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Tie breaker: how Drake's became the purveyors of some of the world's finest ties
Creative director Michael Hill is helping Drake's celebrate four decades of design, craftsmanship and an expanding portfolio this year
My father was a tie maker, and he made ties for Drake's when the company was called Hill and Drake. When I was growing up, we'd drive to his factory on Saturdays, and I loved being surrounded by the cloth.
Around 13 years ago, I got a call from Michael Drake. He needed a right hand and I jumped at the chance to work with him. I knew him from my days working at Savile Row tailor Richard James, as he sometimes called in to say hello after he had an appointment with tailors such as Anderson & Sheppard and Huntsman - who he made ties for - and I was always fascinated by his world and what he did.
When I first joined Drake's, the company was specialising in ties and men's handkerchiefs, with shirts made in Italy. I thought since we were making ties in this country, it made sense that we made our own shirts here in England as well. Our tailoring still comes from Italy, however, as the tailors we work with there are the best at what they do.
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When creating the new clothing lines, we looked for things that were special and beautiful in terms of materials and fabrics, and always asked ourselves how we could make it better and not cheaper. We tend to break down traditional, formal menswear to make it a little softer and more comfortable, so you could absolutely wear it to work, yet it transitions seamlessly to the evening and the weekend, which is very relevant to how men dress today. It's elegant and a little playful - rooted in traditional British style but with a bit of international flair.
We use a lot of interesting prints and patterns, for example the unicorn is a motif we've used since the start. We have pocket squares with elephants and warriors on them and we also do an interesting take on a traditional hunting scene. We have a great archive that we're very connected to, and we look back at it to see how we can re-colour and re-imagine things that feel fresh for today. We're very inspired by India, and earlier this year we went to Jaipur to do some hand block printing, which is how printing used to be done by hand.
So we go around the world, we work with mills that we've worked with for more than thirty years, and every season is a small step on from the previous one. Authenticity is a word that's used a lot, but it's really important to us. Having our own factory gives us more flexibility and knowledge of what we're making, and I think this goes through to the customer.
As we began to sell other products, we wanted to be able to showcase them properly, so in 2011 we opened a new store on London's Clifford Street, between Bond Street and Savile Row. That flagship store was followed this year by our first stores in Tokyo and New York. We offer a made-to-measure service in each store, and there's a common thread between them all, but they each have a quirky individuality to them – for example in Tokyo, there's a beautiful painting of the Drake's factory done by my artist friend Dan, and in New York it's a little more flamboyant, as the space is larger.
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We're celebrating our 40-year anniversary this year, so as well as looking back at the past, it's an exciting time to look forward to the future.
MICHAEL HILL grew up spending time in his father's tie-making factory, before studying at London College of Fashion and working part time for tailor Richard James. He was approached by Michael Drake to join Drake’s in 2004, and has been the brand’s creative director since 2010
