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Hackett London, home of the quintessential British style, unveiled its first outlet in the kingdom last month at Bahrain City Centre with a glamorous affair befitting of the popular brand.
The founder and chairman of the British menswear company, Jeremy Hackett, touched down on the island for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and to introduce shoppers to his Autumn Winter 2013 collection, which oozes timeless classically cut suits, jackets, Polo shirts and more.
Mr Hackett said: “We have been growing steadily in the Middle East for about four years now and have had a lot of interest in Bahrain. It just seemed like the right time for us and the reception has been great.
“I think there has been an appetite generally around the world for British style. It’s something that people enjoy dressing up for, from its heritage to the occasions we celebrate.
“People in this region are great customers and seem to be taken with the brand.”
According to Mr Hackett’s The Mr Classic Blog, it was a glittering party where he was firstly introduced to the British Ambassador Iain Lindsay, who in turn introduced him to a member of the Bahrain Royal Family, who remarked that his family shopped in his London stores.
As the event went on, shoppers were in awe of the collection as well as the interior which included special touches such as umbrella door handles, top-hat lamp shades and antique travel trunks.
Hackett’s Autumn/Winter line featured design elements that blend British heritage with modernity. The looks boast the eccentricities of the British artist to the recognisable style of the academic as well as the uniform of the military daredevil and the energy of the racing driver. The Hackett range consists of flawless tailoring, luxurious casual wear and a range of accessories making it a one-stop shop for the modern gentleman. For the collector, there is a limited edition Bahrain Polo shirt available at the outlet.
The brand was founded in 1979 by Mr Hackett and Ashley Lloyd-Jennings, starting from humble beginnings with a stall selling second-hand traditional British men’s clothing on London’s Portobello Road.
With a thriving small business in Portobello, the dynamic duo made a big step up into the retail market, launching their first shop under the name Hackett at the wrong end of the New King’s Road in Parson’s Green, London.
Still selling fine quality second-hand traditional British clothing and accessories, the label soon gained cult status and market demand was exceeding the supply. Hence, the founders decided that the answer was to manufacture products from scratch to complement the second-hand offering. Working with traditional manufacturers, they were able to create their ideal range of clothing and accessories based on their extensive knowledge of British men’s style.
Mr Hackett said: “Our little shop just took off, but the selection of the clothes wasn’t just second hand it was very specific offering gentlemanly suits and jackets, hunting clothes, evening attire and all very top of the range.
“People were buying beautiful handmade suits for 100 pounds and items were selling out fast. I couldn’t get enough secondhand clothes and keep the quality up to satisfy the demand. I thought ‘well there are certain items that people kept repeatedly wanting so why not make a little range of tweed jackets, corduroyed trousers, classic suits, shirts and ties and open a little shop next door’. Gradually people started saying: ‘oh that’s not bad’.
“Then in the end, the secondhand disappeared and it became Hackett.”
Ashraf BGDC is the distributor of Hackett London in Bahrain.
For details, contact the store located on the first level of Bahrain City Centre at17112717.
