LONDON — Dunhill, the storied British brand, is turning a new leaf as it celebrates its 130th year.
A new designer, Simon Holloway is at the helm with a new direction pointing sharply at Britishness.
Last night at the Great Hall of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the brand’s chief executive officer Laurent Malecaze and Holloway invited friends of the brand to commemorate the next chapter with a three-course meal and a performance by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
Actors Oliver Jackson-Cohen, James McAvoy, David Harewood, Russell Tovey and Tosin Cole were dressed to the nines in Dunhill as they mingled with guests, but steered far away from the subject of work in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason at the celebration of Dunhill’s 130-year anniversary at The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Dave Benett/Getty Images for dunhill
“This is my fourth or fifth event with Dunhill. My first was their annual BAFTA dinner that they usually do,” said Jackson-Cohen, standing tall in his navy pinstripe blazer with a black polo.
“I was in the middle of working and all of that stopped, so I’ve taken a bit of a break, especially when you’ve been working flat out for a minute,” he added.
Since April, McAvoy has become a friendly associate of Dunhill. He attended the 2023 Met Gala with Holloway and Harris Dickinson, all wearing razor sharp tailoring.
“Dunhill by way of ‘Miami Vice,’” is how the Scottish described his look for the night, a grayish blue suit with a light T-shirt.
“I cannot wait to see what Simon does because honest to God, there’s not a better put-together person here than Simon. He is meticulous and I can’t wait to see that characteristic transposed into his [upcoming] collection,” McAvoy said.
David Harewood OBE attends the celebration of Dunhill’s 130-year anniversary at The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Dave Benett/Getty Images for dunhill
“I was constantly trying to be conservatively different. Never really going out there wildly, just very gently trying to be different,” said the actor, explaining that when he got older he “got lazy and was happy to look alright.”
McAvoy credited Holloway for making him look “a bit better than alright.”
British chef Johnnie Collins, who curated the menu for 130 guests, said he chose only in season ingredients that he grows in the garden without chemicals.
In Dunhill’s fall 2023 campaign, a Jaguar E-Type, a wooden chair with a leather seat, silver cutlery and a pair of cuff links are juxtaposed with the brand’s sartorial offerings of a velvet double-breasted blazer, a bronzed orange wool coat and pin-striped shirt, a brown aviator jacket, leather bags and a striking red knit sweater.
The clean-cut images took a close look at Dunhill’s English eccentricity and refinement styled by Tom Guinness, who counts James Bond as the ultimate British icon.
“He’s got that ready-for-anything kind of energy,” he said.
