Harold Tillman
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(born 15 October 1945
) is an English retail entrepreneur and investor. He was formerly head of
Jaeger and
Aquascutum
Aquascutum was a British-based luxury clothing manufacturer and retailer. It is currently owned by Shandong Ruyi.
History
Aquascutum was established in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, when tailor and entrepreneur John Emary opened a hig ...
,
who was awarded CBE in 2010. Until September 2014, Tillman was chair of the
British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...
.
In 2016, he became chair of the Ethical Fashion Group and in 2016 he was appointed Chair of Fashion Matters,
London College of Fashion
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...
's fundraising committee.
In 2019, he was Chief Barker of Variety the children's charity. Most recently, in 2020, Tillman was appointed Enterprise and Business Advisor for the London College of Fashion.
Early life
Tillman was born into a Jewish family and grew up in south London.
He was the only child of a
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
-born tailor father who trained at
Montague Burton's, and a
milliner
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of ...
mother.
As his father's business developed, the family moved to
Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
Streatham was in Surrey ...
and then
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, where Tillman went to Balham Central School for Boys.
Career
As his father had been injured in World War II and suffered poor health, Tillman ran the whole family business for extended periods. He left school at 15 to study to be an accountant, before becoming one of the first male students at the London College of Fashion in 1962.
Aged 19, on graduation in 1965 he became an apprentice at Lincroft in
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, becoming its managing director in 1966. Tillman acquired Kilgour, a Savile Row tailors, which he merged with Lincroft, forming Lincroft Kilgour plc. Aged 24 he floated Lincroft Kilgour on the
London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...
in 1969, becoming the youngest British person to float on the UK Stock Market. Tillman developed a business plan based around good design, employing a young
Paul Smith; and using
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...
to promote the clothes.
Tillman sold out in 1974, as a multi millionaire aged 29.
Under a UK non compete contract, he went to the USA and set up a fashion design business, and at the same time discovered the all new American Style Cocktail bars. He brought the concept to London, opening Rumours Cocktail Bars in
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
.
After the non-compete expired, Tillman made a full bid for Sumrie Clothes plc, a public company which was at the top end of menswear. The company was then trading at a loss and Tillman went into the business and successfully returned it to profits. He faced a takeover bid and accepted.
In 1987, Tillman became Non-Executive Chairman of Honorbilt a Men’s Fashion Group.
2000 onwards
Tillman led the buy out of BMB, a suits wholesaler that supplies
Debenhams
Debenhams plc was a British department store chain operating in the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1778 as a single store in London and grew to 178 locations across those countries, also owning the Danish ...
,
Bhs and other retail chains, from William Baird.
Tillman returned to prominence with the 2002 majority investment in loss-making
Jaeger, which he acquired from Richard Thompson. Tillman teamed up with
Belinda Earl
Belinda Jane Earl (born 20 December 1961) is a British businesswoman, and a non executive director of Woolworths Holdings Limited (RSA) in addition to holding retail advisory and mentor positions. She was style director of Marks and Spencer f ...
. After buying
Allders
Allders was an independent department store operating in the United Kingdom.
The original store was established in 1862 in Croydon by Joshua Allder. In the second half of the 20th century, this parent store was developed into a chain of depart ...
, a large department store in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
in 2005, in 2009 the team bought
Aquascutum
Aquascutum was a British-based luxury clothing manufacturer and retailer. It is currently owned by Shandong Ruyi.
History
Aquascutum was established in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, when tailor and entrepreneur John Emary opened a hig ...
.
On 16 April 2012 it was announced that Tillman had sold Jaeger to Jon Moulton's Better Capital for just under £20m with a "substantial majority" used to settle its debts. Tillman retains 10% of the shares.
Tillman retains interests in restaurants, including First Restaurant Group – which includes The Waterway and The Clerk & Well – created with his son Mitchell Tillman.
In 2008 Tillman was made an Honorary Professor of the University of Arts. Tillman was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) for services to the fashion industry in the 2010
Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...
. In 2014 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In November 2020, he was appointed as London College of Fashion's Enterprise and Business Advisor.
Charity and community
In 2006, Tillman formed his own charity and set up a scholarship at the
London College of Fashion
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...
, pledging £1 million to sponsor 10 MA students each year.
He sits on the board of the
Fashion Enterprise Forum, which raises cash for young industry entrepreneurs. Tillman was the longest serving Chairman of the
British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...
, a role he took over from
Sir Stuart Rose
Stuart Alan Ransom Rose, Baron Rose of Monewden, Kt (born 17 March 1949) is a British businessman and life peer, who was the executive chairman of Marks & Spencer until 2010, remaining as chairman until early 2011. He was knighted in 2008 ...
. Tillman chaired the Alumni Board for the
University of the Arts London
University of the Arts London is a collegiate university in London, England, specialising in arts, design, fashion and the performing arts. It is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea Coll ...
,
and was also a Trustee of the V&A. In 2019, Tillman became Chief Barker of Variety the children's charity. Most recently, in 2020, he was appointed Enterprise and Business Advisor to the London College of Fashion (UAL).
Personal life
Tillman and his wife Stephanie live in
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...
,
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nort ...
.
The couple have two adult children.
References
External links
Bio of Tillmanat the
University of the Arts London
University of the Arts London is a collegiate university in London, England, specialising in arts, design, fashion and the performing arts. It is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea Coll ...
British Fashion Council profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, Howard
1945 births
Living people
People from Brixton
English Jews
Alumni of the London College of Fashion
English businesspeople in fashion
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Allders