Our friends at Anderson & Sheppard are always up to something clever. To kick off 2026 in high style, they have teamed up with Fully Charged, the UK’s leading e-bike retailer, and director Chris Floyd to create a short film, “Anderson & Sheppard(‘s Pie).” In it, a stylish gentleman (depicted by the photographer Lord Birkett) takes us through his day—cycling the City of London and ultimately arriving at Arlington for lunch—as he effortlessly demonstrates how Anderson & Sheppard’s English Drape cut affords the wearer both supreme comfort and sartorial elegance. Chris and Anderson & Sheppard’s Anda Rowland share how it all came together.
Where did the idea for this film come from?
Chris: The depiction of movement was Anderson & Sheppard’s primary concern when this project started. The Anderson & Sheppard suit is founded on freedom of movement. It is not a suit for a parade ground, so when the idea to partner with Fully Charged came along, I think Anda saw how this could all join together. Anderson & Sheppard is an indelible part of the London experience, so what better way to communicate that than to show a handsome chap in one of their suits cutting a two-wheeled swathe through the great metropolis en route to an important appointment.
How did you end up collaborating?
Chris: I have some friends, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, who host the world’s most popular history podcast, ‘The Rest Is History’. They wanted to do a couple of episodes on the history of the suit and were looking for someone to talk to who could guide them. I knew Anda, so I contacted her to ask if she would be interested in talking to them. Fortunately she texted back almost immediately to say that she was in fact listening to an episode of the podcast on the bus at that very moment and would be delighted to help! From that meeting came the idea for us to make a film about Anderson & Sheppard featuring Dominic and Tom. They both ordered suits and wanted them to be ready in time for a sell-out show they had scheduled at The Royal Albert Hall. It was great fun to do, and we all decided that we’d like to do more things together.
How did you cast our cyclist?
Anda: Being a man of exceptional taste who values efficient design and high quality, naturally Thomas Birkett is an established customer of both Fully Charged and Anderson & Sheppard! In addition to being an acclaimed photographer, he is also a keen cyclist who regularly navigates the streets of London on his e-bike, so for many reasons he was the perfect choice.
Tell us about what he’s wearing, and how you express and interpret the idea of bespoke and tailoring in the film.
Anda: Lord Birkett chose a Porter & Harding navy 100% wool Donegal thornproof 13oz cloth. The model is a three-piece lounge suit with shooting pleats in the jacket. He added a scarf and polo shirt from our Haberdashery and his own cowboy boots. Anderson & Sheppard is well known for the English Drape Cut, ensuring the wearer’s movement has minimal impact on how the jacket behaves. This is perfectly illustrated by Lord Birkett as he navigates the busy streets of London on his Riese & Muller Charger5 Mixte Automatic e-bike from Fully Charged.
Why did it make sense for him to end up at Arlington?
Anda: It’s one of the defining destinations of modern London. As well as this, the route from Anderson & Sheppard to Arlington takes you through some of the greatest parts of London: Old Burlington Street, past the Royal Academy, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall, St James’s Street.
And is there any special significance behind the pie he enjoys?
Chris: It’s such a British dish, isn’t it? So cosy and comforting. I think it also says something about the person who orders it in a restaurant. It denotes decency, honesty, and a certain kind of self-confidence. It’s not a dish for a dilettante.
When you visit Arlington, what’s your usual order?
Chris: I love the Steak Tartare with Russell’s Caesar salad.
What was a challenging part of the project?
Chris: Filming someone cycling in a city is complicated! I couldn’t have done this without Tom Frimley, who converted his own cargo bike to a camera bike, with the camera mounted on it and operated by remote control from the saddle. He captured all those beautiful shots of Lord Birkett en route to Arlington. Hats off to the people who know how to actually do things: chefs, tailors and camera operators.
Any parting thoughts?
Anda: We would like to reiterate our thanks to Chris Floyd for his unique vision on the project, together with all the teams involved at Fully Charged, Anderson & Sheppard, Riese & Müller and also Abus, the cycling equipment specialists, who provided all the safety equipment, including the Granite Super Extreme lock and Abus HYP-E helmet.
