Jaeger (clothing retailer)
Encyclopedia
Jaeger is a United Kingdom based high-end fashion brand and retailer of menswear and womenswear formed in 1884 by Lewis Tomalin (great grandfather of Nicholas Tomalin
).
As of 2009, Jaeger had more than 90 stores and concessions in the UK and overseas, including a flagship store on London’s Regent Street
.
The brand is named after the German zoologist and physiologist Dr Gustav Jaeger who advocated the benefits of clothing made of animal fibres rather than vegetable fibres.
Tomalin translated and published Jaeger’s teachings in English. In 1884, Tomalin opened a clothing store in London, named Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System.
The company was acquired by the Coats textile group in 1967. The brand has always been associated with smart classic clothing but by the end of the 1990’s the company felt that the brand had a stuffy and old-fashioned image. Coats attempted to rejuvenate the brand in the early 2000s, hiring Bella Freud
to design new clothing collections. The rejuvenation had limited success. It did not attract the younger customers as intended and probably alienated Jaeger’s existing middle-aged customers. http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/thedirectory/clothes/article/0,,791307,00.html
After the ailing fortunes, Coats sold Jaeger for a nominal fee of £1 to entrepreneur Richard Thomson in 2003.
The new owners of Jaeger, Harold Tillman
, acquired the lease on the Allders
flagship store in Croydon
from administrators Kroll
in 2005 and continue to trade under the Allders name in Croydon.
In mid-March 2004, Belinda Earl
was employed as CEO. More recently, the company has experienced positive recognition as a traditional British brand rejuvenating itself in a similar vein of fellow-British brand Burberry
and Pringle of Scotland
. In 2008, they appointed Stuart Stockdale
as their new Design Director.
Jaeger is not couture, but upwards in pricing, more expensive than High Street. During London Fashion Week
, on February 10, 2008, Jaeger London's first fashion show took place at the British Fashion Council Tent. In 2009 Jaeger celebrates its 125th anniversary with the publication of a book documenting its century and a quarter in business.
Nicholas Tomalin
Nicholas Osborne Tomalin was an English journalist and writer.Tomalin was the son of Miles Tomalin, a Communist poet and veteran of the Spanish Civil War. He studied English literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. As a student he was President of the Cambridge Union and editor of the prestigious...
).
As of 2009, Jaeger had more than 90 stores and concessions in the UK and overseas, including a flagship store on London’s Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
.
The brand is named after the German zoologist and physiologist Dr Gustav Jaeger who advocated the benefits of clothing made of animal fibres rather than vegetable fibres.
Tomalin translated and published Jaeger’s teachings in English. In 1884, Tomalin opened a clothing store in London, named Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System.
The company was acquired by the Coats textile group in 1967. The brand has always been associated with smart classic clothing but by the end of the 1990’s the company felt that the brand had a stuffy and old-fashioned image. Coats attempted to rejuvenate the brand in the early 2000s, hiring Bella Freud
Bella Freud
Bella Freud is a London-based fashion designer with a number of celebrity clients.-Life and career:Freud was born in London, England. She is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and artist Lucian Freud and great granddaughter of the inventor of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Her father Lucian Freud...
to design new clothing collections. The rejuvenation had limited success. It did not attract the younger customers as intended and probably alienated Jaeger’s existing middle-aged customers. http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/thedirectory/clothes/article/0,,791307,00.html
After the ailing fortunes, Coats sold Jaeger for a nominal fee of £1 to entrepreneur Richard Thomson in 2003.
The new owners of Jaeger, Harold Tillman
Harold Tillman
Harold Peter Tillman CBE is a British retail entrepreneur and investor. His current investments include Jaeger and Aquascutum.-Early life:Tillman was born into a Jewish family living in Brixton Hill, the only child of a Yorkshire-born tailor father who trained at Montagu Burton, and milliner mother...
, acquired the lease on the Allders
Allders
Allders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...
flagship store in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
from administrators Kroll
Kroll
Kroll is a surname and may refer to:* Eric Kroll, American photographer* Fredric Kroll, , American composer and writer* Henryk Kroll, , Polish politician, leader of German minority in Poland...
in 2005 and continue to trade under the Allders name in Croydon.
In mid-March 2004, Belinda Earl
Belinda Earl
Belinda Earl is businesswoman and current chief executive of Jaeger clothing line.She was born in Plymouth and attended St Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls...
was employed as CEO. More recently, the company has experienced positive recognition as a traditional British brand rejuvenating itself in a similar vein of fellow-British brand Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
and Pringle of Scotland
Pringle of Scotland
Pringle of Scotland is a luxury knitwear manufacturer and importer. The brand is worn by the likes of Madonna, DB7 , Nicole Kidman, Sophie Dahl, Claudia Schiffer, the television character Alan Partridge and British bands such as The Kooks, Dirty Pretty Things and The Twang...
. In 2008, they appointed Stuart Stockdale
Stuart Stockdale
Stuart Stockdale is an English fashion designer, born in Carlisle, Cumbria. He lives and works in London.-Biography:Stuart studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and went on to do a Master's degree at the Royal College of Art...
as their new Design Director.
Jaeger is not couture, but upwards in pricing, more expensive than High Street. During London Fashion Week
Fashion Week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...
, on February 10, 2008, Jaeger London's first fashion show took place at the British Fashion Council Tent. In 2009 Jaeger celebrates its 125th anniversary with the publication of a book documenting its century and a quarter in business.