Specialist tours of London

You can’t be all things to all people, as the saying goes, and guided tours are no exception. Now Urban Gentry is offering a set of customized, insiders’ tours of London for those interested in art, fashion or other elements of style. Featuring a team of guides that includes artists, designers, journalists and trend spotters, Urban Gentry serves up small, specialist tours that take participants well off the beaten path. The focus of each tour can be chosen by theme—”Creative London,” for example, or “London Close Up”—or by interest, such as art, fashion, interiors or shopping. The Art Insider half-day tour, for example, starts in London’s hip east end enclave of Shoreditch, “the epicentre of contemporary bohemia,” and continues further east into Bethnal Green, winding its way through artists’ works and exhibits. The 7-hour Home Style tour, on the other hand, takes participants through London’s interiors and furnishings shops and studios, highlighting the eclectic choices on offer. Pricing is GBP 159 for half-day tours, GBP 269 for those lasting a whole day. Personalized tours are also available. Urban Gentry just launched earlier this year. For style-minded consumers with the resources to afford them, its tours will offer a fresh, new way to learn about the parts of London that interest them most. This is customization at work once again, creating a new niche market for an old type of service. Bespoke Tokyo has Tokyo covered with its “urban safaris for savvy city trekkers”, and we’ve also spotted Eye Prefer Paris. Who will take Antwerp, L.A., Sydney, Hong Kong…? The sky’s the limit on the opportunities for this one. Just pick a city and a target audience. Spotted by: Joe Swinkels