London tailors object to Abercrombie plans

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LONDON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Tailors on an upscale London shopping street are objecting to plans for an Abercrombie & Fitch children's store on their block.

The Savile Row tailors said the U.S. retailer's plans for a children's clothing store would damage the integrity of the street and make it a less desirable destination for their traditionally affluent customer base, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"Savile Row is a terribly famous address, associated with the world's best tailoring," Mark Henderson, chairman of heritage tailors Gieves & Hawkes and professional non-profit organization Savile Row Bespoke, told the Evening Standard. "Putting in a children's store to sell jeans and T-shirts seriously damages the integrity of the street. The other aspect to this is it's a narrow, quiet street and the Abercrombie model is to pile it high and get large quantities of customers in -- crowds of people inside, crowds of people outside. That means a lot more people on the street. That makes it less pleasant for our customers, whom we have built up over 200 years, to come to Savile Row."

The Westminster Council told Abercrombie & Fitch last week it will not be allowed to celebrate the opening of the store with a star-studded party. The store was also banned from playing music that can be heard on the street and allowing customers to park strollers outside of the facility.

The company is appealing the measures.