The Download: Daisy Knatchbull On Tailoring & The Tech Powering Savile Row

If Savile Row has long been shorthand for old-world tradition, Daisy Knatchbull is the woman quietly – and elegantly – rewriting its rules. 

Founder and CEO of Knatchbull, Daisy has carved out a place for women on one of fashion’s most historically male streets, blending centuries-old craftsmanship with modern design thinking, technology and an unapologetically female point of view.

Her journey began inside the bastion itself. “I began my career at Huntsman on Savile Row and I worked there for five years as Communications Director,” Daisy tells The Modems. It was there she spotted the glaring gap, “the deeply traditional world of men’s bespoke tailoring and the lack of similar alternatives for women.” In 2019, she founded Knatchbull to give women “the same experience in the world of tailoring that men have enjoyed for many centuries on Savile Row.”

The early days were scrappy, intimate and intensely research-led. “I went for hundreds of coffees with founders, designers, and anyone who could share insight,” she explains. Starting from “a tiny basement shop in Chelsea with just two employees,” Daisy used real client feedback to shape the brand – including tailoring that adapts to women’s bodies through life stages such as “menopause, IVF or mastectomies.”

Then came the ultimate stress test: Covid. “I founded Knatchbull in 2019 and little did I know that there would be a global pandemic one year later.” Yet the disruption forced strategic clarity. “Some of our best decisions came out of that period… investing in technology and systems much earlier.”

Today, Knatchbull is the first women-only shopfront in Savile Row’s 200-year history, a global brand with international trunk shows, ready-to-wear collections – and B Corp certification. Daisy is equally future-focused when it comes to tech, from AI tools that streamline her workflow to her much-loved Oura Ring.

For Knatchbull, innovation isn’t just about tailoring suits – it’s about tailoring systems, technology and ambition around women’s real lives. And that, frankly, suits us perfectly.

The Download with Daisy Knatchbull:

I began my career…

At Huntsman on Savile Row and I worked there for five years as Communications Director. It was there that I was exposed to the deeply traditional world of men’s bespoke tailoring and the lack of similar alternatives for women. I founded Knatchbull to provide women with the same experience in the world of tailoring that men have enjoyed for many centuries on Savile Row.

When I first decided to start Knatchbull…

It began with a lot of research – I went for hundreds of coffees with founders, designers, and anyone who could share insight. The advice given to me during these conversations was invaluable. I started small, initially in a tiny basement shop in Chelsea with just two employees – myself and one tailor. I started to understand my client’s needs and what they felt was missing in the world of tailoring for women. For example, it made me realise that women need more inlay in their tailoring – we go through so many different experiences in life – whether that be menopause, IVF or mastectomies – so our tailoring has been designed to be taken in or let out, to truly fit each woman over time.

Another insight from those early days…

Was understanding how women move between different parts of their lives and wardrobes. Many clients told me how difficult it was to find pieces that weren’t just beautiful and precise in fit, but also versatile, so adaptability became very important ensuring each piece could serve a client through the many different aspects of her day. These and many other initial insights have laid the foundation for everything that has come since and has allowed Knatchbull to grow authentically into the global womenswear brand that it is today.

The biggest challenge I faced was…

I founded Knatchbull in 2019 and little did I know that there would be a global pandemic one year later! This was for sure the biggest challenge that I could ever expect to face so early on. Not only did it temporarily halt in-person retail, but the need for suits and power dressing all but disappeared. Yet, years on from the pandemic, women’s tailoring is not just back but it’s stronger and more relevant and in demand than ever.

There have been several defining moments…

But one that significantly shifted our trajectory was opening the first women’s-only shopfront in Savile Row’s 200+ year history. To be amongst the bastions of British tailoring whilst carving a place for women to enjoy the same level of tailoring that men have done for centuries definitely positioned Knatchbull within the heritage tailoring conversation whilst breathing new life into the street. Secondly, our ready-to-wear collection and trunk shows across the US and EMEA have helped us to evolve into a global luxury womenswear label whilst building an incredible international community. These have helped us to stay true to our Savile Row roots whilst giving us the ability to reach women across the globe.

Our funding came from…

Our incredible community and clients. I was honestly taken aback my how many of our clients wanted to invest. Despite doing three rounds of funding, we actually are yet to take any institutional capital. These were people who already deeply understood the brand because they’d experienced it firsthand, so it felt much more aligned than bringing in purely financial backers. I’m also incredibly proud that our cap table is now over 75% women, which feels very intentional and reflective of what Knatchbull stands for – backing female ambition not just as customers, but as owners.

Our biggest setbacks…

Weren’t internal mistakes, they were external shocks. Brexit and then Covid hit retail back-to-back and really knocked the wind out of us. Supply chains became unpredictable, customer confidence dipped, and then suddenly all of physical retail shut down. There wasn’t really a playbook or anyone who could tell you what to do because none of us had experienced anything like it before. What it forced me to do was stop being reactive and take a step back. Instead of just firefighting, we used the time to look at the business more strategically and ask what we’d build if we were starting from scratch today. Some of our best decisions came out of that period, like securing our Savile Row store, which probably wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, and investing in technology and systems much earlier. It made us sharper and more intentional. The biggest lesson was that you can’t control the environment, but you can control how you respond. Sometimes setbacks create the clarity you wouldn’t have given yourself otherwise.

I stay motivated because…

Knatchbull isn’t just a business, it’s something I really believe needed to exist, so even on hard days I still feel very connected to the why behind it as well as the true emotional impact that well-fitting clothes can have on people. I also get a lot of energy from our clients. Seeing how confident and empowered someone feels when they put something on that’s been made for them never really gets old. It reminds me that what we’re doing has a real impact, not just commercial value. Challenges don’t necessarily demotivate me but cause me to be me more focused. That momentum keeps the passion alive.

Being an entrepreneur is….

The best, most scary and daunting but exciting journey of your life. It’s a wild ride and not for the faint hearted but it is also an incredibly learning curve and deeply rewarding. Having an incredible support and network around you is key and I cannot stress that enough. Build a group around of you of people you can fall back on time and time again when the going gets tough, but also the people you can bounce around ideas with, and who will give you honest feedback or advice when you need it the most.

My  advice would be…

Don’t build something just because you think it’s a good business idea. Build something you genuinely care about, because there will be moments that are exhausting and uncertain, and if there isn’t a deeper reason behind it, it’s very hard to push through. And practically, be resourceful. You don’t need everything to be perfect or fully funded from day one. Just keep moving forward and solving the next problem in front of you.

My top three gadgets are…

I hate to say it, but my Oura Ring. I am a true convert. I was given it as a present four years ago and I don’t think there has been a day I haven’t worn it… apart from the occasional evening I take it off as I don’t want my ring judging me!. The key is to not get too stressed or upset about the data when its not going your way and use it as a took to bio-hack your health.

My Dennis Gross Red Light Mask. If used consistently, the results are great. As someone who struggled with clear skin in the past, I love the blue light setting and the way it calms inflammation. 

I’m on the trend of the Vibration Plate in the morning  – habit stacking with my red light mask like the rest of TikTok. But again, I have really seen a huge difference. I broke my ankle this summer and have seen a considerable difference in the swelling since regular use. 

My favourite productivity platforms are…

Open – A breathwork and meditation app I have become obsessed with as it involves teaching you various different methods of breathing to keep it interesting and involves different sounds, and guided sessions. Having tried literally every app, I definitely recommend this one. I notice a sense of calm throughout my day when I start it with open, which in turn allows for better productivity.

Habit – Since the start of 2026 I have been trying to track and implement good habits as often I found my routine quite hard to remember with all the things to do in the morning. Habit is a great way of remembering an order and satisfying to tick when complete.

Todoist – My favourite to do list – and I have tried many. There is something about the ‘inbox’ feature and the ability to organise so well and the noise and haptic when you tick something off is pure satisfaction. 

My top tech tip is…

AI platforms; I am really enjoying how to utilise AI in an efficient and clever way across different platforms – there is so much to learn about how to really use AI to your advantage and I have really enjoyed learning more about effective prompting and ways you can use AI to hack your life for the better. For example, I make far less time than I would like to read more around my industry of luxury retail – so I’ve instructed my AI to deliver daily luxury news updates in bitesize chunks to my inbox every morning from my favourite platforms. I also travel a lot and find AI, surprisingly useful for proper planning.

I stay up to date with tech by…

Reading The Modems of course! But in all seriousness, it’s the perfect platform for this. I also used to enjoy The Tech Edit podcast by Vogue Business.

The tech I am most excited about right now…

In my industry, there is a huge need for better advancements in body scanning and fit tech for the bespoke side of things. Ready-to-wear has already made huge advancements in this space. It still isn’t there yet, but I am excited to see what will happen in the near future. It can’t be far off!  I am also loving all the devices coming into the wellness space.

The one tech trend I’d like to leave behind is…

Being nostalgic about 2016!

My favourite podcasts are…

With all the travel I do, I really got back into my podcasts – my favourites are: 

How I Built This 

Secret Leaders

Acquired 

CEO Yourself 

Fashion People 

Where Should We Begin – I love everything Esther Perel does

The Telepathy Tapes  – The most fascinating side of Autism

Stranger on a Bench  – So heart warming

Freezing Time  – About egg freezing

Slo Mo – Mo Gawdat on the pursuit of happiness is always my favourite

The fashion-tech innovation I love…

Is the Whering App – I love digitising my wardrobe and  favourite looks to reduce time getting ready in the morning and to see the gaps in my closet.

On my beauty gadget wishlist right now is…

I want to try two lifting and contouring gadgets that people are raving about – the NuFACE Trinity+ and the Medicube Age-R Booster Pro.

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions:

💻 iOS or Android? 

IOS

🎧 Earbuds or over-ear headphones?

Earbuds, but desperate to try the over-ears!

📱 Text or voice notes?

Voice notes…sorry! 

📸 Phone Selfie or Proper Digi camera?

Selfie 

💡 Dark mode or light mode?

Light mode

💄 Filters or no filter?

Depends on what! 

💳 Apple Pay or designer wallet?

Apply pay

📺 Netflix marathon or TikTok scroll?

Netflix marathon

📖 E-book or Audiobook?

E-book

🎶 Spotify playlists or YouTube deep dives?

Spotify playlists

🖥️ Desktop setup or laptop on-the-go?

Laptop on the go

😀 Most used emoji?

🤍 or   👀