Style – Fox Brothers
Words: Violet
Walking towards the Fox Brothers factory, you know you’ve found something special. Outside the Tonedale Mill in Wellington, Somerset, one can easily hear the tic-tic-tic of looms producing cloth in the same location that the company has done for 240 years. You might not expect this small town in Somerset to be synonymous with the wool and cloth industry, but I meet Douglas Cordeaux, co-owner of Fox Brothers, to discuss just why this manufacturer is the first name when it comes to high-quality cloth.
“We use very slow looms,” points out Douglas, “our flannel is very difficult to make and here are an incredible number of people involved in making Fox Brothers flannel”. It is no wonder, therefore, that Fox Brothers has been the maker of choice for men such as Edward VII, Cary Grant and Jeremy Hackett, all icons in their own right. Winston Churchill even chose to wear Fox Brothers cloth with a cigar and Tommy Gun.
Admittedly, Fox Bros. cloth doesn’t come cheap. “You can make a suit in the UK but its going to be out of most people’s budget” Douglas says before showing me a supremely cut Reefer jacket which will set you back £780. Then again, this isn’t just a coat which will last you your whole life “but for somebody else’s life as well”. Sure, some modern city men, aware of fashions changing by the year might see this as rather fusty – an attitude fit for the 19th century only. But here, there is a sense that the process of buying a suit is personal and entirely free of pretence – a time capsule where you’ll make-do-and-mend rather than throw away. And, in this writer’s opinion, the simplicity and comfort in a traditionally made, long-lasting product, will far outweigh the seasonal fashion change.
Getting suit made by Fox Brothers isn’t the easiest of processes. It’s a day trip. Prospective owners are encouraged to make the journey to Wellington to be measured for a suit and to find the right cloth for them. That’s at least 2 hours by train from London – we say it’s a small commitment looking for a Fox Bros. suit. For a cloth you’ll choose from over 240 years of fabrics from their substantial archives. In fact, of these, Douglas said “it’s rather like owning a listed building… but this isn’t just a museum. It’s a working archive”. The rest of the country’s tailors aren’t exactly void of Fox Brothers cloth, either: “our cloth is in everybody’s collection – but at the top” (I was possibly unnecessarily surprised therefore to find that Douglas’ jacket was of Fox Brothers cloth but made by a European tailor). So of course, you could still be buying a suit made of Fox Brothers cloth, whether it be made by Austin Reed or Turnbull and Asser. Look out for them next time you’re around Jermyn Street or Saville Row.
It’s probably a name you’ll start to see more often. In 2010, Deborah Meaden co-purchased Fox Brothers with Douglas Cordeaux and the company has continued to progress. Most excitingly, the initiative was taken to create the retail brand that is now at the forefront of Fox Brothers cloth: The Merchant Fox. Douglas was showing me around the Merchant Fox Shop in Wellington and this “is the real deal” as Douglas proudly puts it. “We were founded in 1772, but as a brand we don’t even brag about that”. This heritage isn’t dwindling either: the lady who does the lining in on Fox Brothers suits is “fourth generation” and the cloth has been made in the same location throughout the company’s history. While re-upholstering sofas in tweed isn’t exactly The Merchant Fox’s most traditional or cheapest trade (‘Vintage Knowle Sofa’ is £4,995), it does show The Merchant Fox is easing its way into the home and interiors market as well.
So what now? Where will you see Fox Brothers and The Merchant Fox in the future? As with the menswear, The Merchant Fox offers more timeless items which lean towards autumn wear, but Douglas says he wants to “expand into luxury women’s wear”. This could certainly create some great competition for some of the hegemonies of womenswear. Perhaps Fox Brothers’ house check can be the new style for women searching for pastures new. Watch out Burberry.
Tickled your curiosity? You can have a look at The Merchant Fox at themerchantfox.co.uk
By Hugo Dunn
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