STYLE – Name To Know: The Best Bespoke Shirts From Hilditch & Key
Words: Holly
Every discerning gentleman knows that there are only 2 streets in London really worth knowing about; Savile Row and, of course, Jermyn Street. From shoe and boot makers, to classic hats, it truly is a one-stop-shopping destination for the well dressed man and it wouldn’t be complete without the iconic Hilditch & Key. Long recognised as London’s leading Jermyn Street shirt maker with a reputation among the discerning, for the finest gentleman’s shirts, knitwear and clothing. Hilditch & Key offer an extremely popular Made to Measure (Custom Made) service which earned them the Financial Times of London’s description as “Europe’s leading maker of custom shirts”.
As one of the most prestigious names on Jermyn Street, Hilditch & Key produces shirts of the very highest quality. The world-renowned shirt makers combine maximum comfort, durability and elegance with exceptional attention to detail. In 1899, Charles F. Hilditch and W. Graham Key left the shirt making company Harman’s Duke Street to open their own shop in Tottenham Court Road. The partnership garnered instant success and it wasn’t long before the name Hilditch & Key was a go-to for the fashionable London gentry in search of beautifully made bespoke shirts. Such success unsurprisingly caused for expansion into a larger premises, to the corner of Duke Street and Jermyn Street.
During the London “Blitz” of World War II, the St. James’s shop and a large workroom in Store Street were both destroyed on the same night and temporary premises were founded at 65 Jermyn Street. After a short while the company moved to 39 Jermyn Street and in 1978 an additional shop was acquired in Jermyn Street at No. 37. Hilditch & Key shirts still remain one of the most well known, and loved, shirt makers on Jermyn Street to this day, made from the finest quality materials; fine wool and cotton blends, crisp cottons and two-fold cotton poplin with real shell buttons allow a wide choice to suit every gentleman’s needs. Our favourite touches? They will even embroider the customer’s initials on the shirts (by hand) and even engrave his initials on the buttons – it’s the little touches that will keep you coming back here time and time again.
By Holly Macnaghten
By Holly Macnaghten Twitter @HollyMacnaghten
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