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Shirt Tales and Other Stories
Mr Jeremy Hackett
Shirt Tales and Other Stories
Mr Jeremy Hackett
For the second in our series of small books produced
in collaboration with some of the best customers of “our British section” Thomas Mason and David & John Anderson-,
we are featuring a brand which is a particular favourite of mine,
since they have always appreciated the colour and innovation of our fabrics.
Surprisingly, Hackett made their very first shirt collection
with Thomas Mason less than 3 decades ago, but today
are globally recognised for their typical British styling interpreted
in a contemporary manner.
We are very honoured that their co-founder Jeremy Hackett
agreed to be interviewed in London by my cousin Silvio,
and what resulted, we believe, is frank, quite humorous,
yet also at times inspirational.
Please join me in enjoying “Shirt Tales and Other Stories”
Jeremy Hackett and the staff of ‘86
Fabio Albini
creative director
PHOTO BY JEREMY HACKETT
AN INTERVIEW BETWEEN:
Mr Jeremy Hackett,
Chairman and co-founder
of eponymous British menswear brand Hackett.
Dr Silvio Albini,
President and in the 5th family generation of leadership
of the Albini Group, founded 1876.
Dr Silvio Albini So, Jeremy Hackett, “Mr Classic” as you are known in the
English Press, could you please tell our readers something
about Hackett?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes it’s true they call me “Mr Classic” and in fact over the
years the press have also referred to Hackett in many terms.
We were “Sloane Rangers”, “Young Fogies”, “Yuppies”,
“Lads” and more recently we have become known as “A
Heritage Brand” which is rather interesting considering
Hackett is barely 29 years old, the brand that is.
Dr Silvio Albini Really? Only 29 years?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, our customers especially are always surprised that
Hackett is not 100 years old; they presume that I am a posh
boy who inherited the business from my father or grandfather.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
BENDING THE SCHOOL
UNIFORM CODE
“Even at the age of 7 I was concerned about what I put on”
Mr Jeremy Hackett I grew up in an ordinary family in Bristol, I am not a designer,
nor even a tailor, I am a retailer and a shopkeeper. I should
say that Hackett came about through a series of events, a
mixture of influences, chance meetings and well one thing
led to another. I was a precocious child and I can never
remember a time when I wasn’t interested in style, and even
at the age of seven I was concerned about what I put on, which
was usually things sewn or knitted by my mother, which was
fairly normal for the austere 1950’s. She sold Burberry
raincoats, and my father also worked in the textile business.
At school I was a poor student interested only in English,
History and Drama, but what I lacked in brain power I made
up for in style.
We were required to wear a white shirt, red tie and grey
flannel trousers, but my shirt had a tab collar, my tie was
narrow and knitted, my trousers were tapered and I wore
black elastic sided Chelsea Boots.
All the boys in my class adopted my look.
At 16 I failed all my exams and my headmaster said it was
probably best if I left the school, but he told me not to worry
as I would get by on my charm and my smile. It’s worked so far!
My father was less kind “If you don’t pull your socks up, you
will end up working in a shop!” he warned me, somewhat
prophetically.
I soon sensed that if I wanted to make something of myself I
would need to move to London, which is what I did.
It was the early 1970’s and I worked as a sales assistant on the
very hip King’s Road Chelsea, where the good money I made
allowed me to buy a Mini Cooper with tinted windows, whilst
the rest of my money went on clothes. I was always broke,
but well dressed, so no change there!
Dr Silvio Albini And then quite by chance you discovered London’s iconic
Savile Row?
“I started going to Portobello Road flea market”
“A private world: a gentleman’s club of tailoring”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, and I was immediately struck by its discreet air and low
key atmosphere. It was my first experience of sophisticated
tailoring and I felt I was entering a private world: a gentleman’s
club of tailoring. I took a salesman’s job at John Michael,
opposite the famous tailor Tommy Nutter whose radical ideas
were causing a stir among the more traditional tailors.
Of course, despite a pay rise I still lived beyond my means:
bespoke suits are expensive. So to supplement my income I
started going to Portobello Road flea market looking for
stuff that I could sell on to my friends at a profit. I would
seek out the second-hand clothes of a generation whose sons
had discarded the quality classics in preference for the cuttingedge styles of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Early one Friday morning I met Ashley Lloyd-Jennings, when
we both wanted to buy the same tweed jacket. We decided to
share the cost, and when it had been sold, share the profit.
It was the beginning of a long partnership.
A R AT H E R P R O F I TA B L E
WEEKEND HOBBY
Mr Jeremy Hackett On a trip to Paris, quite by chance, I met a man selling vintage
British clothing, Burberry, Aquascutum, hunting jackets and
English accessories. He told me he came to London to buy
but if I wanted to buy for him it would be much easier, and
that is exactly what we did. It became a rather profitable
weekend hobby.
At the time houses in Fulham were cheap and we bought two
which we renovated, myself slaving in a restaurant at night to
finance this. We sold the houses and using the money opened
a fine shoe shop in Covent Garden, and then two more, on
Old Bond Street and the City. Finally we were retailers!
Then disaster struck.
We were undercapitalised and after three years of struggling
to pay the bills we had to close. The bank even took our flats,
so it was all back to square one.
We returned to selling second-hand clothes which mostly
ended up in Paris, and once again we were successful.
It occurred to us why sell in Paris when we could sell the
clothes here in London?
“Finally we were retailers”
DOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE
O F W H AT WA S E X P E C T E D
Mr Jeremy Hackett Ashley and I pooled our resources of £ 2000 and opened our
first clothes shop in Fulham. But this was not to be any
ordinary second-hand clothes shop: everything had to be the
best quality. Bespoke suits, hunting kit, formal dress,
handmade shoes and vintage leather goods were all sourced
from the London street markets.
The shop didn’t even have a name for months and was just
known as “The one with the funny round window” but it did
have an atmosphere of aristocratic elegance like a private
gentleman’s club. Our clothing was immaculately laundered,
repaired and presented on wooden hangers hanging from
vintage brass rails; I bought ancient tables from my former Savile
Row employer when they closed down. The very first day we sold
£ 1000 + worth of clothes and from then on in it just got better.
Dr Silvio Albini Tell me something about your customers from those early days.
“The shop with the funny round window”
Mr Jeremy Hackett We soon discovered that there was much interest from a
younger generation who couldn’t afford the very high prices
on Savile Row, but who held a great appreciation for the
Golden Age of English tailoring.
We also sold a lot to film companies for movies such as
“Chariots of Fire” and “Out of Africa”. One day I bought 5
pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage for £ 175 and within an hour
of them being in the shop sold them to a film company for
£ 3,500 who shipped them over to Hollywood.
Then there were the designers who came to our little shop:
Valentino, Massimo Osti, Piombo, Albert Goldberg of
Façonnable among them.
Dr Silvio Albini “Vintage” and recycling in general has become quite popular
in the 21st Century. On the contrary, in the early 1980’s secondhand goods were less well considered. Your initial enterprise
with Hackett must therefore have seemed very radical.
“Chariots of Fire”
“Out of Africa”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Because we were selling “Dead Men’s Clothes?” - for let’s
face it - that is what they were. And yet we created the concept,
the edit, we put “Britishness” together in a way that appealed.
We bought only the very best, whether shoes, suits or shirts.
And then we accessorised and generally made it much more
elegant than anything that was being offered that time in the
average British menswear shop, many of whom had lost
their way and not even noticed that what they were offering
was boring.
Many customers didn’t even realise that we weren’t selling
new clothes and they kept saying “Where are your size 44’s?”
little understanding that it didn’t really work like that.
PHOTO BY GARDA TANG
Dr Silvio Albini Your beloved Sussex Spaniel, and the first Hackett
supermodel, Charley, was also one of your finest secondhand acquisitions?
“Who could not be smiling surrounded by all these supermodels?”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, I found her unwanted in Battersea Dogs’ Home; I was
strongly warned against her since she had been mistreated
and came with issues. Sometimes it’s hard to explain why we
do the things we do. As far as I was concerned, Charley was
the business. I borrowed her, took her to Badminton Horse
Trials and fell in love.
Five years later I bought Browney, from a breeder in Sussex,
naturally. You should never work with animals and children,
goes the saying, but at Hackett when it comes to shooting our
advertising campaigns we regularly work with both.
People don’t often recognise me, except in Japan for some
strange reason. But they do recognise the dogs because they
have featured so much in our advertising. Well it helps to pay
for the dog food! They are an incredibly rare breed, more
endangered than the giant Panda and that’s why I agreed to
be patron of their society, and why I came to be holding so
many of them in the photo.
Once a customer phoned to ask me what sort of dog was it in
the advertisement and he then went and bought himself a
Sussex Spaniel and called it “Hackett”. I hope I don’t bump
into him and his dog and he shouts “Hackett come here, sit!”
PHOTO BY GARDA TANG
Dr Silvio Albini So your shop continued to be successful?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes it was always very popular, however very soon we realised
that there were not enough quality vintage clothes available
and I wasn’t prepared to buy clothes that were less good just
to keep the business going.
We had noticed what our customers were demanding and
couldn’t buy, such as good tweed jackets, corduroy trousers, all
cut in classical fashion. I started to visit English mills to buy
cloth and took vintage samples to manufacturers asking them
to make something similar. Everything was based on tailor
made clothes, which was very far removed from the Eighties
fashion of the time.
The new clothes were all to be labelled “Hackett” - It was
the beginning of the brand.
Dr Silvio Albini And your customers, did they accept the new products?
Charley & Browney Hackett take a break from their modelling assignment
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, reluctantly at first, but when they realised how much the
new products looked like the vintage ones then they became
interested. We made the transition from Old to New quite
smoothly and then concentrated our efforts on building the
new Hackett brand.
VENTURING OUT IN SEARCH
O F F I N E S H I RT I N G S
Dr Silvio Albini So one of those English mills you visited must have been
Thomas Mason?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Exactly! When we first decided to make our own shirts we
looked for the best shirt manufacturer - Jermyn Street
Shirtmakers in Gloucester, and asked their recommendation
for the best shirting cotton. They advised that we needed to
contact David & John Anderson and Thomas Mason in
Lancashire who supplied all of their shirting fabrics. They also
warned us that we would need to buy 60m per colour way
and we were quite shocked as it seemed such a lot. However
Jermyn Street Shirtmakers offered to make dressing gowns
and boxer shorts and handkerchiefs as well and that was very
helpful in using up our 60m.
One of the things that I liked about the shirts made by Jermyn
Street Shirtmakers were the collars which weren’t top fused.
This is a much more difficult process, but gives the shirts
so much more personality. I always try to buy shirts with
non-fused collars, but they are so difficult to find nowadays.
Another thing that’s tremendously important is the collar
shape and for Hackett this is a classic cutaway which has been
our regular style for years. And the collar must sit quite high
to the neck, not low down like so many continental collars.
Also there must be exactly 3/8ths inch space at the top for the
tie, no more, no less because that is the most elegant and also
the most comfortable collar to wear.
And the shirt must have a double-cuff for cufflinks. Of course
at Hackett we now offer a whole diversity of collars and
cuffs, but I always refer back to our original classic style as
a benchmark.
On the whole, men don’t like change, they like to come back
and find the same sorts of things that have worked well for
them before, with subtle changes that evolve with fashion but
never in a radical way.
“I always refer back to our original classic style as a benchmark”
Dr Silvio Albini And after that first “shocking” 60m? My spies at the old
Thomas Mason tell me that the first exclusives designs
developed with you were in the Zephyr 4489 quality. In fact
you were so insistent on having a 2/100s x 2/100s true zephyr
that Thomas Mason agreed to develop a new quality
especially for you.
Moreover since you weren’t able to buy the whole 480m warp
per colour way at that time, a “gentleman’s agreement” was
made for you to buy just 240m and for Thomas Mason to sell
the remaining 240m on the open market. I hardly dare
mention this fact just in case you ask for “royalties” because
both this new quality Zephyr 4489 and the exact same designs
are still in our Silverline stock service programme, and in fact
we are still selling “the balance” of your original 240m nearly
30 years later!
The references are F311997 & F318501…
Zephir 4489 quality, originally
developed by Thomas Mason for Hackett
Mr Jeremy Hackett That’s right! But you cannot still be selling our 240m, you are
joking with me! Now the design certainly - that I can believe,
as it’s such classic.
The first one was the plain Prince of Wales then we added
the white over-check and a bit later the coloured over-check
as well.
It is often considered that The Duke of Windsor, the dandy
of British fashion, was the first to wear the Prince of Wales
check, when in fact it was his grandfather Edward VII who
first wore the now iconic check during the Edwardian
period when he was Prince of Wales. This pattern is renowned
worldwide and has throughout generations enjoyed a
permanent presence in fashion.
I am pleased to note that our current Prince of Wales , Prince
Charles is often seen supporting this eponymous check, and is
even wearing the Z.4489 shirt in Madame Tussaud’s waxworks!
Actually we are about to do a project with the charity “The
Prince’s Trust” (set up by H.R.H. Prince Charles) that’s
based entirely around the traditional Prince of Wales design
in different types of fabric from British suppliers: Flannel
from Fox Brothers, Tweed from Lovat Mills, worsted from
Huddersfield, for our tailoring and, naturally, for a Prince of
Wales shirting we will be coming to Thomas Mason, who
else? There will be a donation from each item sold to “The
Trust” to assist its valuable work supporting young people
into jobs and training.
Historically the Princes of Wales have always been very well
dressed and Prince Charles recently said he is always very
surprised if anyone calls him “a Style Icon” but he imagined
that since this happens about once every 20 years it probably
means that what he likes to wear has come around and into
fashion again. It’s not true of course: the Prince of Wales
is very passionate about clothing and especially about
supporting British Industry.
Dr Silvio Albini Would you consider the Prince of Wales shirting design to
be the most synonymous with Hackett, or something else?
Maybe also the true gingham checks which you also buy
every season?
“Keep It Simple”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, the Prince of Wales check, definitely, and also the
Gingham. Do you remember that we also developed the small
gingham with the over-check as an exclusive with you? I was
really quite embarrassed to enquire if Thomas Mason would
just make 240 m, but then I must have been a bit persuasive,
or perhaps you were just kind, as you did agree to do that.
Dr Silvio Albini Returning to the story. What happened next?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Very soon we opened 4 more shops close to our original. A
shirt shop, a tailoring shop, one for formal evening wear, or
Black Tie, as it’s sometimes known, and finally a gentlemen’s
barber. Taxi drivers referred to this locality as “Hackett Cross”
since it had by this time become a London landmark.
By the late 80’s our business was flourishing with more shops
around London, and one in Madrid, others in Paris & Japan.
And then we were approached to open a shop in Boston USA,
where we felt that we couldn’t fail as Americans love English
clothing.
It was a bad mistake and cost us dearly.
In order to survive, we made the decision to sell the business,
since the brand name was strong, but the balance sheet was
weak.
Dr Silvio Albini So you were back to square one for the second time in your
career?
“Sloane Street Flagship Store combined all our interests under one roof ”
Dr Silvio Albini What is it about the Zephyr qualities that are so very
appealing? Is it because the Zephyr constructions are very
historical, as seen by the huge numbers of them featuring in
our design archives, dating back to 1845?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Balanced checks…always got to be balanced, as simplicity
and a clean look is synonymous with the Hackett brand.
“Keep It Simple!”
Mr Jeremy Hackett It was a low moment but it meant that the Hackett brand
would continue to thrive, and in retrospect it was a sensible
decision. It was important to hold onto our vision for the brand
and just keep going. And the investment of the Richemont
Group in Hackett enabled us in 1992 to open our first flagship
shop in Sloane Street, which combined all of our interests
under one roof and took the brand to another level. It
continues to be our most successful shop attracting customers
from all over the world.
PHOTO BY JEREMY HACKETT
CONCERNING
A L L T H I N G S G R E AT B R I T I S H
Dr Silvio Albini I should like to ask you something about the influence the
Hackett brand has been in the growing interest in “all things
British” over the last 2 decades in particular. In starting to
focus on traditional British clothing in the early 1980’s you
were clearly pioneers of this interest, and moving completely
against the prevailing and seemingly unstoppable tide for
cheaper imports.
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes it’s true; we were doing something very different with
Hackett, and yet despite the decline in the industry there
were still traditional skills to be found. When we first started
to make our own clothes, we used to visit these ancient
factories, taking this suit, or that coat, or shirt, and then we
asked them to reproduce the garments including all the
special details. And you know the factories were delighted,
because we were asking them to do things that they were
really good at, which demanded traditional ways of making
things and special attention to detail.
Browney Hackett flies the flag for Great Britain
We still do what we can do in terms of trying to use British
manufacturers and there are some wonderful ones still around.
Why, for instance, would we buy our tweeds from anywhere
other than Scotland where there are the best ones in the world?
Those firms which have survived in Britain, understood that
alongside keeping their traditions, they also need to evolve
to meet the changing demands of the market.
Obviously not all the traditional manufacturers have
survived in the UK and when the last British cotton mill
closed, a famous Italian mill called Albini bought up all the
design archives enabling us to make British style cloth as we
had done previously for many years, so thank you Silvio!
Dr Silvio Albini Yes in 1991 Thomas Mason had existed for 190 years in
Lancashire but was suffering very badly in the economic crisis
at that time. Our family, shirting weavers in Italy since 1876,
realised that we had to step in. We bought Thomas Mason
and its associate company David & John Anderson, and their
considerable design archives, and saved these historic brands
from certain extinction.
“We immediately knew that we wanted to carry on with the new arrangement”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Which is when we met you, and we knew immediately that
we wanted to carry on with the new arrangement.
PHOTO BY JEREMY HACKETT
TA P P I N G “ M R C L A S S I C ”
F O R H I S S A RT O R I A L A D V I C E
Dr Silvio Albini You are very well known for your sartorial advice and
grooming tips delivered in the “Independent on Sunday”
newspaper for many years, under the guise of “Mr Classic”.
One of your key pieces of advice is that whatever else you are
wearing it is absolutely imperative to wear an excellent pair of
shoes, and the best cotton (always double–cuff) shirt.
What, for you, Jeremy represents the very best cotton shirt,
and how and when do you like to wear it? And what is a truly
British shirt, in terms of designs, colours and fabrics?
Mr Jeremy Hackett There was a lot more colour in the past, but certainly a regular
Bengal stripe. That I believe is very British. Blue end-on-end
with coloured highlights, that is typically British and
something we always buy from Thomas Mason, even if not
as popular in this period. Right now we are selling white
and white and white, much more than anything else, maybe
you are too?
“Egyptian Cotton has always been synonymous
with quality in England”
Dr Silvio Albini Yes, white is “numero uno” also for us, not just this season,
but every season in fact, that’s why we are investing so much
care and attention into the research and development of new
whites, such as our Giza 87 cotton which we are now growing
in Egypt, as we weren’t able to find it in any other way.
Giza 87 Cotton picking, Albini Group Cotton Field, Egypt
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, we are starting to sell this quality very well at Hackett
(although I have a problem with the name “Geezer” which
over here is a rather un-complimentary word for a man!).
But “Egyptian Cotton” is a name that has a resonance,
and has always been synonymous with quality in England.
Our customers often ask for it. You should make much
more of this Silvio.
Dr Silvio Albini We are trying, step by step.
“Tattersal, Oxford & Twills, but only for the weekend”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Besides white, cornflower blue is good for us as well, and pink.
I am talking about a classic shirt to wear for work of course.
For the weekend, flannels, fine flannels, like the Panda
quality from Albini which you made for us in the past, and
Tattersall, that’s very important. Oxford as well, but only for
the weekend. Americans wear Oxford all the week, but for a
British gentleman that’s considered a weekend shirt, along
with the twills.
“Buy only the best. Quality through and through”
Dr Silvio Albini In your opinion how can the fabric make a difference to the
performance of the shirt, whether two-fold, single-fold,
finer yarn counts etc.?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Two-fold fabrics for shirts ideally, but not necessarily. If there
are other things I like I will buy those as well. But whatever
I choose, whether it be fabric or garment or accessory, there
must be no compromise on quality. I would always much
rather have less, but buy only the very best. Quality through
and through with everything and only choosing things that
will last and stand the test of time.
Dr Silvio Albini And what about ways of wearing the shirt in particular, for
instance at Hackett you are selling a great number of washeddown shirts, whereas other equally British companies who we
supply sell only perfectly pristine shirts?
Mr Jeremy Hackett It’s a question of the shirts looking “more lived in”. Many
men don’t want to look as though they have just bought their
new shirt, and also rugged or aged is good, I like that, except
for formal shirts and dress wear of course, where they must
be perfectly pressed, immaculate.
Dr Silvio Albini I find myself curiously interested in the wearing (by perfectly
well off respectable people) of shirts with worn through collars
& cuffs etc. This is really an anathema to a well groomed
Italian, but seems it’s not at all uncommon in England, even
amongst Royalty. Is that something you would do?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Only if I was rich! If you are “old wealth” it is permissible.
Old shirts are very comfortable and men have favourites
which they don’t want to let go of. It was like this with an old
blue lambwool sweater that I had that I just couldn’t let go of.
One day I was wearing it over a navy Bengal stripe shirt and
I noticed the stripes showing through at the elbow. I thought
it was a nice effect so I had some sweaters made in Scotland
for Hackett with deliberately “worn through” elbows. They
didn’t sell, nobody understood it at all!
It’s a question of the shirts looking “more lived in”
Dr Silvio Albini Talking about “sartorial elegance” in general, are there
specific rules for a gentleman to follow, or would you say that
it is more important for each one to express his own good
taste, individuality and sense of style? And what about the
famous “English eccentricity”?
“Everything has its purpose”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Eccentricity sits better on older people. On a younger person
it can be a little contrived. David Hockney is always very
shambolic in appearance but just has a look about him. He
throws on a white cap, sometimes has odd socks, but he always
looks great. That’s natural eccentricity, an extension of
himself. Italians and English are very different in this respect,
an Italian is more considered, “Is this shoulder right?”, “What
about the angle of this collar?”. On the contrary the Englishman
is not so considered in the finer points of styling. He will
usually ask “Is it functional?” or “How long will it last?”.
Italians, and in fact many countries, Spain, Japan as well look
to England for clothing style. They expect it of us and
probably also distance lends a degree of enchantment.
It’s something about the way that we put clothes together,
the fact that there are no rules, that it’s perfectly acceptable
to wear a colourful trouser with a mismatched jacket, and if
the items are all of fine quality then often it works.
PHOTO BY GARDA TANG
“There are still pockets of elegance to be found”
And then most of all there are “the occasions”: polo, Henley,
Derby, Ascot, weddings. This calendar of social occasions, all
of which demand a specific dress code, simply doesn’t exist in
the same way in other countries.
Some occasions like National Hunt Racing require tweed, and
trilby hats, others like Ascot, tailcoats and top hats, at Henley
there are striped blazers and straw boaters, and where but at
Goodwood would you dress up to watch motor racing?
And there are certain codes for hunting and shooting as well,
and all of these things have been handed down for generations.
What you need for the City.
What you need for the Country.
What you need for each occasion.
Everything has its purpose, and that’s why we have these very
different collections at Hackett to reflect the British social
calendar.
There is a romantic illusion abroad about how the English
dress, and sometimes I think that if they were to travel on the
tube, or go to some provincial places then they would not find
very much that is stylish.
But it is true that there are still pockets of elegance to be
found, in the St James’s area of London, for instance, around
Jermyn Street, you will still find it. On Savile Row of course,
the home of fine bespoke tailoring, and in the financial areas
of the City in particular. There you can still see the tightly
furled umbrellas, the occasional bowler hat and a stricter
formality of dress. We tried “dress down Friday” but that has
all but gone away again.
PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE
OUR MOUTH IS
Dr Silvio Albini You also sponsor and are associated with many events in the
Upper Class Social Calendar from Polo, to Horse Racing,
Motor Car Racing, even apparently Camel Polo?
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, and would you believe also Elephant Polo? In order to
further the authenticity of the Hackett brand we felt it
important to take part in the sports that we were promoting,
which led us to various sponsorships.
In the shop one day I was approached by two army officers,
who said that their commanding officer had told them that if
they wanted to play Polo, then they would have to find
sponsorship because the army wasn’t going to pay.
That was the beginning of a long term relationship with
British Army Polo.
It was also the launch of the Hackett Polo shirt.
I remember one day chatting to Prince William who asked me
if I played Polo.
“No” I replied “I’m left handed”. He replied “So am I but I
learnt to play right handed”…that shut me up.
We also dressed the England Rugby team and in particular
Jonny Wilkinson who produced the drop goal which won
England the World Cup in 2003. Jonny was a huge hit with
our customers and again it allowed us to make authentic rugby
jerseys.
Dr Silvio Albini I secretly (well maybe not so secretly) envy you “Mr Classic”
for being a champion and proud sponsor of Aston Martin
Racing, and getting to drive their classic sports cars all over
the world… It sounds terribly hard work!
Mr Jeremy Hackett It has its moments…
“Prince William asked if I played polo… That shut me up”
Dr Silvio Albini And yet your merchandise is not particularly “elitist” in terms
of pricing.
Was it a conscious decision that you still retain the ethos of
the founding days of “affordable luxury” in order that much
wider strata of society can “buy into the Hackett lifestyle”
even in a small way?
“It has its moments”
Historically we called this “Essential British Kit”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Yes, it’s most important to offer value for money to our
customers, but this doesn’t mean compromising on quality,
not ever. Only the best will do. Our aim is to provide
professional men of all ages with clothes that are stylish, well
made and suitable for all occasions. It is not high fashion but
then it is not old fashioned. It is a straightforward way of
dressing that is purposeful with touches of wit and mild
eccentricity. Historically we called this “Essential British Kit”.
TA I L O R E D T O F I T
Dr Silvio Albini “Clothes you need for the City, clothes you need for the
country”…where would you most rather be Jeremy?
“my quintessential country home…right in the heart of London!”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Well I have always thought that a combination of the two, City
& Country, would be absolutely perfect: London for its
vibrancy and convenience, the countryside for its beauty and
tranquillity. Shall I let you into a secret Silvio? I believe I have
found the answer!
I bought the most perfect home, a miniature Georgian cottage
completely hidden away down a tiny lane, which I restored
from dereliction. I filled the house with many of my treasured
acquisitions, including a portrait of Edward VIII- The Duke
of Windsor, which used to hang in our store, and also his
riding boots for which I paid £3 at Portobello, and when I
un-wrapped them found inscribed inside “HM the King 1936”.
I do seem to accumulate objects, but I don’t like clutter,
everything inside is simple but functional, rather like the
Hackett brand, and in fact many of our exclusive fabrics used
for the upholstery and accessories bring the look together. It’s
good to mix up different periods, it stops the house from
becoming too grand or overbearing. Outside is a traditional
country garden with 19th century herringbone brick paths,
vines and quercus trees. On a balmy summer evening, sitting
out on the terrace under a faded cotton awning, with friends,
a few bottles of good wine, and my dog Browney: I really have
everything I could wish for.
And then I hear the distinct chimes of Big Ben and I am
brought back to reality, remembering that my quintessential
country home is not in deepest Wiltshire, but right in the
heart of London!
I still love to rise early and visit the London markets... and just
can’t seem to kick the habit. Although we have a broader design
team now at Hackett to address our globally evolving market,
I still like to contribute my ideas, never forgetting the past.
It was the poet Edward Fitzgerald, who in 1840 wrote “Say as
you will, there is not and never was such a country as Old
England”.
Dr Silvio Albini How do you see the evolution of the taste in shirts historically?
“Bespoke means you never have to say “No” to a customer”
Mr Jeremy Hackett One thing of particular note is the rapidly growing interest in
Made to Measure garments, especially from a customer base
of refined young people who are looking for something new.
At the moment the full bespoke side is still a relatively small
part of our business, but the demand for our personal tailoring
where we can change our existing blocks or add special details
requested by the customers, is increasing a lot.
A whole generation of young guys are coming back into
formality, and this demand for bespoke tailoring, whether
suits or shirts is another way to express personality, and for
Hackett “bespoke” means that you never have to say “no”
to a customer.
I recently had a chalk-stripe suit made for myself and chose
to have patch pockets, with one of them, plus the trouser turnups featuring the stripe running in a different direction that
would normally have been expected. A small change from the
conventional way, but one that made my suit unique – that’s
just one example of “bespoke”.
LONDON’S “HACKETT CROSS”
GOES GLOBAL
Mr Jeremy Hackett In 2005 we made another move forward, with a team of
European investors who had the vision to transform Hackett
into a truly global brand. With the support of our new partners,
we have begun to embrace a more European Britishness. It
was necessary to broaden our horizons and the continuing
investment has enabled us to do this.
At the present time we are looking towards China where we
are planning a major programme of store openings to include
a flagship store in Hong Kong . I can’t tell you the precise
details as it is still “top secret”, but I can say that we are hugely
looking forward to bringing our trademark British personality
to the Chinese people. I believe that as a market they really
are able to understand and appreciate quality. It’s a very
exciting time for us.
And also something of a balancing act because it’s important
to acknowledge a wider world, whilst at the same time to take
our existing client base with us. Hackett is a classic brand
that evolves and moves, but hopefully a step ahead of our
customers, not three steps.
“Looking forward to bringing our trademark
British personality to China”
“Raising our hats for the new store in Milan”
Dr Silvio Albini
That stylish young provincial lad who left school aged 16 has
come a very long way since then…your eye for quality, the
determination to swim against the tide, to take hold of every
opportunity and most of all to keep faith with your original
ideals through good times and difficult ones is truly
inspirational.
Thank you Jeremy Hackett, for sharing your stories with us,
for continuing to support the best in British style...and…did
I remember to thank you for the Zephyr?
“Essentially British”
Mr Jeremy Hackett Thank you Silvio, it’s been great fun speaking to you, and you
will remember to mention the dogs won’t you?
That’s most important!
PHOTO BY JEREMY HACKETT
Browney Hackett has the last word
T HANKS
TO
H ACKETT
FOR THE USE OF PHOTO IMAGERY AND TO J EREMY FOR HIS ORIGINAL ARTWORK
Graphic Design G R I T T I M O R L A C C H I & S C H I R M E R Milano
ENG