'One Friday afternoon, Liam and Noel Gallagher bowled into my shop'
A designer who dressed Oasis in the 90s - and commissioned Liam Gallagher's wedding suit - has spoken about the "amazing period" of his life.
As the design and brand director of Richard James on Savile Row, Toby Lamb has spent 30 years at the heart of bespoke tailoring and fashion design.
The 52-year-old, who started his career at the brand in 1996, has gone on to dress some of the biggest celebrities in Britain - incluing Tom Hardy, Stormzy, Andrew Garfield, Sir David Beckham, Mark Ronson and Hugh Grant.
The Oasis brothers, along with their bandmates, became big fans of the label.
Toby, now a married father-of-two, fondly recalled receiving a personal performance from Oasis in an empty Wembley Arena during rehearsals before he was invited backstage, as well as the 'fantastic' commission they produced for Liam for his 1997 wedding to Patsy Kensit.
The Gallagher brothers are set to reunite on stage for the Oasis Live '25 Tour next month and Richard James is soon set to unveil its forthcoming autumn-winter collection, which includes strong nods to the 1990s – with Toby saying the band's style is 'absolutely timeless' and a 'staple of menswear today'.
'Back then in the late '90s, we weren't marketing and there was no social media, everything we were doing was word of mouth,' Toby told the Press Association.
'There was a point when we realised both Liam and Noel were wearing Richard James as their day wear, in addition to our tailoring specifically for their music videos and concerts, and then ultimately they're getting married in the label – and that was all their own choice.
'A lot of big brands now might have the budget to gift lots of products to celebrities but back then that just didn't happen.
'It was very reassuring to know we were doing something right and it was an amazing period of my life.'
Toby studied fashion design with marketing at Central Saint Martins in London, before he became an intern at Richard James. He was offered a permanent position at the company in 1996 after completing his degree.
Back in the day, Toby would assist with clothing designs and work on the shop floor alongside Richard himself and his business partner, Sean Dixon.
'It was a tiny store at the start but it felt as though we were at the epicentre of what was going on at the time,' Toby said.
'We had a lot of very cool, creative people coming in and we were working with everybody whether they were buying ready-to-wear or wanting bespoke commissions. It was just an insane time.'
The same year, the Savile Row tailors started their professional relationship with Oasis, working on bespoke commissions to style the band.
'They were everywhere at the time, they were huge,' Toby said. 'I was working in the store, I think it was a Friday afternoon, and Liam and Noel just kind of bowled in.
'I remember Noel coming in and saying he was after a shirt he had seen someone wearing in Saint-Tropez.'
Toby recalled pointing Noel in the direction of the blue striped shirt which was part of their collection at the time, before the Oasis star happily purchased the garment.
'From there, we had many, many bespoke commissions from both Liam and Noel for at least two-and-a-half years,' Toby said.
Fondly recalling a moment from time spent with the band, Toby said the stars were looking for 'classic and elegant' white suits for the Be Here Now tour in 1997 – which the team at Richard James ended up fitting backstage at Wembley Arena.
'We got a call from their management company, saying 'you've gotta get over here quick, you've got 10 minutes while they're rehearsing',' Toby said.
'We shot over in a cab and when we walked in, the arena was completely empty. Liam saw us and told us to come down to the front, and then they played a full set which went on for about an hour-and-a-half.
'I couldn't believe my luck, it was an amazing moment.'
He added they subsequently went backstage to tailor the band's suits, before they had drinks and 'hung out for a little bit'.
Toby also remembered helping Liam and his then-girlfriend Kensit hide from the paparazzi.
'The doors burst open one day and Liam and Patsy came running in and asked if they could hide out back as they were being hounded by the paparazzi,' he said.
'At the time, I had been reading a copy of The Face magazine which landed on my desk that morning and Patsy Kensit was on the front cover.
'She said 'wow, I've not seen this issue yet', and they both sat down while reading this magazine.
'It was really funny because the headline said 'My Life with Liam' … that was a crazy moment.'
The brand also worked with the brothers on a personal level, creating a bespoke suit for Liam for his wedding to Patsy in 1997.
'It was a really lovely project, we created a Nehru collared, five-button jacket … chocolate brown flannel with a low-rise trouser with a boot cut,' Toby said.
'They both looked incredible but at the time, there was so much press around them getting married, when it would be, what they would wear.
'We were sworn to absolute secrecy but ultimately for us, it was a fantastic commission.'
For Richard James' autumn-winter collection, Toby said there has been 'a revival for the '90s' and he revisited their archive to pull various influences to form their forthcoming range.
'The style (Oasis) curated, mod revival mixed with '80s terrace casual, was just absolutely timeless,' he said.
'They blended the two and just ran with it, and it still feels very relevant today.
'A lot of those pieces, like the Parka, the Harrington jacket, the corduroy trouser, the polo shirts – they're very much a staple of menswear today.
'It's a very accessible look that anybody can aspire to and wear with confidence, it was and is open for anybody to take on as their own.'
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