BEHIND THE SCENES AS THEY RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK TO DRESS THE MILITARY
INTERVIEW: SALLY MORGAN Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King is on BBC2 on 3 May at 9pm.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
P araded in all their glory at royal jubilees and weddings, the UK’s resplendent ceremonial uniforms play a leading role in the pomp and pageantry of state occasions.
And in the run-up to the King’s coronation, a new documentary, Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King, takes us behind the scenes of the London-based uniform manufacturers Kashket & Partners as they pull out all the stops to prepare 8,000 bespoke military outfits.
Presented by The Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant, this hour-long programme celebrates not only the craftsmanship of the master tailors, but also the characters at the heart of the family.
“Every uniform has to be altered and some very elaborate new ones are being made,” menswear designer Patrick tells HELLO!. “Each of them requires many different measurements, is cut from scratch and then fitted on the individual.
“It’s a very big juggling act because specific details need to be added to every uniform. You can’t finish making it until you finish fitting it and you can’t sew on embellishments until you know it fits correctly.”
Every part of the uniform is created by a specialist, with key tasks that entail changing all the buttons and cyphers from EIIR to CIIIR and embroidering real gold wire into the ceremonial embroidery.
“It’s a massive amount of work,” says Patrick. “When the Queen was crowned, there was 18 months to prepare. But for this coronation, they’ve had less than half that time.”
RISING TENSIONS
Despite the family having worked for ten monarchs in the past 100 years, the pressure is immense. Yet the Kashkets, who also made the bespoke wedding uniforms for Princes William and Harry, as well as supplying uniforms and suits for royalty all over the world, appeared relatively calm about their mammoth task – at first.
“When I met the family, they seemed relaxed,” says Patrick. “But as the weeks have passed, the tension has mounted and sometimes things get fraught. To observe the family dynamics under a microscope of pressure has been fascinating.
“It’s a delicate balance. Luckily there are no power struggles or territorial squabbles.”
The family’s bond with royalty was first forged when Alfred Kashket made felt hats for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. After moving to London in the 1920s, Alfred’s reputation cemented the royal and military links that de
