Aged just 21, Phoebe Gormley made waves by opening Gormley & Gamble on Savile Row, the first womenswear-only tailor in the history of the Mayfair home of fine tailoring. But the mysterious ‘Gamble’ is not a business partner to the now 24 year-old businesswoman; ‘Gamble’ refers to the risk she took to make it to Savile Row.
It all started with some old suits her father was about to throw out, “I had an insatiable appetite for new clothes and started making them for myself when I was about 14. My dad was throwing out some suits, I cut them up, remade something for myself and walked round thinking I was amazing! Someone told me I should be on Savile Row.”
This comment led young Phoebe to successfully apply for internships, “I loved it. I worked for a few summers on Savile Row and Jermyn Street and fell in love with London – the excitement, the culture.”
After finishing school, Phoebe decided to pursue her passion for clothes further, enrolling to study bespoke costume design at university. Phoebe has also been more interested in style than fashion, “I’m not led by trends, I’m interested in what’s authentic to that person,” she says.
But with a desire to learn fast, the young tailor found her course frustrating and soon came up with a bold plan to get to London and start her own business, “I became really bored, told my parents I wasn’t happy and wanted to do something bigger.” Phoebe persuaded her parents to endorse her move to drop out and invest her tuition fees in starting a womenswear tailoring business.
DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Once in London, after a false start with an unreliable supplier, Phoebe was on her way, operating out of a co-working space in Bank and focused on drumming up sales. Her smart marketing plan was to speak to everyone she knew and see if they had a female friend or colleague who was over 6ft, reasoning that taller women would have been dealing with ‘ankle basher’ trousers and would immediately see the value of a bespoke suit.
I’M NOT LED BY TRENDS, I’M INTERESTED IN WHAT’S AUTHENTIC TO THAT PERSON
This strategy eventually found her in the office of Virgin Money CEO Jayne-Anne Gadhia, one of the finance sector’s most high profile women, “I went into her office having never done a consultation before. She just said, ‘I believe in you.’ To prove the point she commissioned six jackets and six dresses and set up an arrangement to take a new jacket and dress every month from then.”
It wasn’t long before an encounter with James Sleater, co-founder of Savile Row tailors and shirt makers Cad & the Dandy, gave her the opportunity she’d been dreaming of since her teens, “When I told James my goal was to be on Savile Row, he just said, ‘Well, we have a big shop, we can make space for you,’ so it’s thanks to James I’m here!”
When Gormley & Gamble opened for business on Savile Row in autumn 2015 it became the first womenswear-only brand on the esteemed street.
THE PERFECT FIT
Today, Phoebe says about 60 per cent of her clients are looking for workwear, with some seeking a wardrobe that either recognises their success, or readies them for the next level of their career, “It’s about giving these high-level women the ability to say, “I can open my wardrobe, pick any two things and they will all match and I will look great, whatever I choose.”
The rest of Gormley & Gamble’s clients are split between women looking for occasion wear - Phoebe mentions one client who wanted a white tuxedo as her going away outfit at her wedding - and women who would never think about wearing a tailored suit, but who do want wardrobe staples, such as the crisp white shirt, that fit them perfectly.
It’s the perfect fit and the ability of a piece of clothing to become a ‘go-to’ in a woman's wardrobe that Gormley & Gamble specialise in. Phoebe says women tend to wear just 20 per cent of their wardrobes, 80 per cent of the time. She looks to create clothes that earn their place in a woman’s highly-prized ‘20 per cent’, "Those clothes you always feel good in."
Every single client consultation is done by Phoebe personally and involves getting a deep understanding of what works for each individual, “What’s your most favourite thing? What’s still hanging in their wardrobe with the tags on?”
This personal approach, the quality of Gormley & Gamble clothes and the buzz since opening in Savile Row has meant the business has never had to advertise.
FEMALE FOUNDERS
Phoebe quickly used her profile to help other female business owners. Last year Phoebe established Female Founders Presents, a not-for-profit collective, “I’d met lots of women running businesses where they made beautiful products with incredible quality you would find on Bond Street, but at a lower price because they didn’t have big overheads to pay,” she says.
PHOEBE HAD THE IDEA OF CREATING “A SUPER-CURATED MINI DEPARTMENT STORE” FEATURING 50 FEMALE-LED LUXURY BRANDS
But Phoebe understood how many small producers found selling online didn’t always deliver the sales they deserved, with online models working well for lower value items, but less so for luxury goods. She had the idea of creating “a super-curated mini department store” which took the form of a hugely successful Christmas fayre in Belgravia’s Eccleston Yards, featuring 50 female-led luxury brands. There are plans for a further event this winter, with updates available at femalefounderspresent.com.
Phoebe’s personal favourites among these brands include Lylie’s (lylies.com) which specialises in jewellery crafted from salvaged gold and silver which is 100% recycled from computers, sustainable fashion brand The-Acey.com and makers of seamless swimwear Broochini (broochini.com).
Given her vision, it’s little wonder Phoebe has been recognised as Entrepreneurial Spark at the Great British Young Entrepreneur Awards, named in Management Today’s 35 Under 35 and listed in Forbes 30 Under 30. Which female entrepreneurs have inspired her? “I love Jo Malone – her story is amazing and inspiring and her autobiography so humbling and so moving – I recommend it to anyone. She revolutionised a household product…taking it to a higher realm where people are happy to spend their money on something so lovingly made.”
Just as the likes of Jo Malone have inspired Phoebe, it's easy to imagine a time in the future when the story of Gormley & Gamble inspires the next generation of female entrepreneurs.
PHOEBE'S LONDON
On Savile Row
“Savile Row is such a village – everyone knows everyone. It’s an honour to work on a street with so much heritage. I love how the Royal Geographical Society used to be at No 1; such a beautiful building.”
On home
"I live in Leytonstone. It’s a little off the map but it’s having an east London revival. Francis Road has lovely little bars and florists – it’s like living in a village."
On the best of the capital
"I love Shoreditch – I’m a member of Shoreditch House and I love nearby Columbia Road. The Royal Academy is a great place to gain inspiration and some peace and quiet in W1! I also love going to Sketch for lunch and The Good Egg in Kingly Court."
First Floor, 3 Savile Row, W1S 3PH gormleyandgamble.com
