On a blustery morning, veteran fashion entrepreneur Harold Tillman pulls up at Summerhouse restaurant in Little Venice. Before we get properly settled and take a sip of our drinks (green tea for him), he’s already whipped out his smartphone to show pictures of him with celebrities such as Rita Ora and Freddie Flintoff. “Here’s a photograph of me with Harry Styles. Oh, he’s fabulous!” Swoosh. “Here’s me with George Best.”
Best and Tillman were friends and Tillman, in a shrewd move, worked with the famous footballer to promote a clothing line; in this picture, from 1968 or 1969, the two are young, trim and carefree. “We did a fashion show to raise money for Variety. I couldn’t sleep and I had to go into the loft and find old scrapbooks,” says Tillman. “You wouldn’t even know who this is,” another flick of the thumb. “It’s Cathy McGowan —she was the It girl of the time, a DJ. She’s actually married to Michael Ball.”
Today we’re here to talk about his new year-long role as chairman and ‘chief barker’ for Variety, a children’s charity that is celebrating its 70th anniversary. “Do you know why it’s called a chief barker?” he grins. “Because Variety was started by people involved in the circus.” Traditionally, a chief barker would drum up customers at a circus or fairground. And that is exactly what he has been parachuted in to do: to tap into some five decades in the fashion industry to drum up support and funding. “We hope to bring in as much benefit and enjoyment and fundraising as we possibly can in this 70th year. There’s an annual roster of events, we’ve just put in for an evening with Cliff Richard which will be in July. We’re working on many different things. And, of course, we’re talking to the palace.”
Tillman is full of nuggets from his years spent rubbing shoulder pads with London’s best-dressed crowd, something that has surely come in useful in his work as founder and co-chairman of Patrons of Variety, which raises funds and awareness for the charity. “Variety has done such incredible things: more than a million children have been helped, be it through the Sunshine Coach, school outings, thousands of wheelchairs, hospital wings.” It’s set the standard for other celebrity -led charities, he believes, “because entertainers would give their time to an event for Variety.”
Harold was born in Leeds in 1945 to a tailor father and a milliner mother. The family moved to South London “with nothing”. His father set up a tailoring business from their small flat and grew his business from there. In 1962 Tillman was one of the first boys to study at the London College of Fashion. From there he joined Lincroft Kilgour, a maker of men’s suits, as an apprentice — a mere five years later he had risen through the ranks to become managing director. At 24 he floated the company on the stock market, transforming it into a hugely successful brand. By 30 he was a multimillionaire. “It tickles me to think that I gave Sir Paul Smith his first job because I recognised his talent. He came to me as a sales person. He started talking about the suit collection, ‘Why don’t we do this, why don’t we do that?’ so I pushed him towards designing.”
Click below to see Tilmman and his celebrity friends
He went on to invest in fashion label Honorbilt, iconic British brand Jaeger, Croydon-based department store Allders and Aquascutum— but it proved a mixed bag. Honorbilt turned out a poor investment and folded in 1990. Allders, which he owned until 2011, went bust. Jaeger was bought out by a private equity firm while Aquascutum was put into administration in 2012. But it hasn’t all been a rough ride and Tillman built himself back up after every setback.
In 2008 he became chairman of the British Fashion Council and is widely credited for reinvigorating the British fashion scene. “When I took over the role of chairman I recognised that the brilliant talent in this country wasn’t getting the recognition it deserved. My challenge was to make London Fashion Week something the world came to see,” he says. Brands such as Burberry Prorsum, Jonathan Saunders, Matthew Williamson and Pringle of Scotland came back to the London catwalk, while young talents such as Erdem flourished under his stewardship.
The British Fashion Council has long enjoyed support from Topshop so it’s impossible not to ask about his friendship with Sir Philip Green, Tillman’s take on the BHS debacle and Green’s allegedly inappropriate behaviour towards his staff. He’s quick to come to his friend’s defence although admits they’ve never done business together: “I’ve known Philip Green for nearly 40 years — I would still say that he is probably one of the quickest thinking, cleverest men I have met in my entire life. I think that this is a political manoeuvre to divert attention from things that are going on in the country.”
In 2010 Tillman was made a CBE for services to the fashion industry, a recognition that he credits as a distinct highlight of his career. At 73, he still cuts a dashing figure — he’s tall, tanned and with a mane of silvery hair. And he’s not thinking about hanging up his business hat just yet. “I do quite a lot of mentoring of fashion businesses on a pro bono basis, there’s not a day that goes by without me getting a call about something or other.” He is also chairman of the Ethical Fashion Group, a cause close to his heart.
Today he’s immaculately turned out in a grey and raspberry-striped suit. So where does this dedicated follower of fashion go for a bit of retail therapy? “To Terry Haste. There was a very famous tailoring shop just off Bond Street called Tommy Nutter. Terry Haste was the cutter and tailor then — I would go have my suits made there. I have been with Terry for more than 40 years. But I’m his worst customer! I drive him mad because my background is in tailoring.”
A long-time resident of North London, Tillman lives with his wife Stephanie — whom he met at the age of 14 on the train on his way to Jewish holiday camp — in Highgate. “My father went to synagogue every morning of his life. He never pushed me into becoming Orthodox. My daughter and her husband are completely Orthodox though.”
At the mention of his children, Tillman lights up. His son Mitchell is the chief executive of the family restaurant group (six venues and counting, including the Summerhouse), his daughter Meredith (who’s married to Lord Robert Winston’s son Ben) is creative director and Tillman is the chairman.
“They never wanted to come into fashion. They run a very good, successful business, and I just intervene occasionally! I’ve got a little bit of experience in this sector but not too much.” He is being bashful — ever the visionary, Tillman brought the concept of the New York cocktail bar to London, opening the legendary Rumours in Covent Garden in 1978.
His business wranglings with the banks over Jaeger and Aquascutum dented both his personal fortune and his regard for the bankers themselves. Today he is philosophical about the past: “We can all look back and say, ‘Oh if only.’ I do believe in karma and if you do the best that you possibly can you come through life in a very even way.” Would he ever consider taking over another company? “I won’t ever say I won’t take over another company but only if management come in for the day-to-day operations. I would only help to guide it.”
Is he worried about the knock-on effect of Brexit on the fashion industry? “I think people in fashion are resilient. But…” He pauses, and gives a little sigh of resignation. “My simple outlook has always been that nothing’s perfect, but over 40 years in the fashion world we have benefitted by being part of the EU. My simple equation is: when you learn to drive a car, you have to learn the Highway Code. Where was the Highway Code for the referendum? Where did we have a book that we could read about the pluses and the minuses? Isn’t that just common sense?”
As he gathers up his things to head to Chiltern Fire House in Marylebone for a meeting about Variety, he leaves me with little doubt that he will bring to his role all the pizzazz, energy and charm required, calling on friends old and new to give their time for a good cause. “It’s such a pleasure and so rewarding to see the smile that this charity puts on children’s faces,” he says. “You either want to or don’t want to do things for other people, and I believe that everybody’s got a good side to them, that they can do things to help.”
