Turnbull & Asser

Last updated

Turnbull & Asser Limited
Company type Private
Industry Clothing
Founded1885;139 years ago (1885)
FoundersJohn Arthur Turnbull
Ernest Asser
Headquarters
London, W1
United Kingdom
Number of locations
London (2)
New York (1)
Products Shirts, knitwear, suits, accessories, hosiery
Services Bespoke, made-to-measure, ready-to-wear
Website turnbullandasser.com

Turnbull & Asser is a British shirt-maker that was established in 1885. The company has its flagship store on Jermyn Street in the St James's area of London and its bespoke store around the corner on Bury Street. In addition to the two London stores, the company has a shop in New York City.

Contents

History

The business was founded in 1885 by John Arthur Turnbull, a hosier and shirt-maker, at 3 Church Place, St James's. Turnbull met Ernest Asser, a salesman, later on in 1893. Together, they opened a hosiery under the name "John Arthur Turnbull" in St James's located in England. As the neighborhood was the site of numerous gentlemen's clubs and high-end haberdashers, the business flourished. The name was changed to "Turnbull & Asser" in 1895.[ citation needed ]

In 1903, after continued success, Turnbull & Asser moved to its present location at the corner of Jermyn Street and Bury Street. In 1915, during World War I, Turnbull & Asser developed a raincoat which doubled as a sleeping bag for the British military. It is known as the Oilsilk Combination Coverall & Ground Sheet. [1]

Between the 1920s and the 1970s, Turnbull & Asser grew its London business from a haberdashery to a clothier, expanding into sportswear, clothing (both bespoke and ready-to-wear), and ready-to-wear shirts. As its symbol, it used a hunting horn with a "Q" above, which it called the Quorn, a name it shares with one of the oldest hunts in England. Many of Turnbull & Asser's articles were called by this name, such as the popular "Quorn scarf".

During the 1960s, Turnbull & Asser was known for catering to the Swinging London set, with vibrant colors and modern designs. In 1962, Turnbull & Asser began to outfit the cinematic James Bond as first portrayed by Sean Connery, whose dress shirts had turnback cuffs fastened with buttons as opposed to cufflinks, referred to as "cocktail cuffs" or "James Bond cuffs". [1]

In the 1970s and 1980s, Turnbull & Asser began reviving some of the more traditional aspects of its business. The company found that Americans increasingly were buying its wares, so it began offering trunk shows at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Beginning in 1974, Turnbull & Asser sold ready-to-wear shirts in the United States through department stores Bonwit Teller and Neiman Marcus. For a brief period beginning in 1979, Turnbull & Asser even operated a small store in Toronto. Turnbull & Asser also opened a location in Beverly Hills in 2003 before closing several years later.

In February 2018, Turnbull & Asser posted a 1.2 Million pound loss, [2] leading to a £1m equity injection from its owner, Ali Fayed. [3]

Royal Warrant

Charles III has bought shirts from Turnbull & Asser since his youth. When, in 1980, the then Prince of Wales was granted the power of bestowing royal warrants, his first issue was granted to Turnbull & Asser. [4] He also wears Turnbull & Asser suits, made by the former Chester Barrie factory in Crewe, Cheshire. Following the retirement of Paul Cuss, the Royal Warrant was passed down to Steven Quin, who currently heads the bespoke department in Bury Street.

Today

Shirts and ties are still made in its Gloucester factory. [5]

In addition to its retail stores, the company hosts seasonal bespoke shirt trunk shows in key cities around the world, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Mumbai, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and more.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turnbull & Asser dedicated its Gloucester workroom to making medical-grade uniforms for National Health Service personnel. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savile Row</span> Street in Mayfair, London, England

Savile Row is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society at 1 Savile Row, where significant British explorations to Africa and the South Pole were planned; and more recently, the Apple office of the Beatles at 3 Savile Row, where the band's impromptu final live performance was held on the roof of the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jermyn Street</span> Street in the City of Westminster, London

Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers in the West End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpsons of Piccadilly</span> Retail Space in London, England

Simpsons of Piccadilly was a large retail store situated at 203-206 Piccadilly in central London. It was created by Alexander Simpson and architect Joseph Emberton. When it opened in April 1936 it was the largest menswear store in Britain, and is now a Grade I listed building due to its innovative construction. Its original purpose was to house the entire range of clothing provided by the tailoring company S. Simpsons and DAKS. It was later purchased by the Waterstones chain of bookshops, and currently serves as their flagship store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortnum & Mason</span> Department store in London, England

Fortnum & Mason is an upmarket department store in London, England. The main store is located at 181 Piccadilly in the St James's area of London, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. There are additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station and Heathrow Airport in Greater London, at K11 Musea in Hong Kong, as well as various stockists worldwide. Fortnum & Mason is privately owned by Wittington Investments Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dress shirt</span> Type of shirt

A dress shirt, button shirt, button-front, button-front shirt, or button-up shirt is a garment with a collar and a full-length opening at the front, which is fastened using buttons or shirt studs. A button-down or button-down shirt is a dress shirt with a button-down collar – a collar having the ends fastened to the shirt with buttons.

Gieves & Hawkes is a bespoke men's tailor and menswear retailer located at 1 Savile Row in London, England. The business was founded in 1771. It was acquired in 2012 by the Hong Kong conglomerate Trinity Ltd., which was in turn purchased by Shandong Ruyi in 2017. After Trinity was subject to a winding-up petition for debt in September 2021, Gieves & Hawkes was acquired in November 2022 by Frasers Group, owner of Sports Direct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Tyrwhitt</span> Mens clothing retailer

Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts Ltd., also known as CT Shirts, is a British multi-channel clothing retailer specialising in dress shirts, ties, suits, casualwear, shoes and accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lobb Bootmaker</span> British shoemaker

John Lobb Bootmaker is a company that manufactures and retails a luxury brand of shoes and boots, mainly for men but also for women. Leather goods such as wallets and belts are also available. Founded by John Lobb (1829–95), John Lobb Bootmaker has been in business since 1849 in London and circa 1900 in Paris. John Lobb's son William took over the business and after he died in 1916 the business was led by Betsy Lobb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floris of London</span> Fragrance and toiletries retailer in London, England, UK

Floris is the oldest English retailer of fragrance and toiletries and is still family owned and run today by the 8th and 9th generations of the family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asprey</span> British luxury goods company

Asprey, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, is a United Kingdom-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewellery, silverware, home goods, leather goods, timepieces, and a retailer of books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Huntsman & Sons</span>

H. Huntsman & Sons is a high-end fashion house and tailor located at No. 11 Savile Row, London. It is known for its English bespoke menswear tailoring, cashmere ready-to-wear collections, and leather accessories.

Oscar Udeshi is an industrial designer who works in product design, furniture design, jewellery, and clothing - luxury menswear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DAKS</span> British luxury fashion house

DAKS is a British luxury fashion house, founded in 1894 by Simeon Simpson in London. It is one of only 15 firms to have held royal warrants from three members of the Royal Family. Officially granted to DAKS' Simpson Piccadilly store in 1956 was the royal warrant of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, followed by that of the Queen in 1962 and Charles, Prince of Wales in 1982.

Chester Barrie was a 'semi-bespoke' gentleman's tailor last located at No. 19 Savile Row, London.

Thresher & Glenny, founded in 1755, is one of the world's oldest surviving tailors, shirt makers and outfitters. The company has held Royal Warrants since the late eighteenth century and makes court attire, and bespoke and ready-for-service gentlemen's garments including suits, jackets, shirts and ties. Today the company trades through a retail outlet at 1 Middle Temple Lane, in London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savile Row tailoring</span> Noted bespoke tailoring in Mayfair, London

Savile Row tailoring is men and women's bespoke tailoring that takes place on Savile Row and neighbouring streets in Mayfair, Central London. In 1846, Henry Poole, credited as being the "Founder of Savile Row", opened an entrance to his tailoring premises at No. 32 Savile Row. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers. The short street has been termed the "golden mile of tailoring", where customers have included Charles III, Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson, Napoleon III, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Laurence Olivier and Duke Ellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dege & Skinner</span> English tailor and shirt-maker

Dege & Skinner is a bespoke gentleman's tailor and shirt-maker located at 10 Savile Row, London. Founded in 1865, they are one of the oldest, continually operated bespoke tailoring companies in the world. They have the Row's first and only permanent on-site, bespoke shirt service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawes & Curtis</span> British clothier

Hawes & Curtis is a British fashion company founded in 1913, currently operating 29 stores in the United Kingdom including two in Jermyn Street, London. The brand is best known for their shirts and jackets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake's (haberdashers)</span>

Drake's is a British menswear haberdasher founded in 1977 by Michael Drake. Manufacturing in East London, Drake’s produces men’s accessories and shirting, and is predominantly known for its ties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benson & Clegg</span> Bespoke tailors and gentlemens outfitters in London

Benson & Clegg is a bespoke tailors and gentlemen's outfitters located at 9 Piccadilly Arcade, Jermyn Street in London.

References

  1. 1 2 "Turnbull & Asser Review" . Retrieved 4 July 2006.
  2. "Profits slip slightly at Royal shirt-maker Turnbull & Asser". 28 November 2018.
  3. "Turnbull & Asser receives investment as losses widen". 30 November 2018.
  4. "Turnbull & Asser: Royal Warrant". Turnbull & Asser. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  5. "Turnbull & Asser: The best of British". The Telegraph. London. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. Lerma, Martin (8 April 2020). "Turnbull & Asser Is Now Making Medical-Grade Scrubs for Britain's NHS". Robb Rerport. Retrieved 21 August 2020.