FINANCIAL TIMES

Banshee of Savile Row​

In Irish folklore, a banshee is known as a shape-shifting triple spirit: a mother, maiden and matriarch who represents women at different life stages. The idea appealed to the Irish designer Ruby Slevin, who saw in it the perfect reflection of her “strong, creative” female clients who “move between worlds in fast-paced lives” – and who need a bespoke suit to accompany them. 

Slevin studied fashion design, favouring Irish linen and Irish tweed (fabrics she still uses), before moving to the UK and working in men’s tailoring on Savile Row. “I fell in love with the craftsmanship and heritage and precision, from the cloth to the buttons, to a silhouette that amplifies your body and personality,” she says. “I just didn’t want to make clothes in any other way.” Seeing a gap in the market for women she launched her business, Banshee of Savile Row, in 2019, creating suits with a nonchalant punk attitude. Not that she’s led by seasons or trends: “Bespoke tailoring is about longevity, our clothes are seasonless. It’s all about how you wear them.”