PICTURED: JEREMY HACKETT.
Jermyn Street’s Open Door Series will be honouring the brands and businesses that make our street the home of gentleman’s style, and the pinnacle of British craftsmanship, by spotlighting your favourite brands, and the people behind them, as we get ready to invite you through our doors once more!
Jeremy Hackett started his business selling second-hand, high-quality, British clothing that he sourced from Portabello Market, and went on to found a company that now has 160 stores globally and is famed for its excellent-quality gentleman’s attire.
As a young man, in the 1960s, Jeremy Hackett worked on Saville Row, and this was where he first fell in love with the quintessentially-British clothing worn by the early-20th-Century gentleman. The expertise he gained on Saville Row, coupled with his eye for beautiful pieces, meant that, when he began sourcing vintage clothing from Portabello Market, people flocked to buy from his collection. Having spent Saturdays rifling through the stalls, finding vintage Saville Row suites and exclusive pieces of menswear, Mr Hackett slowly built a loyal customer base who couldn’t get enough of his findings. Such was the scale of demand that, in 1983, he opened his first store, selling second-hand clothes on xthe King’s Road, Chelsea. It was during this time that he began to create his own garments, blending traditional styles with more modern cuts.
Again, demand soared and Mr Hackett opened another store next door to his original shop and began creating even more of his own designs, eventually replacing the vintage stock with his own pieces. His customers were won over by the attention to detail and the quality of materials used in every one of his pieces, a sure sign that creating his own work was the route for Mr Hackett to go down, and this is how, in 1985, the Hackett London we know today was born. Since then, the brand has grown exponentially, striving to offer Savile Row style garments in an accessible price range.
The Hackett London of today has over 160 stores in more than 30 countries, including their iconic store at 87 Jermyn Street. They now make clothes for boys as well as men, and also sell a range of accessories. Even though Hackett have gone global, they still retain their values, offering a Bespoke Suit service, which allows their clients to become the designer and have full creative control, and a Made-to-Measure service, where a suit is made from an existing pattern then altered to perfectly fit the individual customer, for an extra touch of luxury.
Despite barely turning thirty five, Hackett London has made a huge impact on the menswear scene and cemented itself as an iconic British brand. Hackett are known for sponsoring quintessentially British events, like the famous Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, as well as their long-term partnership with Aston Martin, another brand at the height of British luxury. In fact, they have just unveiled their “Aston Martin Racing by Hackett, Spring/Summer 2021” range to celebrate their unique 20-year relationship.
From its inception as a vintage clothes store right up to where it is today, Hackett London has celebrated classic British heritage style, and all that Jermyn Street stands for.