October 30th 2024.
When I was a child, it was a regular occurrence for me to accompany my father on his business trips to Savile Row. As a bespoke tailor and owner of a high-end menswear and womenswear shop, he had many affluent clients who required his impeccable services. However, as a young and restless child, I found these trips to be incredibly dull and uninteresting. While my father saw it as an opportunity to bond with his daughter, I saw it as a mundane trip to the grocery store with my mother.
Little did I know at the time, those car rides with my father would later prove to be invaluable in shaping my understanding and appreciation for the fashion industry. After leaving his successful career in property, my father ventured into the world of fashion and I witnessed first-hand the hard work and dedication it takes to run a business. Despite his retirement, my father's name is still renowned among the people I meet, a testament to his longevity and success in the competitive world of Savile Row.
My father's journey began in 1937 in a small Jamaican town called Spalding, where he was born and raised. His father, a well-respected tailor in the community, instilled in him a love for the craft and my father would often spend his weekends working in his father's shop. At the age of 17, my father set off on an adventure to London, where he would join his elder brother and start a new life. After a three-week journey, he finally arrived and was met with excitement and anticipation.
However, it wasn't long before he realized the harsh realities of life in 1950s London, including the pervasive racism that was prevalent at the time. Undeterred, my father joined the army and served for a year and a half before settling in South West London. It was here that my siblings and I were born, and my father opened his first shop on Garratt Lane in Wandsworth in the late 1960s.
Through word of mouth, my father's reputation grew and his shop became a popular destination for a diverse clientele, including barristers, lawyers, and other professionals. His friendly and approachable nature, combined with his impeccable tailoring skills, earned him the trust and loyalty of his clients. He even had the honor of dressing a man in a Lloyd Miller suit for his final resting place, a testament to the quality and craftsmanship of his work.
As a young teenager, I begrudgingly started working in my father's shop on Saturdays, as was expected in our West Indian household. While I saw it as a chore, I now realize the valuable lessons I learned about hard work and dedication from my father. I would assist with tasks such as counting stock and cleaning the shop, all the while observing my father's interactions with his clients and his passion for his work.
My father's success also extended beyond his own shop, as he later opened more shops in the bustling Clapham Junction area. His shops were frequented by a mix of Black and English customers, a reflection of the diversity and inclusivity he embodied. Despite the challenges he faced as a Black man in business, my father remained humble and focused on his work. He took great pride in being his own boss and was a strict parent at home, instilling traditional Jamaican values in his children.
Looking back, I am filled with pride and admiration for my father's achievements. He paved the way for Black entrepreneurs like myself and continues to inspire me to this day. Although he may not boast about his success, it is up to us, his family, to celebrate and honor his legacy. I am grateful for the opportunity to have grown up watching my father build his business from the ground up, and I will always carry his lessons and values with me in my own endeavors.
When I was a child, one of my favorite things to do with my dad was driving to Savile Row. You see, my dad, Lloyd Miller, was a bespoke tailor and owner of a high-end menswear and womenswear shop. To me, these car rides were just a normal part of our routine, but I found them incredibly boring at the time.
I would sit in the car and wait while my dad worked diligently to perfect suits for his elite clientele. He always thought it was nice to have his daughter with him at work, but for me, it just felt like going to the grocery store with my mom.
However, as I grew older and switched careers from property to fashion, I began to appreciate the significance of those car rides. My father had survived on the London high street for over 40 years, owning multiple shops and doing business on the renowned Savile Row. Even though he is now retired, his name is still well-known to this day.
My dad was born in 1937 in the small town of Spalding, in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He came from a family of tailors, with his father also being a skilled tailor. As a child, my dad would help his father in his shop on weekends.
In 1955, my dad left Jamaica at the young age of 17 and moved to London. He was filled with excitement and eager to start a new chapter in his life. He stayed with his elder brother Ronnie in Aldgate, who helped him pay for his journey. It cost around £75-£80, which would be equivalent to around £1700 today, and took him three weeks to reach London.
At last, he arrived in London and was welcomed by his brother and his group of friends. They showed him around the city, and the two brothers had a great time, until they experienced the harsh reality of the city's terrible weather and racism.
Two years later, at the age of 19, my dad joined the army and served for one-and-a-half years before settling in Stoke Newington. He went on to study Bespoke Tailoring at the London College of Fashion and eventually made South West London his home, where my siblings and I grew up.
My father's first shop opened in the late 1960s on Garratt Lane in Wandsworth. I was born in 1973, and as I grew up, I saw my dad building a name for himself through word of mouth. His shops attracted a diverse clientele, including Black and English customers. Many of his clients were prestigious barristers and lawyers who were impressed by his talent and recommended him to their colleagues, helping my dad expand his network.
My dad and I have lunch at least once a week, and we talk almost every day. His amiable and approachable nature made him a trustworthy and well-liked tailor. Customers would come into the shop looking for dress shirts for court appearances, or outfits for parties and dances.
I remember one particular incident when a lady requested a suit to be made for her late husband. My dad explained that he would need to measure her husband, to which she replied that he had passed away. She wanted her husband to be buried in a suit made by my dad. It was a testament to my dad's exceptional skills that people wanted to be laid to rest in one of his suits.
When I was around 13 or 14, I started working with my dad in the shop on Saturdays. However, it felt more like a chore than a job. In our West Indian family, helping out with the family business was expected of us. I would count stock, clean the glass shelves, and polish the display cabinets with Mr. Sheen. Even though I could see how popular my dad was with his clients, I couldn't wait to finish for the day.
My dad had clients who were celebrities, but he would never reveal their names. He was even allowed to use the fitting rooms owned by tailors on Savile Row because his clients would specifically request to work with him, rather than traveling to his shop in Clapham Junction.
My dad was a humble man and took Savile Row in his stride. It was a big deal for a Black man to own a shop like his during that time, and it didn't come without its challenges. He once told me, "It was hard for a Black man in those days to make a start, but I did." He also had to keep his future plans hidden, like opening new shops, in case someone else tried to take the property before him.
Even though my dad is now retired, he is still very humble, and it's my family who proudly speaks about his achievements. He loved being self-employed and having his own business, which gave him a sense of self-gratification and pride. Work was everything to him, and at home, he was a traditional and strict Jamaican parent. I am so proud of everything my dad has achieved, and I am grateful for the lessons he has taught me, both in business and in life.
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