Dents

Dents is a British company that crafts luxury leather gloves, handbags, small leather goods. Dents is known for its hand cutting, sewing, and stitching techniques, which are still practised today on some limited top end products, most merchandise being purchased from third-party factories.

Dents
TypePrivate company
IndustryRetail
FoundedWorcester, England (1777 (1777))[1]
FounderJohn Dent
Headquarters
Warminster, England
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
Productsgloves, handbags, small leather goods
ParentDewhurst Dent plc
Websitewww.dentsgloves.com

History

Dents was established in Worcester in 1777 as a manufacturer of fine leather gloves by John Dent (1751–1811).[1] It is possibly Britain's oldest existing fashion manufacturer. Dent's sons, John and William, helped the company expand throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1845, mechanical sewing was introduced to the company to assist craftspeople.[2]

In 1847 the business became Dent, Allcroft & Co. when John Derby Allcroft ran the company. Under Allcroft, annual production quadrupled to over 12 million pairs in 1884 and Dents became the premier glove producer in the world.[3]

Dents is also known for historically providing leather gloves to the British Royal Family, such as George VI and Elizabeth II's coronation gloves.[1][2] Other notable historical figures that wore Dents gloves include Lord Nelson, and Queen Victoria.[4] Dents' gloves have been featured in several films. Examples include the unlined black gloves worn by Daniel Craig portraying James Bond in the 2012 movie, Skyfall,[5] the black gloves worn by Michael Keaton portraying Batman in 1989 film, Batman, and the purple suede gloves worn by Jack Nicholson portraying the Joker in the same film.[4]

The company has a modern factory in Warminster, Wiltshire, having been present in the town since 1937.[6] Since sometime before 1992, the company has been a subsidiary of Dewhurst Dent plc, a maker of fashion accessories based in Bolton.[7]

Products

The firm exports to Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, and has expanded to include belts, handbags, hats, serapes, and other small leather goods in the Dents Collection.

The glove patterns used today date back to 1839.[2] Each pair of Dents Heritage gloves is handmade in England by a Dents craftsman. Every glove is individually bench cut. Quirks, which are small, diamond-shaped pieces of leather, are hand sewn at the base of the fingers in order to provide a snug fit. Dents craftsmen also utilize a hand felling technique in which the cuff of the glove is stitched to the lining, improving the gloves' shape and comfort. Dents Heritage gloves are made with peccary skins, North American deerskin, and fine aniline Ethiopian hairsheep leathers.[8] Heritage gloves are available in a handful of stores worldwide with a luxury price tag and should not be confused with the imported gloves sold in most stores.

References
  1. "Dents — History". dents.co.uk. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Dent, Allcroft and Co". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  4. "In Pictures: Dents Glove Museum". BBC Wiltshire. 12 October 2009.
  5. "Dents Unlined Leather Gloves". 3 November 2012.
  6. "Dent, Allcroft and Co". Graces Guide. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  7. "Dents Limited: Report and Financial Statements". Companies House. 19 July 1995. p. 2. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  8. "Lederen handschoenen en kleine lederwaren - Dents".
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