At No. 14 Savile Row in London stands an imposing Georgian townhouse. Having become famous after World War Two as the headquarters of legendary couturier Sir Hardy Amies, Hackett London renovated and reopened the building in late 2019 as its global flagship store, and the permanent home of the brand's bespoke offering, JP Hackett. Originally built as a family residence in the 1730s, the store retains a warm, inviting feeling throughout: gently lit by soft lamps and sun through the large sash windows, the walls are covered with stacked bookshelves and an abundance of artwork. Within this collection of art are 40 original collages by Hormazd Narielwalla.
Narielwalla has a longstanding relationship with Savile Row. His first job was as a sales assistant at a tailor on the street and, following bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fashion design, he authored The Savile Row Cutter, a biography of Michael Skinner, Chairman of bespoke tailor, Dege & Skinner (located at 10 Savile Row). As he worked on a PhD in fine art, this experience on the Row contributed to the development of his artistic signature of layering vintage, bespoke tailoring patterns into abstract collages. It is a practise that clearly resonated with the Founder of Hackett London, Jeremy Hackett; the brand now owns the single largest collection of his work. “I was absolutely captivated by his work,” explains Hackett, who now serves as the tailoring house's Chairman. “It resonates with Savile Row, but in a fresh, modern way.”
Entering the building, you encounter 'The Living Jacket', a piece that Narielwalla created in collaboration with Hackett’s pattern cutters for this year’s Art in Mayfair. On tailoring canvas, the maker sketched their chalk marks which Narielwalla then responded to in primary colours of red, blue and yellow. After this, the cloth was then constructed into a bespoke to celebrate the intersection between art and tailoring.
Continuing through the hot pink reception area to the boutique’s rear drawing room, it's immediately noticeable that every wall panel features a different piece of Narielwalla’s work. The artist sits in the centre of the room and, above his shoulder, there's a piece composed of purple, pale grey, and dark blue – angular blocks of colour form a singular shape with a complex outline.
“If you look closely, you can see a musician playing the flute,” Narielwalla says. The shape sharpens into focus: a rounded head to the centre, slightly tilted to meet the flute. Hands and arms supporting the instrument, with a body, seated, below. Narielwalla explains that the Modernist values that inspire his art – abstraction, emphasis on materials and experimentation with form – led him to explore the dance and music movements that were similarly influenced by Modernism. Narielwalla clarifies that his art is not led by a strong personal agenda. Rather, his foremost guide is the curiosity that leads him to explore and engage with diverse historical periods, movements and cultures.
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“Whenever I travel, I always look for paper references,” says Narielwalla, pointing to another piece that follows similar musical inspiration, though, this time, in the form of a guitarist. The figure’s head is angled down, focusing on the body of the guitar; its collection of circles comprises smaller squares and rectangles of aquamarine, pale blue and another deep, vibrant blue. This deeper blue is Majorelle Blue, a defining colour of Moroccan culture. “When I visited Morocco, there were textiles everywhere, but no paper. So I brought back the dye and tinted the paper myself.”
The colour encapsulates a sense of place, with its atmosphere and spirit enlivening the piece itself. Narielwalla’s desire to communicate the feeling of a place similarly inspired the pieces he created for Hackett’s boutique in Mexico City: in each of these 24 works, a single bright blue traces sweeping, curved lines, reminiscent of Mexico’s waves and the geometric patterns of its Aztec forebears.
“To me, luxury is the idea that something was made for you,” notes Narielwalla – an idea he encapsulates in the commissions he creates for Hackett from bespoke patterns that tailors have, in turn, created for their clients. “I suppose seeing my work here is quite a full-circle moment,” he smiles.