Rhodes Wood, Harrogate: How a simple Windsor knot led to old-fashioned Yorkshire store going viral on TikTok

Jeremy Wood Beaumont, the founder of Rhodes Wood, has enjoyed a reputation for quality since he first set up the traditional tailoring and ready to wear business more than 30 years ago at the bottom of Parliament Street in Harrogate.

How this bastion of old-fashioned standards became a star of the digital age is the result of a chance remark and a wealth of knowledge on classic menswear.

"It all changed when my son Charles joined the business around 19 months ago, ” said Jeremy, who prides himself on bringing the expertise and style of Savile Row to gentlemen who know the real value of looking good and feeling good.

"We did have an online store, we were on social media but we found the usual search engine optimization didn't work for us. To Charles’s credit, he said it was time we got on TikTok.

"I said ‘I don't think so’. He said ‘just give it a go, if it doesn't work we can always stop’. The response was phenomenal. I really underestimated the impact of TikTok."

Keeping his posts on TikTok informative and helpful, Jeremy started to upload videos with useful tips and advice.

Incredibly, in just more than a year, this uniquely Yorkshire business has built up a TikTok community of nearly 419,000 followers.

Rather than the traditional nature of his business being a handicap, the reverse has proven to be true.

One particular video in which Jeremy showed how to tie a Windsor knot tutorial turned into an unexpected viral sensation.

Posted originally nine months ago, the video has now been viewed 11.4 million times and saved by more than 180,000 users.

Jeremy said: "My father had shown me how to tie a Windsor knot at five-years-old. I joked with Charles that if the video managed to get quarter of a million views eventually we would start celebrating.

"We reached that number of views in the first hour. The response from people was amazing. It really took me by surprise.”

In an era where expertise seems to be disappearing, Jeremy's knowledge has helped to transform perceptions of tailoring, making it more accessible.

Other video tutorials which have proven popular include Jeremy's guide on how to tell if a pair of jeans will fit you without trying them on in a fitting room.

"We are the sort of bricks and mortar business you don't find everywhere now," said Jeremy, 60. "There are a few of us left dotted here and there, mostly in London. But as the overall cake has got smaller, our slice has got bigger.

"I thought the world of TikTok was just for kids but, if you remain yourself and have useful information you can end up with millions of views."

Now posting two videos per week on TikTok on average, digital popularity has translated into extra sales for Rhodes Wood - and not just online.

"It's been very good for business," said Jeremy. "People who see us on TikTok then go to our website directly and make an order.

"We’ve always had customers from different parts of the country walking through our door, partly from conferences, though that isn’t what it once was.

"But TikTok means we now get customers travelling from around the world including USA, Australia and Dubai to visit the shop after seeing one of our videos."

A firm believer that Harrogate's strongest asset, apart from its beauty and heritage, is its independents, Jeremy is now working on a new video.

In it the founder of Rhodes Wood will showcase other Harrogate businesses such as Woods Fine Linens and Bettys, fellow believers of high standards all.

To follow Jeremy and Rhodes Wood on TikTok: @rhodes_wood