Hawes & Curtis

Hawes & Curtis is a British shirt maker located in Jermyn Street, London. It produces shirts, menswear and womenswear collections and accessories.

History

The company was founded by two outfitters, Ralph Hawes and Freddie Curtis, who opened the first store in the Burlington Arcade London in 1913.[1]

On December 1, 1922, Hawes & Curtis was granted a royal warrant by the then Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor).[2] In July 1938 King George VI awarded the company a second royal warrant. This warrant lasted throughout the King’s reign.[3]

Retailer Touker Suleyman, who also owns the womenswear retailer Ghost,[4] acquired the company under the group Low Profile Holdings in 2004.[5]

Notable customers have included Cary Grant,[6] the Duke of Windsor,[7] Earl Mountbatten' [8] Frank Sinatra,[4] and Fred Astaire.[9]

The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in October 2013.[10] It currently operates 23 stores in the United Kingdom, with the main store on Jermyn Street.[11] Hawes & Curtis also has a store in Cologne, Germany, and the UAE. The company operates a British, German and Australian website.

References

  1. ↑ Hawes & Curtis eyes US and concessions in growth drive. Retail Week 10 April 2008
  2. ↑ The London Gazette 5 December 1922
  3. ↑ The London Gazette. 12 July 1938.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hawes & Curtis ties up £3.2m Middle East deal. Alistair Osborne. The Telegraph. 11 August 2013
  5. ↑ Hawes & Curtis eyes US and concessions in growth drive. Retail Week. 10 April 2008
  6. ↑ Torregrossa, R 2006, Cary Grant A Celebration Of Style, Bullfinch Press, Hackette Book Group USA, London. (p.32)
  7. ↑ The Duke & Duchess of Windsor: The Private Collections 1997, Sotheby’s, New York: "The Duke’s famous ‘Windsor Knot’ was achieved by having his London shirt makers Hawes & Curtis put a thick interlining in his ties to make the knot fatter." The Windsor Style.1987. Suzy Menkes. Grafton Books
  8. ↑ How Hawes & Curtis built an online international business. Veebs Sabharwal. Retail Gazette. 12 February 2008.
  9. ↑ Style setters: Mr. Fred Astaire. Mr Porter The Journal. June 19, 2012.
  10. ↑ Hawes and Curtis celebrate 100 years of luxury shirts. James Haskell. The Sloaney. 10 October 2013
  11. ↑ "Hawes & Curtis Flagship Store". Jerymn Street.

External links