American fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch is facing a new setback in its struggle to open a Savile Row branch, after a council official called its plans “deeply flawed”.
Campaigners hope Westminster council planners will today effectively force the brand to drop its proposals by refusing permission for changes to its Grade II-listed, four-storey Georgian premises in the historic Mayfair tailoring street.
Abercrombie & Fitch stores are known for their nightclub atmosphere, with loud music, models at the entrance, screened windows and celebrity-backed promotional events. Some Savile Row bespoke tailors claim the company’s plans are out of keeping with the street and will damage its international reputation.
The company applied for permission to open a children’s store last year and was allowed to move into the building, which comes under a Special Policy Area order designed to keep tailoring as the main Savile Row activity.
However, music loud enough to be heard on the street was banned, as were promotional parties with VIPs, while planners said staff would have to disperse any teenagers lingering outside. Abercrombie & Fitch appealed and a public inquiry is set for February 12.
A report by the council’s strategic director for built environment said a plan for fixed screens on the windows, shutting out light to create the nightclub feel, was “deeply flawed” and damaging to the character of the street. It also said the flagpoles that normally hang from Abercrombie & Fitch stores were “highly inappropriate”.
The company declined to comment.
