Drake’s
SIMULTANEOUSLY AT ONE with and divergent from the tropes of classic British menswear, Drake’s is a light, bright and resolutely contemporary retort to all that is stodgy, uptight and patrician. Established by Michael Drake in 1977, its ethos owes much to the haute Bohemian style of late-career Cecil Beaton at the moment it overlapped with that of early-career David Hockney. The Drake’s look is the look of today’s monied creatives: dapper but unstructured, elegant but relatively (when not actually) informal. It’s a mood reflected in a flagship store decorated with bamboo, pot plants, jaunty upholstery and original artworks by leading painters and illustrators. While Drake’s approach to style is relaxed, its approach to quality is not.
On the contrary, the materials and finishes are first-rate. Drake’s ties, including its bestselling navy grenadine, are handmade in its factory in East London. Its button-down shirts, which come in 29 different colours, hail from Chard in Somerset. This is, as I say, recognisably British clothing, albeit with nods to Italy, the French Riviera and the preppy playgrounds of the US. That explains the abundance of denim and suede as well as corduroy and flannel, and of linen suits and matelot tops for all one’s summer getaway needs. Every bit as fresh and youthful as its garments, Drake’s accessories include printed scarves designed in-house, with patterns derived from an extensive archive amassed over several decades.
See also: Liberty, New & Lingwood, Pentreath & Hall
