I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet is a clothing

boutique A () is a retail shop that deals in high end fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in anc ...

which achieved fame in 1960s "

Swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London denoted as its centre. It saw a flourishing in ...

" by promoting antique

military uniform A military uniform is a standardised clothing, dress worn by members of the armed forces and Paramilitary, paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful ...

s as fashion items. I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet was opened by Ian Fisk and John Paul soon joined by Robert Orbach at 293

Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from South to North, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello ...

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, London, in 1965. Among the shop's customers were

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. Robert Orbach arranged for his ex boss

Warren Gold Warren Allen Gold (17 January 1938 – 2015) was a British fashion retailer, and with his brothers Harold and David founded the fashion chain Lord John. Early life Warren Allen Gold was born in January 1938. Career The first Lord John boutique ...

aka

Lord John Lord John was a British men's fashion retailer, which opened its first store at 43 Carnaby Street, London, at the corner with Ganton Street, in 1963. The first Lord John boutique was opened by the brothers Warren, Harold and David Gold in Ca ...

to rent the shop in

Wardour Street Wardour Street () is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north from Leicester Square, through Chinatown, London, Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street. Throughout the 20th century th ...

to John Paul. Another new branch of Kitchener's was opened in Foubert's Place, off

Carnaby Street Carnaby Street is a Pedestrian zone, pedestrianised shopping street in Soho in the City of Westminster, Central London. Close to Oxford Street and Regent Street, it is home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, including many independent fashion ...

, also arranged by Orbach selling militaria and Swinging London novelty items, that was rented from Henry Moss and Harry Fox of Lady Jane fame. In 1967 two more Kitchener's outlets opened on Carnaby Street and later expanded to sites in Piccadilly Circus and then King's Road (where the shop was named I Was Lord Kitchener's Thing). The military uniforms on sale largely consisted of scarlet tunics derived from pre-1914 stocks that had been withdrawn from regular army use upon the outbreak of World War I. In the summer of 1967, Fisk and Paul dissolved their partnership. Fisk took sole ownership of the Portobello road premises, which became the Injun Dog head-shop (subtitled Once I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet). The last Kitchener's outlet in

Coventry Street Coventry Street is a short street in the West End of London, connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. Part of the street is a section of the A4 road (England), A4, a major road through London. It is named after the politician Henry Cov ...

closed its doors in 1977, but is still remembered as an important Swinging Sixties boutique.

The New Vaudeville Band The New Vaudeville Band was an English group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record his novelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and a Rudy Vallée megaphone-style vocal. To hi ...

recorded a song titled "I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet", in tribute to the shop, which didn't chart. In 2021, John Paul relaunched I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet as an online boutique.

References

External links

Mod era shirt and the original shop sign
from ''I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet'' at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

and the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

. Accessed June 2008
Transcript of an interview with Robert Orbach
recorded in February 2006. Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed August 2009 *Online boutique https://www.iwaslordkitchenersvalet.com/home/aboutus{{coord , 51, 31, 8.6, N, 0, 12, 27.7, W, type:landmark_region:GB-KEC, display=title 1960s fashion Shops in London Clothing companies of England Clothing retailers of England 1964 in London Clothing companies established in 1964 Retail companies established in 1964 1977 disestablishments in England 1964 establishments in England British companies disestablished in 1977 British companies established in 1964