As London Fashion Week kicks off, the retail entrepreneur and champion of British fashion should be celebrated for his role in bringing big UK names back to the event, says Lisa Berwin

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Quintessentially English gentleman Harold Till-man lives and breathes British fashion.

The immaculately dressed entrepreneur is a fixture at all the best fashion parties as head of the British Fashion Council, which this week will bring the best of British design talent together for London Fashion Week. Tillman, a supporter of many charities, also runs and is a majority shareholder of two British institutions - Jaeger and Aquascutum.

Starting his career at his father’s tailoring company, Tillman learnt the ins and outs of the fashion business from top to tail. His close friend, fashion consultant Marshall Lester, says Tillman has a complete understanding of the industry with an entrepreneurial flair. He adds: “People often have one or the other but not both.”

Tillman has championed British fashion and is credited with bringing many great UK fashion names back to London Fashion Week last September for its 25th anniversary, including Pringle and Burberry - all of which helped raise the profile of the event. His own Jaeger show is also a major part of the event’s calendar.

The revival of Jaeger has been extremely impressive, but Tillman says much of this work is down to the brand’s chief executive Belinda Earl. He says Earl is “a very disciplined organised retailer” while he is “not technically a retailer - I am a businessman”. He adds: “For the past 40 years entrepreneurship has been my thing”.

When Tillman bought Jaeger in 2003 it was on the brink of collapse, and with the help of Earl he made it relevant again. The duo hope their partnership will bring the same fortunes to Aquascutum, which they bought in September last year.

He is coy about whether his eventual aim would be to build a luxury group. “It is not what we are actively looking to do but we would consider it,” he says.

In the meantime, he says there is work to be done on Aquascutum. He is keen to develop the menswear side of Aquascutum, as Jaeger is predominantly a womenswear offer. He says the design and reputation of Aquascutum is “fantastic” but work needs to be done on distribution.

His philosophy about running a business is very clear. He is adamant that Jaeger is not just a profit-driving machine, but rather he invests back into the business.

He says: “We run it cautiously and debt free, which has allowed us to make acquisitions. It is about having quality brands not running them just to make money.”

His entrepreneurial flair extends beyond fashion too. In partnership with his son, he runs a restaurant business, comprising nine London outlets including the Notting Hill Brasserie.

Tillman is described by many as “charming” and “eloquent”. Reiss founder David Reiss agrees that “he has a charm that you really warm to”.

It is this charm that pulled many big British brands back to London Fashion Week, where they have then stayed. Family man Tillman says: “In a genuine way I spoke to them [the brands] about heritage and origins. If you are from one of our design colleges why would you not want to be seen in your birth place?”

Tillman, who enjoys golf, is proud that British fashion is watched more than any other country, even those with larger fashion houses. “It shows how fearless our design talent is,” he says. “We are quite special - we may not rank in volume and value but we do in terms of interest.”

Whether in the boardroom or at the catwalk shows, Tillman is one of the most powerful figures in UK fashion, and his determination and focus has brought it right back to the fore.