Wilkes Bashford
Encyclopedia
Wilkes Bashford is an upscale store for women and men in the Union Square Shopping District in San Francisco
, California
.
It was established in 1966 by Wilkes Bashford and has long catered to the elite, including former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
The store was the first in the United States
to carry Ermenegildo Zegna
, which is still sold alongside other prestigious brands such as Brioni, Kiton
, Oxxford Clothes
, Issey Miyake
, Nutters of Savile Row, Oscar de la Renta
and Dolce & Gabbana
, to name a few. The store has a shoe department featuring Bontoni
, John Lobb and Gravati
.
The company has expanded in recent years to include other stores in California including a Palo Alto
store as well as a store in Carmel in 2006. Currently, the Carmel location is the only store maintaining a beauty department, which includes cosmetics from Shu Uemura, skincare from Creme de la Mer and the full line of Kiehl's
apothecary products.
Wilkes Bashford had satellite shops in Carmel, CA and Mill Valley, CA but both were closed in 2009.
In November 2009 Mitchells/Richards/Marshs of Westport, CT acquired the bankrupt Wilkes Bashford company for $4.6 million.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
It was established in 1966 by Wilkes Bashford and has long catered to the elite, including former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
The store was the first in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to carry Ermenegildo Zegna
Ermenegildo Zegna
Ermenegildo Zegna is a leading Italian fashion house, specialing in men's clothing. Founded in 1910, it is now managed by the fourth generation of the Zegna family and remains in family ownership. As well as producing suits for its own labels, it manufactures suits for labels such as Gucci, Yves...
, which is still sold alongside other prestigious brands such as Brioni, Kiton
Kiton
Kiton is a clothing company founded in 1968 in Naples, Italy by Ciro Paone. It opened its US$40 million New York flagship and showroom on East 54th Street in 2004, it also opened a shop in London. Like many other fashion brands, Kiton has diversified to include sportswear, footwear, fragrances,...
, Oxxford Clothes
Oxxford Clothes
Oxxford Clothes is a high-end suit manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in 1916 by Jacob and Louis Weinberg.-Recognitions:...
, Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake
is a Japanese fashion designer. He is known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances.-Life and career:Miyake was born 22 April 1938 in Hiroshima, Japan. As a seven year-old, he witnessed and survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He studied...
, Nutters of Savile Row, Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...
and Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
, to name a few. The store has a shoe department featuring Bontoni
Bontoni
Bontoni is a third-generation Italian family company that produces a line of hand-made men's dress shoes. The company produces fewer than 10 pair a day. Bontoni's bottega, or workshop, is located in the Marche region of Italy. It takes about twelve weeks to complete a pair of ready-made and five...
, John Lobb and Gravati
Gravati
Gravati is a family-owned company founded in 1909 that manufactures men's and women's dress shoes in Vigevano, Italy. Although Gravati uses a variety of shoe construction methods, including Bologna and Goodyear construction, the majority of their production uses Blake construction. The shoes are...
.
The company has expanded in recent years to include other stores in California including a Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
store as well as a store in Carmel in 2006. Currently, the Carmel location is the only store maintaining a beauty department, which includes cosmetics from Shu Uemura, skincare from Creme de la Mer and the full line of Kiehl's
Kiehl's
Kiehl's is an American cosmetics brand retailer that specializes in making premium skin, hair, and body care products. Founded as a single pharmacy in New York City's East Village in 1851, Kiehl’s was purchased by the L'Oréal Group in 2000 and currently has more than 30 retail stores worldwide,...
apothecary products.
Wilkes Bashford had satellite shops in Carmel, CA and Mill Valley, CA but both were closed in 2009.
In November 2009 Mitchells/Richards/Marshs of Westport, CT acquired the bankrupt Wilkes Bashford company for $4.6 million.