Bespoke tailoring sits at the heart of Oliver Brown's philosophy. Its personal experience and meticulous attention to detail we work to carry across into all aspects of our business including our ready-to-wear line. This is what gives our pieces their timeless style and longevity, something that is harder to find in fashion these days.
For our limited-edition tweed capsule collection, we brought together the expertise of our bespoke team's Head Cutter, Mike Deans, and our Head Buyer, Juliana Poslednik, to design a tweed suit (including the jacket, trousers and gilet) that respected the rugged, durability of traditional tweed but was also at home on the streets of Chelsea.
Wanting to create something that brought the one-of-a-kind customisation of our bespoke process to our ready-to-wear line, they took the novel approach for Oliver Brown of starting completely from scratch, right down to the tweed fabric itself.
Designing the Perfect Tweed Fabric
When we design a tweed suit, we usually select a fabric from book sent to us by different mills across the United Kingdom. These are patterns and materials they have already designed and made in larger quantities, requiring no changes or alterations. This is common practice, but it means that other fashion houses and clothing manufacturers can use the same fabric in their designs. For something that's supposed to be limited-edition, we felt we needed to go a step further and partner with a mill to design a fabric that is completely new and exclusive to Oliver Brown.
For this, we partnered with the team at Lovat Mill — the "Home of Tweed". Located in the Scottish Borders, Lovat Mill is a world-class manufacturer recognised as the torch bearer for the original mill from which tweed originated. They are the definition of heritage.
Choosing the Colours and Pattern of Oliver Brown's Tweed
For our tweed pattern, we chose a Glen Check, which has been a staple of British tweed since the 19th Century. Glen Check rose to popularity when Edward VIII visited the estates of the Countess of Seafield, in Glenurquhart in Scotland and took a liking to the design, which was developed for the Countess' gamekeepers. The pattern has a complex texturing that gives its fabrics their iconic appearance.
When selecting the colours of our pattern, we created a palette evoking the heather-blanketed moors and heathland of the country, laid on a base of Oliver Brown green. Getting the colour palette right is crucial, as having a thread that's too bright or too muted can completely alter the final result.
We started by pulling different coloured threads out of some of our sample swatches and experimented with different combinations until we settled on the ones pictured above. That's when the team at Lovat got to work.
Before producing any significant amount of fabric, Lovat sends us small swatches (pictured below). These help us get a feel for the finished product and ensure the colour combinations we've imagined actually work when they're put together. Differences can be subtle but make all the difference in the finished product.
In the image below, you can see that the sample on the left has a slightly subtler orange line than the one on the right, causing it to get a little lost. After passing this feedback to Lovat, they came back with the version on the right, which feels more balanced overall.
The Finished Tweed Suit
With the fabric finalised, Lovat began weaving the final fabric, which is a combination of British Cheviot woollen yarn and fine Merino worsted. We selected this blend for its durability but also softness which is not typical in heavy-duty tweeds. This makes it more suitable for urban environments.
When it came to the construction of our tweed capsule we designed an ensemble based around our classic Eaton block. This gives the jacket a modern, structured fit suited to urban environments. For the trousers, we chose a pleated straight cut that looks at home in the city and complements dress shoes.
A Tweed to be Coveted
Oliver Brown's limited edition tweed capsule collection is a testament to the immense wealth of knowledge and craftsmanship that goes into each of our products. This collection is your chance to own something truly unique, that embodies everything we are as a brand.
If you are interested in something even more exclusive, our bespoke team has reserved only 30 meters of our limited-edition tweed fabric, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis to those interested.
Explore Oliver Brown's limited-edition tweed capsule collection here. Bespoke appointments can be booked here.