Thursday, 12 December 2013

BA BA BAHRAIN


No sooner than I had cut the ribbon for our Regent St shop opening than I was on a plane heading once more to the Middle East, destination this trip, Bahrain. Yes you guessed, another shop opening, if we carry on at this rate I am going to need a double. 



As with most Middle East countries shopping takes place in Malls, this was to be no exception. Our new shop is located on the 1st floor of the Bahrain City Centre Mall. Anchoring the mall as seems to be the tradition was the very smart Kempinski Hotel, and being German owned everything worked seamlessly for my overnight stay. There being no meetings scheduled for the morning gave me the opportunity to see a little bit of Bahrain. 


The official tour guide had been arranged from the Ministry of Culture, a very well informed man named Ali Saleh who in a mere two hours proceeded to educate me about the history of Bahrain. I learnt that Bahrain had originally made its name in pearl diving not, oil as I had always presumed.  I was pleased to learn that the Bahrainians are passionate about their ancient culture, leading one prominent citizen to trawl the world seeking out lost Arabian books that were mainly to be found in the West and creating a museum to house these treasures. 


I had said that whilst I admired all the towering sky scrapers, could he take me to see something of old Bahrain. We headed to Muharraq Island where ancient houses and streets had been restored which for me was what visitors to the Middle East are most excited by. We stopped by the souk that was bustling with market traders selling hand woven rugs, clothes shops that had changed little from the 1970s with advertising that  was so dated it would be fashionable in Hoxton. I paused to look in the window of a shop selling vintage watches and noticed on the dial of one of the watches a name which at first I thought I had misread so I put my glasses on and took a closer look and it indeed read Durex, it was a schoolboy moment as I imagined if asked what make was my watch I could exclaim, " I'm wearing a Durex".


 
We continued the tour visiting a magnificent Fort built by the Portuguese in 1529 and now sensitively renovated. By now it was a balmy 30 degrees as we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the afternoon's interviews. Naturally I wore the Khaki lightweight suit that I mentioned in my last blog and which I was frequently photographed in, meaning I would need a quick change for the party in the evening otherwise they might think, poor fellow he's only got one suit. I wore a one button unlined blue cotton chambray suit and coincidentally one that had Mother of Pearl buttons; it was formal without being stuffy. 

It was a glittering party being firstly introduced to the British Ambassador Iain Lindsay who in turn introduced me to Sheik Alkhalifa of the Bahrain Royal Family who remarked that his family shopped in our London stores. There is something about the people of Bahrain that I found different on my previous trips to the Middle East not only are they extremely friendly but a sense of relaxation pervades the atmosphere one that I could become accustomed to very easily. I am looking forward to their opening another shop in the region to give me the perfect excuse to take them up on their kindness and hospitality. 

Jeremy Hackett

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Monday, 9 December 2013

In The Red

Last week I bowled up at our latest shop opening in Regent St in a magnificent bright red Aston Martin DB6, kindly provided by Nicholas Mee, who's showroom in Goldhawk road West London has some of the finest examples of pre owned Aston's in the country.


The moment I slipped into the passenger seat ( it was far too valuable a vehicle for me to drive ) I was filled with nostalgia by the overwhelming aroma of the well worn leather seats reminding me of my Father's first car a Morris 8 Type E which I always referred  to as an E Type.


Our new store is the largest Hackett shop to date and with a splendid Georgian Facade. It is spread over 3 floors linked by a metal industrially inspired staircase with Hackett London stamped on the risers that gives the feeling of rising out of the depth of an old London tube station.


We have included in the shop a monogramming service where you can have your purchases personally embossed or monogrammed, something that I have always been fond of, somehow it gives you complete ownership of the item and if is a gift, it shows that you have given some thought to the recipient. 

Speaking of gifts with Christmas looming and being a firm believer in Father Christmas I have already sent my Christmas wish list to him. On top of that list is a bright red Aston Martin DB6. I am sure Nicholas Mee will give him a favourable price. Failing that I'll settle for a Hackett bright red cashmere scarf which I know Father Christmas will have no trouble dropping down my chimney.

Jeremy Hackett

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Friday, 29 November 2013

Arabian Night and Day

As my BA flight left Abu Dhabi and hurtled down the runway into a starlit midnight blue Arabian night my thoughts turned to the day's proceedings. I had arrived in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the opening of a Hackett shop in the newly opened prestigious shopping mall La Galleria steps away from the recent arrival of a Rosewood hotel, where I had the good fortune to be staying.




At breakfast sitting on a terrace I gazed out and marvelled at the amount of building works being carried out as Abu Dhabi bids to compete with it's sister city Dubai a mere hundred miles down the road. For a City  that is currently celebrating only it's forty second birthday it is making remarkable inroads to achieving it's rightful place as the capital of the United Arab Emirates. I noticed on the adjacent table three British chaps who were all wearing similar slightly crumpled lightweight suits that were in tones of khaki and tan and worn with white shirts and striped ties it struck me that they looked like they could have been from the Foreign Office or Times  war correspondents from the 1960s, only a film Leica camera would have completed the picture.




Surreptitiously I tried to take a snap at which point my battery failed and I missed my Cartier Bresson moment. I made a mental note to wear on my trip to Bahrain in a couple of weeks a similar outfit. I managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing and took a taxi to the Mosque an incredible and imposing building that dominates the Abu Dhabi skyline. I had never before been inside a Mosque and the scale of this one was overwhelming the size of a football pitch with a beautiful and intricately hand woven carpet throughout.  




I had lunch at a revolving restaurant called Tiara that gave me an overview of the whole city and the islands it it is built on, unlike Dubai there was no need to manufacture the islands. I sampled the most delicious lemonade with fresh mint, in fact I followed it with another. With sightseeing done with I spent the afternoon engaging with journalists which in the event turned out to be a lot of fun. Our party in the evening attracted the great and good Abu Dhabians with Arabian Gentleman turned out in their traditional white robes leaving me to ponder how on earth do they manage to keep them so immaculately white. No sooner have I put on a tie then I have spilt something down it.

Now at thirty eight thousand feet the stewardess welcomed me back and so soon and handed me a pair of pyjama's -- not quite in the realm of Derek Rose the eponymous nightwear manufacturer, but now I am being finickity. Having changed into my PJs I found my bed already made up. I wondered if the blue sky thinkers at BA had ever thought about developing onesies. Would I ever take a selfie in a onesie, never, too poncy!. Goodnight. 

 Jeremy Hackett

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Thursday, 14 November 2013

Top Hat

Following on from my last blog about Globetrotter, one day I was in our Sloane Street shop and chatting to the staff  in our formal wear department when they said that several customers had requested that we stock hat boxes for their top hats. 

Giving it some thought, I decided that Globetrotter would be the perfect maker.  

I am convinced that my fascination with Globetrotter stems from the fact that in the 1940s my Grandmother ran the luggage department of the long gone Army and Navy stores in Victoria, where you could buy anything from a suit to a garden shed and it would be dispatched to serving military personnel in the then British Empire. My Grandmother looked after the requirements of such luminaries as Winton Churchill, providing him with Globetrotter cases. 

I decided that the hat box would be made in black with grey corners reflecting morning dress kit. I then had the base of the box lined with striped morning dress trouser material and the lid with dove grey waistcoat fabric. 




With silk top hats now commanding huge prices it seems only sensible to invest in one of these handsome boxes - if only to prevent someone sitting on your extremely valuable hat and crushing it. 

Jeremy Hackett

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Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Globe Trotting

Realising that I had a world trip ahead of me I decided that I needed some grown up luggage for the trip that was to take in Australia (for pleasure) onto Singapore and Japan (for work).

I headed to Globetrotter in Burlington Arcade where I chose three suitcases from the Expedition range made to celebrate Sir Edmond Hilary's conquest of Mount Everest in 1953 (although the only heights I would be scaling would be the eight floors of Isetan in Tokyo the largest Men's store in the world, by escalator naturally).

1930s advertising display inferring that Globetrotter
cases are as strong as an Elephant. I couldn't agree more.
The cases were dark green trimmed with brown leather, to add a touch of colour I had them monogrammed in crimson so that anyone would think twice before trying to steal them. They were lined in green Ventile cotton - the same material that Sir Edmond's outerwear jackets were made from.

My monogrammed Globetrotter trio

Ventile is a cloth we have used at Hackett in the past and is a tightly woven cotton that can stand up to extreme weather. Twenty years on I still own a jacket made from this illustrious fabric. 

Vintage Ventile cotton outerwear jacket by Hackett circa 1992
For once packing was a joy as I was no longer cramming my suits into duffle type bags, rather I was able to lay my suits out neatly and despite being in the cases for nearly a week I was able to wear them immediately upon arrival in Tokyo.

Arriving at Heathrow, laden down with my set of Globetrotter cases and with admiring glances from porters to staff at the BA check-in desk a thought occurred to me... Thank goodness I wasn't travelling by Ryanair because their excess baggage charges would have bankrupted me.

Surely you're not going away again?
Jeremy Hackett

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Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Might As Well Have The Best

It must have been about fifteen years ago that I first came across Filson. 

I was in New York at the time and whilst in the Eddie Bauer shop, I spotted this really heavy duty luggage and when I saw the label with the strap line, "Might as well have the best" I was smitten. 

I bought a couple of the bags made from an incredibly tough canvas and trimmed with bridle leather. I have travelled the globe, and these purposeful bags have never let me down. They are the ultimate man bags. 

A couple of my old Filson bags and hunting cap
I am thrilled to say that we are now stocking  in our Hackett Spitalfields store examples of  this illustrious luggage in the classic tan and dark green. They are the perfect bags to complement tweed jackets and heavy brogues. 

I particularly like the travel dog bowl, a great Christmas present for your hound.

Muffin showing Impeccable table manners
Muffin attacks her Filson Dog bowl

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Monday, 14 October 2013

Prince of Wales Check

A while ago I was invited to a luncheon at Highgrove hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales, to discuss one of his many initiatives, The Campaign for Wool. 

Prince Charles was very concerned that sheep were not being sheared because the price for wool had diminished substantially. 

If you look around the Hackett shops you will notice a great number of woollen products, so the quandary for me was how could Hackett help to raise awareness of this important issue. It struck me as I sat opposite the Prince resplendent in a Prince of Wales check suit that perhaps it was time to revive this most quintessentially of British cloths. 

Inspired as I was by Prince Charles I felt the need to express my gratitude, which prompted me to contact The Prince's Trust, a charity that is close to the heart of the Prince with the purpose to help disadvantaged young people.


We came to an arrangement with the Trust that for every product that bore the Prince's Trust emblem we would make a donation to the trust. So last week we launched The Prince of Wales Check at the Hackett Sloane Street store.
Prince of Wales Check Suit with Muffin
Appropriately, all the product is made in the British Isles; the P.O.W. tweed was woven in Scotland, the P.O.W. flannel came from Fox Bros in Somerset and the P.O.W worsted from Huddersfield. What could be more British?


Prince Of Wales Check Cornflower Button Hole
We have made the cloth into suits and jackets and added caps, picnic rugs and scarves. At the last moment I added P.O.W. tweed slippers, after reading that at the time that the Duke of Windsor was P.O.W. he owned a Cairn  terrier called 'Slipper', so I couldn't resist including them in the collection.

During the evening at Sloane Street, several speeches were made but one that shall remain with me was from one of the Prince'sTrust ambassadors, a young man named Kevin, spoke movingly about how the Trust had supported him and enabled him to start his own gardening business which is now flourishing. Having begun with only one customer he now has 70 regular clients. 

So anyone making a purchase from The Prince of Wales collection will also enjoy the satisfaction of helping what is an incredible charity.



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