Best dressed protesters

Savile Row tailors demonstrate against rising rents and the encroaching Guccis and Louis Vuittons.

Mark Henderson, the chairman of the Savile Row bespoke trade association, denied that there was any snobbery involved in the desire to keep off-the-peg stores out of the street.

Savile Row had "iconic status" that would be undermined if bespoke tailors were replaced by retail outlets, he said. "As champagne and fine wine are to France, Savile Row is to English heritage and craftsmanship."

The 100 or so bespoke tailors in the street say they are victims of their success. The street has become so famous that stores selling off-the-peg designer clothing are circling. Abercrombie and Fitch have already moved in.