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February 2, 2006
english shirts....
[The entrance to Rayner & Sturges Ltd.]
I mentioned earlier that I was on the hunt for the best English shirt made today, to supply to my customers.
Sadly, most of what is purchased in Jermyn Street these days is made in India, Peru or some other distant country, far from England's green and pleasant land. We all know the reasons for this, and I don't have a gripe with it. Everyone deserves to earn a living, and everybody benefits from the lower costs that manufacturing abroad affords them. But all this has made English manufacturing a very tough business to be in.
In spite of that, even if "Englishness" may not matter to everybody, it still matters to me. Having "English Cut" on the label is nice, but I believe "Made In England" is equally important. And if I have to pay extra to have that honour, then so be it. Life is short.
As far as I know there are only a handfull of proper shirtmakers left in the country. They're all producing shirts of exceptional quality, as they must, to survive the high cost of manufacturing here. For example there's Kerry at Russell & Hodge, and Turnbull & Asser, both super companies. But there are others, if you know where to look.
I'm very pleased to announce that I have indeed found a shirtmakers that will more than stand up to my scrutiny, and more importantly, to yours.
To make a long story short, my favourite shirt is one I've owned for over eight years. It still hangs in my wardrobe. It's all dog-eared and worn, because I've enjoyed wearing it so often. Sadly, the label only mentions the retailer who sold it to me, not the actual manaufacturer. The retailer I bought it from went out of business a few years ago, however there was something special about this one, so I kept it around as a reminder of how a real shirt should feel.
When I decided to start selling shirts, I promised myself that this old favourite shirt would be the inspiration. This old shirt embodied everything I was after.
I'm happy to report that after doing some digging and a lot of phone calls later, I finally discovered the manufacturer of the shirt. Rayner & Sturges Ltd, based in England's garden county of Kent, about an hour South of London.
[Nigel Sturges at his desk.]
I initially telephoned Nigel Sturges, and I immediately found him delightful. With a lifetime in the business he was one of the best authorities on shirtmaking alive today. The company was founded in 1913 by his great-grandfather and still occupies its original building.
When I first visited their workshop I was astonished to find such a gem of a company, still producing the best quality shirts available, still here in England.
I won't embarrass the blue-chip Jermyn Street shirtmakers who have at least some of their work done by Nigel, but they are numerous. If you are currently a Jermyn Street customer, the odds of you owning one of Nigel's shirts are remarkably high.
Needless to say, since our first meeting I've really had my eyes opened by Nigel and his colleagues, to this very special craft. All my demands in a shirt were well covered, and surpassed. Also, after spending several days with the company I've learnt some fantastic details which I never knew existed. And don't worry, I am determined that you'll also know all about it by the time I'm done.
[Nigel and myself outside the workshop.]
I shall let you know the full details of how the system will work very soon. But I do feel confident that I'm working with the best. I know a lot of tailors say they're shirtmakers, but more than often they're not. I'm certainly not a shirtmaker, but I will gladly act as a catalyst between my bespoke customers and one of the best shirtmakers in the world. I feel certain that between us we can do a pretty good job, with Nigel doing the making, and myself no slouch with the tape measure. I honestly do think we're going to be able to offer my customers something special that they'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else, including Jermyn Street.
I plan to have the shirtings available in time for my next American visit at the end of this month. Please let me know your thoughts, I would love to know what people think. Thank you.
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Posted by tom at February 2, 2006 10:15 AM
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Comments
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