Sautter is known to many cigar enthusiasts primarily as a bastion of cigar enjoyment in London. Founded over 50 years ago in the heart of Mayfair, Laurence Davis and his team now serve London’s high society in two exquisite boutiques featuring lounge areas for tasting.
At this year’s PCA Convention & Trade in New Orleans, Laurence Davis and his wife Melanie brought not only their close ties to many of their producers but also a new project with the evocative name Sautter Atelier. Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, with whom Sautter had also developed his own house blend, offered a portion of his booth space where the Davis couple showcased their creations.
Instead of cigar boxes in illuminated display cases, visitors found clothing racks filled with elegant jackets and blazers, all of which were designed specifically for the cigar connoisseur.
Sautter Atelier is a collaborative concept by Laurence Davis, the owner of Sautter, and his wife Melanie, both of whom have many years of experience in the fashion industry. To this end, they design a selection of cigar-themed products characterized by an artistic approach.
For quite some time, they had been toying with the idea of specially tailored “cigar clothing”: garments with sewn-in pockets and compartments designed to hold both cigar tubes and various accessories. At the same time, the pieces were meant to retain clean lines and a genuine sense of style without veering into cliché. Equally important to the couple was that the clothing line had to be affordable—a deliberate counterpoint to the often exorbitant prices that have characterized the cigar market in recent years.
“The pieces my wife Melanie designed are fantastic: numerous practical pockets for my cigar tools, custom-made cigar compartments, elegant enough for evening events, casual enough for daytime wear. They are both warm and windproof, yet cool enough in hot climates to do without the traditional travel jacket. The jackets are available in various colors and styles, all offering excellent value for money,” said Laurence Davis happily.
The Atelier concept is far from exhausted and offers scope for further creative ideas. “There are still many items that are already finished or in the works: cigar travel cases, caps, scarves, guayaberas, tuxedo vests, cigar chairs, desks, and everything else you can imagine. And a few things you probably wouldn’t even think of.”
In any case, the feedback from trade show visitors in New Orleans was extremely encouraging and motivated the creators of the Sautter Atelier to continue giving free rein to their imagination.
We can look forward to seeing what exciting clothing items and cigar accessories Melanie and Laurence Davis will present in the coming months.
