Letter from the Founder
When I started The Rake, almost a decade and a half ago, Lorenzo Cifonelli was already a mythological figure to me. So it is with immense gratitude that today I consider him one of my closest friends. Sometimes, often while in my cups, I imagine a Valhalla of the sartorial arts’ greatest masters: Frederick Scholte and Gennaro Rubinacci seated besides an Odin-like Domenico Caraceni, with the superstars of each successive generation — such as Colin Hammick, of Huntsman, Douglas Hayward, the creator of Thomas Crown’s suits, and of course the inimitable Tommy Nutter — taking their rightful place at the banquet table. But when it comes to this generation, not only is Lorenzo’s seat at the table assured, it is clear that he will be regarded as the most influential…