David Vs Goliath | Hawkins & Shepherd take on London's Jermyn Street shirt makers

It really is a David vs Goliath battle. I launched Hawkins & Shepherd 3 years ago last month focusing on extremely high quality shirts with the best cotton and handmade tailoring. I did a lot of research when launching and tested the shirt quality of what is on London's Jermyn Street and found that on many occasions the quality wasn't as great as the street name suggests and seemed like profits took over from quality. A Hawkins & Shepherd shirt will always be handmade, which means the tailoring will always be the best it can be.  

Launching with a very limited budget the brand continues to be a one man band and at times it's extremely hard juggling my time from bringing out new designs, marketing, general admin and being the office tea boy! However year on year we have strong growth which is on target to continue into year 4. In a very saturated market, one of the toughest times for the retail sector in 20 years, a weak pound and retailers squeezing margins it's hard to believe how we are still in business but we are and people are starting to take note. Working on a shoe string budget, I'm competing with some well known shirt makers with £1m marketing budgets so it is down to you guys that Hawkins & Shepherd is able to continue to grow. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart all the support you give me and my company - it really means so much.

Hawkins & Shepherd signature Pin Collar Shirt

Hawkins & Shepherd signature Pin Collar Shirt

Hawkins & Shepherd still have the largest range of luxury Pin Collar Shirts globally, which is our signature range and growing. However we do not stop there. We have big ambitions to expand our range and 2016 has seen major investment for our Autumn Winter collection.

For example we have collaborated with luxury womenswear tailor Calder London to produce a range of designer suits using Savile Row British fabrics. Furthermore our biggest investment has come in producing a single and double-breasted 100% British cashmere overcoats. Available in both navy and camel as worn by Britain's supermodel and fashion ambassador David Gandy.

David Gandy wears Hawkins & Shepherd and loves the brand so much that he wore our cashmere overcoat in a recent advert for Wellman Vitabiotics. Check out the behind the scenes footage below:

Hawkins & Shepherd have just launched their Shirt Subscription Service. This was setup because I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to wear a Hawkins & Shepherd shirt because I believe that when you have tried our shirts you will not go back to buying cheap 5 shirts for £100 deals that are out there currently. By signing up to the subscription service you can spread the cost of one shirt over 2 or even 3 months and still get a discount on the retail price. The 'Enthusiast' subscription package is meant for the business traveller who churns through shirts and can receive a fresh crisp shirt every month with free delivery. Not only can you choose a payment plan that suits your needs, you can also specify the shirt colour and shirt collar types that you prefer and Hawkins & Shepherd will do their best to fulfil this request.

For more information, click on the image below.

 

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Founder of this eponymous blog, focusing on men's fashion & lifestyle.