The world’s oldest hat manufacturer, Lock & Co. Hatters have launched their Spring/Summer 2018 Couture collection and is now available online. As the 34th oldest family-owned business in the world (it was founded in 1676), it is no surprise that the company is a Royal Warrant holder, having a history of supplying the royal family with the most stylish of headwear.
Designed by renowned Milner Prudence (she’s provided strong catwalk looks for the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Mother of Pearl and Isa Arfen) her third couture collection for the brand exudes a typically British sensibility with a dash of the avant-garde.
Inspired by the restrained elegance of Edwardian hats, the 11-piece capsule line, which is named after key events of the season where a hat is requisite, such as ‘The Flower Show’ and ‘The Boat Race’, it shows headwear as the centerpiece of an outfit.
The creative behind the label, Prudence and Roger Stephenson, Deputy Chairman and seventh-generation family member, share the heritage of the brand and details on the new collection, confessedly an ode to long, hot summers.
Felicity Carter: How did you get into the industry?
Roger Stephenson: After leaving school I actually trained as an engineer with Rolls-Royce. I joined Lock & Co. Hatters in 1994 with no formal training in the hat/fashion industry, but had grown up with knowledge of hatting as part of our family business. I initially started as a salesman and learned the trade from the ground up, moving on to marketing and stock control. I have been a director for the past fifteen years and Deputy Chairman for three years now.
Prudence: I always wanted to work in fashion. I studied at F.I.T. in New York. I started out as a buyer but really didn’t like it at all. I did some styling and I designed knitwear. Eventually, I decided to make hats and studied privately for many years. I sold my first collection to Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel and got my first cover for Italian Vogue. So I decided to continue in hats.
FC: Tell us about the heritage of the brand…
RS: For a brand as old as Lock & Co., understandably every century has brought its challenges, but it is these that stand out as memorable events in our timeline. All the while in the background we have traded through the Industrial Revolution, two world wars and numerous civil and political unrests.
In the 17th century, the defining moment was our shop being founded by the entrepreneurial Robert Davis, who had the foresight to open in the increasingly fashionable West End. The proximity to the Royal Palaces and aristocratic residences made St James’s Street an ideal location to start a hat shop, serving politicians, Royals, the military and household staff alike. At one time there were 7 hat shops on St James’s Street but only Lock & Co. remains today.
The 18th century saw a real shift in hat wearing mainly due to the different hair styles worn by men. Elaborate and ostentatious wigs became a thing of the past and men began to wear beaver fur felt top hats. But it was in the latter half of the century that the silk top hat (known as hatters plush) rose to popularity and really put Lock & Co. on the map. We became the destination for top hats, selling thousands a year. It was also in 1759 that James Lock moved the shop across the road to where we are today, due to the eastern side of the street being sunnier and thus more popular with clientele.
Probably the most documented story of Lock’s history happened in 1805. Admiral Nelson had been a loyal customer for years but his bicorne that he ordered from Lock was the one he died wearing on board HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. 44 years later Edward Coke entered the shop to order a new style of hat for his gamekeepers to wear on the Holkham estate in Norfolk – this hat, commissioned by Lock & Co. to be made by the Bowler brothers, went on to become one of the most iconic hats of all time. We still provide bowlers to the estate today and sell a great many to customers both here in the shop and through our website. In fact, we are introducing a soft-shell bowler for AW18 to allow overseas customers to get a better fit without the need of being conformed.
The 20th century at Lock has become synonymous with us hatting notable politicians, most famously Sir Winston Churchill (a silk top hat for his wedding day, the Cambridge, Homburgs and bowlers) and Sir Anthony Eden. In 1953 Lock & Co. received a request to reline the Coronation crowns for the now HRH Queen Elizabeth. And it was in 1962 that Charlie Chaplin visited Lock for his bowler. In 1993 Lock & Co. launched its millinery department under the talented eye of Sylvia Fletcher. Our couture designs have graced some of the most famous heads whilst the brands ready to wear offering has gone from strength to strength.
In more recent years the brand has benefited from its strong, global wholesale footprint, seeing our headwear on the shelves of Lane Crawford, Mr Porter, Isetan, DAKS Hong Kong, Printemps and Brown Thomas. Collaborations have been done with The Kooples, Bathing Ape, Nicole Fahri, Turnbull & Asser, Mackintosh Japan, Vivienne Westwood, Todd Snyder and soon to be Orlebar Brown and The Rake x VBC. All of which has increased the awareness surrounding our brand but also it helps to attract new customers through our door, both online and to 6 St James’s Street.
FC: How would you sum up the Lock & Co. aesthetic?
RS: A Lock hat or cap can be defined as classic and timeless. However, we realize that we have to remain relevant in the 21st century. We have always been innovators and this remains the case today – we experiment each season with the latest fabrications and compositions.
FC: Does it have a signature style?
RS: Our hats are renowned for being superior due to the materials we use, the way we make the hat and how the finish is achieved. The handle of the felt is paramount to having a fine hat – we primarily use rabbit fur felt but have recently introduced beaver and mink fur felt which are even more luxurious. Generally the softer the feel of felt, the more expensive it will be. Then it’s on to how the hat has been blocked (shaped) and finished. A Lock felt hat will have a distinctive crown to allow its shape to hold over time as well as two indentations on the front (the latter is optional, but most men prefer it). A quality band and bow is sewn on the left-hand side of the hat (on a women’s hat it is on the right) before the interior is completed with a lining and sweatband.
P: It has to be timeless, clean, well proportioned and finished beautifully.
FC: Talk us through the couture collection…
P: It’s about long hot summers. There are traditional summer fabrics in classic combinations. I chose pale parabuntal straws in cream and ivory with pale petals in crisp cotton organdy. Ruffles in the softest pale yellow with black grosgrain trim. There are boaters in vintage honeyed straw with black grosgrain ties . A pale pink feathered wedding hat with a vintage mint green veil and Swarovski crystals. I wanted to make hats for all of the summer events that take place each summer in England. They have been given names such as ‘The Boat Race’, ‘The Wedding’, ‘Lady’s Day’.
FC: Which is your favorite item from the collection?
P: My favorite pieces are the ‘Lady’s Day’ and ‘La Cocotte’ styles.
