Henry Poole & Co

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Henry Poole & Co

Company type	Private [1]
Industry	Retailer, bespoke tailoring
Founded	1806; 219 years ago (1806)
Founder	James Poole
Headquarters	15 Savile Row, London , England, UK
Key people	Simon Cundey (director)
Products	Clothing, fashion
Website	henrypoole.com

Henry Poole & Co. is a bespoke tailor located on Savile Row in London, United Kingdom. In the 1860s, it is widely-believed to have designed the first modern-style dinner jacket, according to specifications provided by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII).^[2] Some call the company “the founding father of Savile Row.”^[3] Its headquarters is at 15 Savile Row.

The business first opened in Brunswick Square in 1806, originally specializing in military tailoring around the Battle of Waterloo. After the death of founder James Poole, it relocated to Savile Row in 1846. Henry Poole ran the business until his death in 1876, after which his cousin, Samuel Cundey, took over. The company has remained in the control of the Cundey family through five generations, with current chairman Simon Cundey having assumed the position after the passing of his father in August 2024.^[4]

The company holds royal warrants of appointment and supplies the Lord Chamberlain’s office with court dress. Their livery department also created uniforms for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

In 1860, Henry Poole made a short evening or smoking jacket for the Prince of Wales to wear at informal dinner parties at Sandringham. In 1886, during a visit to London, the Prince invited James Potter of Tuxedo Park, New York, to spend a weekend at Sandringham House. He was advised that he could have a smoking jacket made by the Prince’s tailor, Henry Poole & Co.

When the Potters returned to New York, Potter wore his new smoking jacket to the Tuxedo Club. Fellow members quickly began having copies made for themselves, adopting the jacket as their informal uniform for club “stag” dinners. As a result, the dinner jacket became known as a tuxedo (or tux) in America.

• Savile Row tailoring

• Stephen Howarth: Henry Poole: Founders of Savile Row - The Making of a Legend. Godalming: Bene Factum, 2003. ISBN 978-1-903071-06-9

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry Poole & Co.

• Company website
• Bespoke Suit
• Historical background information

51°30′40.09″N 0°8′25.9″W / 51.5111361°N 0.140528°W / 51.5111361; -0.140528