Drake's (haberdashers)

Drake’s was founded in 1977 by Michael Drake. The original Drake’s collection was composed of men’s scarves.[1] Drake’s went on to produce handmade ties and pocket squares, for which it is now known.

When Michael Drake retired in 2010, Drake's was acquired and taken over by Michael Hill,[2] Michael Drake’s previous understudy and lead designer, and Mark Cho,[3] co-founder of The Armoury[4] haberdashers in Hong Kong.

Drake's has a history of collaborative projects with Fred Perry,[5] Adam Dant,[6] Nackymade Glasses, Aime Leon Dore,[7] Private white,[8] and Royal College of Arts[9]

On 20 May 2011 Drake’s opened its retail shop at 3 Clifford Street,[10] London. Formally the home of an art and antiques gallery, it is situated just between Savile Row and Bond Street. The interior of the store features Harris Tweed armchairs, wood floors and cabinetry from the Natural History Museum.

In April 2013, Drake’s moved its tie factory to 3 Haberdasher Street,[11] London. Drake’s combined all aspects of the Drake’s business under one roof; the factory, design studio, showroom, warehouse, head office and Factory Shop.

In July 2013 Drake's acquired the Rayner and Sturges[12] shirt factory[13] in Chard, Somerset. In doing so, Drake's has inherited a workforce of 35 producing handmade, bespoke and ready-to-wear shirts.

As well as producing private label, Michael Hill relaunched the historic Cleeve shirting brand,[14] owned by Rayner and Sturges, and introduced the first capsule collection of ready-to-wear shirts into the Drake's store on 3 Clifford Street and online.

Drakes has won several awards for prestige in its area such as Queen's Award for Export[15] and the UK Fashion Export Gold Award.[16]

• East London

• Drake's