Banshee of Savile Row, feminine bespoke for fiery beauties

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 15, 2021

One striking new brand unveiled this weekend in London is Banshee of Savile Row, a bespoke women’s tailoring house that prides itself on using truly top-shelf fabrics with panache.

 
The brainchild of Ruby Slevin and Rocco Tullio, an Irish couple who operate between London and rural Ireland and who launched the label in late 2019, the house unveiled a show video entitled The Banshee Wind on Monday evening that smartly captured their tailored take on women’s fashion.
 
To encapsulate the brand’s particular aesthetic, Banshee's fashion clip was shot in the Wicklow Mountains, whose earthy dramatic vistas and heather-embroidered valleys were the perfect setting for the collection.

Shot on South African model Emily Meuleman, a drone swoops and dips to highlight the classy oatmeal-cashmere boyfriends’ double-breasted coats; or a very fine checked Chesterfield. 

 
“The traditional meaning of a banshee is a story of a woman who wails when she predicts death. Calling a woman a 'banshee' can be a negative putdown. We wanted to turn the story on its head, and give the wild woman back her power, to kill off her old self, and embrace the new, the strong, the curious and the freedom that is available to her. We want all women to scream and be heard, and embrace change that is yet to come,” explained Creative Director Slevin.
 
Later, Meuleman walks through a marvellous old Ascendancy maze attired in natty red velvet and burgundy crushed velour pantsuits, worn with a white T-shirt and gold winklepickers; or emotes in a smooth black crepe pantsuit that oozes authority. Captured in clouds of dry ice, Meuleman looks rather marvellous in her bashed gold sequin tops, contrasted by her shamrock-green lipstick. 
 
For country strolls – multi-pleat aqua-blue corduroy trousers, paired with a black waistcoat, pocket watch and a crisp white shirt, whose cathedral high peak collar would have pleased Karl Lagerfeld. The lone model even wore fingerless gloves in the video, directed by Aoise O’hUiginn.
 

Slevin and Tullio sat out most of the lockdown, working on pre-production between hilly Wicklow near Dublin and Kerry on the Atlantic coast. Though not on the official calendar, Banshee of Savile Row profited from the attention on London Fashion Week to unspool their debut fashion flick on YouTube.
 
Now back in London, the duo are determined to build their unique take on fashion – a marriage between impeccable bespoke Savile Row tailoring skills and fabrics from Europe’s finest mills.  
 
“We believe that fashion is more than style, class and trend. It has the power to give the wearer strength, confidence and bravery, and this is what the film is all about. It’s about making noise, without really saying a word,” concluded Slevin.
 
The result was a somewhat silent video, unlike any banshee who in Irish mythology heralds the death of a relative by wailing out the sad news.