T. M. Lewin
Encyclopedia
It was founded in 1898 when Thomas Mayes Lewin opened his first shop in Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a street in the City of Westminster, central London, to the south, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly.It is well known as a street where the shops are almost exclusively aimed at the Gentleman's market and is famous for its resident shirtmakers Jermyn Street is a street in the...
, St James's, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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T. M. Lewin produced shirts and accessories with a history of innovation, its founder being one of the first to make the 'coat-shirt', a shirt that the wearer put on like a coat, fastening the buttons down the front. This novelty was noted in the London Opinion and Today newspaper in 1905.
An article by "The Major" in a November 1905 edition of London Opinion and Today stated that:
"...the shirt is shaped very much like a coat and is put on in a similar manner, fastening in the front with studs. One of its greatest advantages is that it fits closer than the ordinary shirt. Another point is that it has not, of course, to be put over the head. Thus there is no chance of a man who is accustomed to brush his hair before putting on his shirt ruffling his hair in the putting on process."
T. M. Lewin & Sons traded through both World Wars and it was during this period that the company became a provider of Club Colours, becoming a supplier to the RAF, the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, the School tie
School tie
The school tie and the old school tie are a style of necktie which are British institutions particularly associated with public schools.-School tie:...
and the sporting community.
In 1979 T. M. Lewin & Sons was acquired by the McKenna family and in 1980 Geoff Quinn, the current managing director, joined the company from Turnbull & Asser
Turnbull & Asser
Turnbull & Asser is a British clothier established in 1885. In addition to its flagship store on Jermyn Street in London, England it also has two United States locations, one in New York City and one in Beverly Hills, California....
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The McKennas and Geoff Quinn took to sourcing the shirts directly from the mills; consequently in 1983 T. M. Lewin acquired Asquith Brown, a shirt manufacturer owned by John Francomb, who subsequently became part of the T. M. Lewin management team. As a consequence of direct sourcing the company grew rapidly in the 1980s.
In 1989 T. M. Lewin opened its second store, in Lime Street, London and in 1993 Geoff Quinn became managing director following the deaths of both McKenna brothers.
During the 1990s T. M. Lewin continued to open further stores and expand its product ranges, creating the fit out which is used in all stores throughout the UK. It introduced classic suits in 2005, after two years of development.
Club ties are still a major part of the business, with regimental ties for the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, colleges and universities. The ties for the London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham. The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997...
were supplied by T. M. Lewin.
Today's store on Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a street in the City of Westminster, central London, to the south, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly.It is well known as a street where the shops are almost exclusively aimed at the Gentleman's market and is famous for its resident shirtmakers Jermyn Street is a street in the...
still keeps many of the old traditions, including school ties and regimental ties, of which some belong to regiments where there are only a few survivors who still wear these colours that they earned in the Second World War and other fields of conflict.
Today T. M. Lewin has 75 stores in the UK and Ireland, 38 of them in Greater London, and eight House of Fraser concessions. Its product range now caters for both men and women and includes:
- formal, work and casual shirts
- formal, work and casual trousers
- suits
- coats
- knitwear
- ties
- cufflinks
- bowties
- accessories
T. M. Lewin also offers a tailoring service.
T. M. Lewin's Shirts are no longer made in the UK. The company does still provide old school ties for many major British public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
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In the last four years it has started operating through telephony and online in addition to its branch network.