A legendary outfitter, famous, particularly, for their trench coats which rivalled that of Burberry and DAKS, Aquascutum was founded in 1851 and introduced their iconic waterproof outerwear range in 1853. The firm grew to become cherished by London’s most distinguished clientele, including a great many royals whom bestowed their respective warrants upon the brand. Aquascutum expanded their range to include a full suite of fashions, menswear, womenswear, accessories and tailored items, many featuring their distinctive house check. The brand has undergone a series of ownership changes in recent years with varying degrees of success.
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IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
One of the most renowned of all Swiss watchmakers, IWC was founded in 1868 by an American emigré named Florentine Ariosto Jones, a businessman in the clock industry. He sought to establish a Swiss made brand for import into the US market, however his time at the helm was relatively short-lived. Facing closure in 1880, the marque was transferred to the Rauschenbach family who created the famous brand we know today. Under their direction, the firm acquired a number of fabricators to ensure the production of their own movement and the creation, ultimately, of some of the most prized timepieces ever created. The house is now a part of the Richemont luxury goods conglomerate.
DUNHILL
An iconic British gentleman’s brand, Dunhill, like so many of its peers, started out as a saddlery business that offered various equestrian accessories for well-heeled customers. When Alfred Dunhill took over the family business he began to manufacture various accessories for the motoring enthusiast and for wealthy travellers. A successful foray into smoking accessories for the travel market opened an entirely new business for the brand which opened its first tobacco shop in 1907 and continues to trade in cigars and smoking instruments today, now under the watchful eye of its parent company, Richemont. Dunhill is a quintessential English gentleman’s outfitter, continuing its tradition of supplying “everything but the motor”, with various accessories, leather goods, apparel and even bespoke tailoring.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Van Cleef & Arpels is one of the world’s pre-eminent jewellery houses, famed the world over for their beautiful iconic pieces. The brand was founded in 1906 in Paris and, today, has boutiques in key markets across the world. Fashioning pieces to order, VCA is a high jewellery brand with a significant ready-to-wear selection, earning them a loyal and even royal customer base. Van Cleef & Arpels pieces are highly collectible. The marque is part of the Richemont conglomerate.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN
Vacheron Constantin is an iconic Swiss timepiece marque, one of the oldest in the world having made watches since 1755. The brand is the most exclusive of the so-called “Holy Trinity” of ultra-luxury major watchmakers (alongside Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe). The firm quickly became a favourite of Kings and Queens, besotted with the delicate and ornate mechanics of the house’s beautiful pieces, indeed, the early Fabergé eggs would contain Vacheron Constantin timepieces as the surprise within. The firm is highly prized amongst collectors with some of their most famous models being amongst the most coveted clocks and wristwatches ever made, achieving some of the highest prices ever recorded at auction.
PETER MILLAR
Launched in 2001, Peter Millar set out to offer luxurious and elegant sportswear and casualwear for the well-dressed man. Taking inspiration from the golf courses of old and using those styling cues to create clubhouse appropriate clothing lines, Peter Millar quickly established itself as a go-to label for the sports enthusiast. The North Carolina label uses cottons and fabrics from the region, renowned for their high quality and comfort, to produce sophisticated tailored pieces to elevate golfwear and redefine business casual attire. The brand, now within the prestigious Richemont stable, has expanded to offer a full range of menswear and womenswear from performance apparel to countrywear lines borrowing from the British and American traditions.
BAUME & MERCIER
Ths famous Swiss marque first came on the scene in 1830 when Louis Joseph Baume opened his watchmaking atelier in Les Bois, in the Swiss canton of Bern. His two sons, Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume, would work with him and, four years later, re-registered the company under their names as Baume Frères. The firm quickly gained a reputation for quality workmanship and excellent accuracy and, in 1840, the brothers opened an outlet in London’s horology epicentre, Northampton Square in Clerkenwell – the destination of choice young men equipping and provisioning themselves with all that they should require before voyaging across the world in service of trade and empire. Baume watches were very much in demand as campaign and maritime watches – their reliable precision timekeeping complementing the race to set records in transatlantic, eastern and oriental voyages on tea clippers and, later steamships and ocean liners.
LOAKE
Since 1880, Loake Shoemakers has been one of the pre-eminent English shoemakers. The firm was founded in the Northamptonshire town of Kettering, located within that pocket of England’s green and pleasant land that is renowned for its shoemaking tradition and which has given the world a number of footwear brands of great distinction. Loake may be considered to be amongst the best of them. The brand was founded by three brothers, descended from a shoemaking dynasty, who set about making the very best handmade shoes a gentleman could desire. The brand’s custodians today are descendants of the original founders with the house controlled by the Loake family.
ARMAND NICOLET
One of the grand Swiss watchmakers, Armand Nicolet is a connoisseur’s horology brand, founded in 1875. The house’s eponymous founder was born into a watchmaking dynasty and was a master of his craft when he opened his workshop. From the outset, Nicolet gained a reputation as an expert manufacturer with a honed eye for the finest complications and mechanisms. The brand’s signature is elegant, timeless timepieces befitting the high taste and high status of its typical customer. The firm’s most famous watches include moon phase and chronograph movements, with the M02 model being the most sought after.
DAKS
When discussing traditional, iconic trenchcoats fashion experts often cite Aquascutum and Burberry as the classic choices. However, another great house with a similar history and status exists: Daks of London. The label was founded in 1894 and has garnered a loyal customer base and a reputation for excellence in the manufacture of tailored outerwear. The brand also offers a full range of tailored pieces, apparel and accessories for men and women, making it an outfitter of distinction for the well-dressed. Similar to those other rival brands noted above, Daks is also famous for its’ own house check.
FITZGABRIELS 