Article: A Stroll Down Bond Street: 300 Years of Style and Stories
A Stroll Down Bond Street: 300 Years of Style and Stories
Swaine opened the doors to its New Bond Street flagship in June 2023, marking a new chapter in the company's long history. The move coincided with a complete rebrand, creating a space that felt modern while giving more than 275 years of craftsmanship, characters and stories room to be discovered.
For centuries, Swaine had its roots in Piccadilly and its surrounding streets. Leaving such familiar territory was no small decision. New Bond Street represented a bold move for one of Britain's oldest luxury houses, a fitting indication of where Swaine was heading next.
Why New Bond Street?
New Bond Street has a history as long and colourful as Swaine's own.
Its story began during London's building boom of the 1720s, when the development associated with Sir Thomas Bond expanded northwards from what became Old Bond Street. Before long, the new thoroughfare had established itself as one of the most fashionable addresses of Georgian London, frequented by the Beau Monde and anyone wishing to be seen amongst them.
Rather conveniently for fashionable society, New Bond Street was built with pavements! This seemingly ordinary addition allowed ladies to promenade without subjecting their shoes and hem lines to the rather less appealing realities of a dirty London Road. Shopping could now involve seeing, being seen and arriving home with one's hem intact.
Amongst those said to have frequented the street was Frederick the Prince of Wales. One particularly charming tale recalls a wager between Frederick and politician Charles James Fox over who could spot the greatest number of cats, each choosing a side of the road. Fox was cunning and chose the sunny side reportedly counting thirteen, The Prince, marooned in the shade, found none at all. Whether this says more about the boredom of the men as they peacocked, their gambling habits or the sun seeking tendencies of London's feline population it is difficult to say, but the Prince was obliged to pay up.
It is precisely these small stories that give Bond Street its character. Behind the grand façades is a street that has spent centuries collecting gossip and spying eccentricities.
The Bond Street Stroll
By the 1790s, Bond Street had become something of a Georgian catwalk. As its reputation grew, so too did the desirability of the address, attracting fashionable society both to its shops and to the rooms above them. Figures including Jonathan Swift, Sir Walter Scott and Sir Joshua Reynolds were among the notable names associated with the street and its surroundings.
Down below, young gentlemen known as the Bond Street Loungers had perfected a particular manner of walking down the street. The famous Bond Street stroll called for a studiedly leisurely gait, an air of magnificent nonchalance and... a considerable amount of practice. These dandies spent their afternoons sauntering along the street, watching fashionable society while making quite certain they were noticed in return, particularly by the eligible young ladies.
127 New Bond Street Today
Today, 127 New Bond Street is home to Swaine’s flagship store, with the company headquarters above and working ateliers below. Leather artisans and traditional hatters practise their crafts within the building, giving clients the opportunity to encounter not only the finished pieces, but some of the skill and processes behind them.
The address may be relatively new to Swaine, but the idea behind it is not. 127 New Bond Street brings craftsmanship, history and a certain British eccentricity together under one roof. And on a street once famous for promenading dandies and wagers over cats, Swaine finds itself in rather good company.
