ALEXANDER McCall Smith, the celebrated Scottish author, has invested in a long-established Edinburgh tailor which has dressed royalty and Hollywood stars.
The writer, who was knighted in the recent New Year Honours, declared he was prompted to back Stewart Christie & Co on account of its “tireless” support of the Scottish textile industry.
Over its long history the tailor, which was established in 1720, has been dressing the great and the good in tweeds and tartans, from King George V and Sir Walter Scott to film stars Ewan McGregor and Sam Heughan.
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It announced the undisclosed investment from Sir Alexander, author of the popular 44 Scotland Street and No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, shortly after it unveiled a “by appointment” studio for ladies’ tailoring in the heart of Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town. The studio is in premises adjacent to its men’s tailoring emporium on 61-63 Queen Street.
Other shareholders in the business include managing director Daniel Fearn, creative director Vixy Rae, and chairman professor James McCallum.
Sir Alexander said: “There is nowhere quite like Stewart Christie & Co. This firm has been a vital part of the Scottish clothing and textile industry for a very long time. The team of James, Daniel and Vixy have been tireless in their support of Scottish textiles and tailoring and that is what prompted me to offer support in the first place.
“Their work has helped to secure Scotland’s reputation as a source of fine clothing, traditionally made with this country’s wonderful cloth. It is a great honour to be able to support that.”
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Mr Christie said: “This is such an exciting moment for Stewart Christie & Co – not only are we welcoming the delightful Alexander McCall Smith aboard our company, we also recently opened our first ever ladies’ bespoke tailoring studio.
“Alongside our expansion into ladieswear, we’re really looking forward to launching our new website early next year, with an online fabric store so clients can build their own garment virtually. The best experience, though, is still in-house – you can’t beat the satisfaction of taking home a beautifully made garment that’s been perfectly tailored to your measurements.”
Stewart Christie’s new ladies’ tailoring studio opened last summer in the space formerly devoted to its popular The Chaumer tearoom. Afternoon tea continues to be served there on an exclusive “clients and guests” basis.
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