mood, particularly in children’s hospitals, though it is also supplying much-needed regular medical scrubs.

Victoria was inspired by the story of Dr. Olivia Walker (pictured).  When the pandemic broke Dr. Walker cut short her trip to Australia by several months and bought a ticket home.  She’s since been working on the frontline at Bedford Hospital. Despite being small and slight, only XL scrubs were available.  ‘We were so inspired by her story and dedication that we sent her a set of scrubs in the right size so she can work in the clothes that she should be entitled to as a frontline worker of our NHS,’ said Victoria.

With her contacts across the trade, Victoria has pulled in tailors, seamstresses, local crafters and suppliers from across Savile Row houses, including Norton & Sons, Dege and Skinner and Ede and Ravenscroft as well as Henry Poole.  Cloth houses, like Dugdale, are also helping and contributing to the charity.

Henry Poole have also launched Savile Row’s first ever elegant mask to match and complement a gentleman’s suit. Click here to find out more.

www.henrypoole.com

Related Articles

Moriarty's Sophie Cracknell shares her out of office essentials
Out of Office
7th Feb 2025
Moriarty's Sophie Cracknell shares her out of office essentials
In our Out of Office interview series, we speak to Walpole member and partner executives at the top of their game about how they live their lives away from their desks – the habits that help them decompress, the activities that re-centre their minds, and the little luxuries that they can't live without. This week, we talk Pilates, The Pig and preparing for the week over a glass of red with Sophie Cracknell, Managing Director of global creative events studio Moriarty
Introducing Minority Report Group, our latest partner organisation
Welcome to Walpole
6th Feb 2025
Introducing Minority Report Group, our latest partner organisation
Walpole is proud to announce a new partnership with Minority Report Group, an organisation with a mission to create inclusive workplace culture for diverse voices by advancing the conversation around equity and inclusion to a point of measurable change. Here, we speak with the founder of Minority Report Group, Daniel Peters, about his journey into the luxury sector, his vision for the organisation and his passion for creating opportunity
Game on for Manolo Blahnik
Member News
5th Feb 2025
Game on for Manolo Blahnik
The storied British shoemaker has partnered with digital platform Drest to offer users gamified access to the virtual world of Manolo Blahnik in its first 'Drest Quest' – and a very real world prize