There’s a guy. We see him at industry events all the time. He comes to London wearing head-to-toe Burberry.
I mean DAY-GLO BURBERRY. Logo bombardment Burberry. We refer to him as the Tartan Terror when he’s not around.
Which I kind of feel bad about, but not bad enough not to do. The guy is an affront to what happens when your entire British luxury brand knowledge begins and ends at Britain’s most famous trademark.
It’s not that Burberry isn’t deserving.
It is. But to approach British luxury consumption with Burberry as both starting and finishing point is like saying you’re a music aficionado because you own a Beatles record. British luxury is so much more than that.
In fact, it’s far more interesting than a lot of people (including, I’m sad to say some British people) give it credit for. We Brits have a funny relationship with our luxury industry. We’re far too humble.
You spend any amount of time with people who work in our craft-focused industries and you realise that we are literally bursting at the seams with heritage houses and artisan firms that could teach Italy a thing or two about pedigree. But we’re quieter about it. There’s not many rainy-field smartphone selfies snapped with our craftsmen.
Burberry might grab the headlines, but for every international household name like that there are five others quietly producing some of the best stuff on the planet, with barely an Instagram hashtag in sight. Talk to any of them, and I can almost guarantee you that their relative anonymity is not for want of quality. Far from it.
Many of these brands choose to keep a low profile. Luxury, as they say, is about whispering, not shouting. In fact whisper, let me take you on a tour of British luxury brands you should know about… Above: Ettinger is known for its leather goods craftsmanship, and while not cheap, their leather goods are worth the investment.
Things go wrong when cheap, poor quality leather goods are mistaken for “investment pieces”. Ettinger don’t make things to autumn apart, and even the cheapest things they produce will age far better than anything from the big budget department store chains. I own this card holder, and have done for nearly eight years.
It’s got whiter with age like a well looked after whisky, and has been deployed on numerous continents. It’ll last me another eight, at least. Talking of things that last.
Tanner Krolle is one of those British brands that has quietly been making stuff since 1856 and everyone from the Queen to Jackie Onassis have been patrons of their discreetly excellent luggage for decades. If you’re into your retro Italian luggage makers who plaster their logo all over everything you buy from them, Tanner Krolle will seem quietly seductive in comparison. As obsessed as they are with craft, they refuse to become another loud luxury brand.
So subtle are the details on their luggage that I often show friends my bag and ask them if they can see the Tanner Krolle ‘badge’. Nine times out of ten they’ll say “where?”. It’s there.
I promise you. They don’t need to shout about it. Each bag is a serious investment (I’m currently saving up for one of their weekend bags.
They cost about the same as a cheap used car) but buy one and you’ll have it for decades. That’s real sustainability right there. I could quite happily fill this article with British shoemakers alone.
Church’s and Loake are fantastic, but venture off piste a little and you discover brands like Gaziano & Girling. Relatively new kids on the block compared to some of the other names on this list (they were founded in 2006) but what they lack in years they more than make up for in craftsmanship. Their English factory in Kettering is shoemaking purgatory for your feet.
It’s where your trainers will go when they die and are reincarnated as something beautiful. G&G make some of the finest shoes money can buy, effortlessly bridging the gap between classic and contemporary. When I watched a Japanese buyer at Pitti Uomo literally gasp and reach for his phone pic.twitter�ing a pair of G&G Adelaide oxford shoes I felt more proudly British than I ever have watching England win anything.
Few people outside the UK know just how good Crockett & Jones are. Enough James Bond has worn them in recent films to become more ‘recognisable’, but they’re nowhere near as talked about as some of their Italian competitors when conversation turns to luxury shoes. They shouldn’t be.
C&J are every bit as good, and their iconic Skye boot is a go-to for me when the weather turns grim. Eight bloody winters on London streets and that boot still looks new, thanks in no small part to the almost mirror shine patina it has developed from nothing more than polish and horse chestnuts in Regents Park. Knitwear is another area where Britain punches well above its public reputation.
Aside from the well-known cashmere brands most of us already know, there’s Corgi. Founded in 1892 and still family owned, you know you’re onto a winner when a brand brags less about itself and more about its heritage. If you own one thing from them, make it knitwear.
Hand finished to perfection (look at how that collar sits, the meticulous nature of the patterns, the slight imperfections that let you know a master craftsman made this rather than program a robot) this is luxury knitwear taking pride out craftsmanship. They’re so confident in their knitwear you can even get them to knit with your own wool. Above:Corgi make some seriously luxurious knitwear.
Above: Another honourable mention has to go to Johnstons of Elgin who, like Corgi, we could (and probably should) write entire articles about. Whilst Johnstons is known for its own-brand cashmere, they are quietly one of the best suppliers of materials to other luxury brands who, for competitive reasons can’t shout about the fact. Fun fact; some of the most expensive European luxury houses use Johnstons cashmere in some of *their* products.
You pay multiple times the price for the Johnstons products just to sport a different logo next to something made with exactly the same materials. Buy yourself a Johnstons scarf or blanket and you’ll understand what we mean about truly exceptional value. If you’re into tailoring you’ll know that Britain is where it’s at thanks to Savile Row.
But beyond the Row there are other companies quietly practicing the art. My favourite recently discovered brand has to be Manchester-based Private White V.C.. They run what looks to be a military fortress of an outerwear factory that has been sewing outer garments since 1853.
One of their signature fabrics is Ventile cotton. Developed during WW2 for RAF pilots, it’s the perfect cloth for the often damp British climate. I own their iconic Twin Track jacket, which I’ve had to London winters and works equally well with a tie or grubby trainers.
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It’ll never let you down, and has got better with every chucking I’ve given it. If Drake’s started as an accessories brand, they’ve come a long way since tying their first neckwear. Today they do it all.
From knitwear and shoes to coats and shirts; everything Drake’s touch is wonderfully British. Neither slave to tradition nor chasing trends, their casual take on menswear means you can wear trousers that actually look like trousers. With a Drake’s blazer you get the feel and look of structure without feeling restricted.
It’s allowed to breathe. Which is handy when you accidentally spend sixty minutes limbering up in the drinks reception at a room twice as hot as your office. Thom Sweeney aren’t for the financially faint hearted.
But if bespoke or ready-to-wear is your thing, start saving now. Thom Sweeney create some of the best-looking made in Britain suits around. They’re neither too Italian in cut, nor too stuff shirt to wear comfortably.
And if there’s one British brand getting it right at the moment when it comes to modern tailoring, it’s Thom Sweeney. I can’t quite justify the price of their bespoke service yet, but I’ve got a couple of their ready-to-wear suits that seem to magically make me look like I’ve gone to the gym more than I actually have. British umbrella makers Sheaffer Blue have been turning much-needed rain protectors into something you actually want to be seen with.
Crafted in England using premium materials like chestnut wood and waxed cotton, they’re built to be repaired, not replaced when they break. In a world of flimsy £5 supermarket-bought umbrellas you’ll inevitably lose after the first rainy gust of wind and be discarded in a bin by the snooty doorway owner, there’s something immensely satisfying about having a Sheaffer Blue that’ll last you decades. For something on the techno-fancy side, let me introduce you to Britain’s finest horologists.
British watchmaking is quietly having something of a renaissance that few outside the watch community have noticed. Leading the charge? Bremont.
Mechanical watches with the credentials to sink your teeth into, built with unmistakably British design aesthetics. Expensive? Yeah.
But compared to Swiss watches of a similar standard they’re exceptional value. Oh, and they have aviation heritage. Actual aviation heritage.
Not “this strap was handled by Amelia Earhart” heritage, BUT aviation heritage. I held the ALT1-C model in Bremont’s Mayfair boutique a few weeks ago and almost walked out with a watch that would require me remortgaging my house. Bremont may be currently out of my league (and probably yours too) but AnOrdain is something rather special if, like me, Bremont blows your budget.
Based in Glasgow these guys hand craft watches with vitreous enamel dials using age-old methods that are pretty much on the way out. Each one takes days to make, has an incredibly high rate of failure during production, and results in colour saturation you can’t get with more modern techniques. It’s madness.
British watchmaking madness. Above: Watches by AnOrdain have hypnotic-looking dials made using methods that are on the verge of extinction. You know how people who over-do the brand’s-on-fire schtick with their clothes often carry ugly enough bags to ruin an entire outfit?
Well Pickett quietly make some of the best leather goods going if you know where to look. Sure, they may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think luxury leather goods but you know who thinks of them? Everyone who owns one.
Pickett colours are exceptional. Rich but not brash. Classic but never boring.
From leather bound notebooks to photo holders they’ll add that extra touch of British tailoring to your accessories game. Did you think this was just going to be about clothes? NEWS FLASH: IT’S NOT.
Want to take a look at some seriously luxurious British furniture? Linley is where it’s at. Granddad’s probably got a slab of theirs in his house and he’s not telling you about it.
That’ll change once you’ve seen what furniture looks like when passion and attention to detail meets world class materials and craft. Linley is also responsible for my favourite working-from-home purchase yet; their leather-bound document tray. It sits proudly on my desk, mocking me day in, day out as a reminder to write enough words that I can justify buying the matching desk.
Why should clothes have all the fun? Above: Document tray. Desk.
We’ll get there… So what do all of these brands have in common? Quality. Substance over style.
But that doesn’t just apply to their products. Each one is also proud to be British and majority owned by British families. None of these brands will ever be sold to an overseas conglomerate.
They’re being ran with your and my best interests in mind, not the interests of some shareholders demand two quarterly percentage increases. That’s not to say they don’t care about making a profit. Of course they do.
Businesses don’t tend to survive generations without doing so.
But when you’re not answering to shareholders, you make different choices. You can focus on the details most people will overlook.
Like the feel of a perfectly weighted brass zip. How that jacket collar really sits when you put it on. The exact shade of burgundy that isn’t too purple, but also not too brown.
There’s dozens more British luxury brands I could mention; Innersloth for socks, Berkshire silks for ties, Battson for shirts…the list goes on. So next time you’re thinking of adding something to your arsenal, look beyond the big brand name advertisers and see what Britain can offer. You never know, you might just discover your new favourite brand, and avoid becoming the next Tartan Terror.
PS: Apologies to my fellow Brits if I’ve missed yours. There are too many good ones to list, and I’ll do another one in a couple of years when I’ve discovered more. If you comment and tell me I bloody well should.
