In 2018 one of our suppliers introduced a new cloth into their comprehensive collection. We were amazed that this wonderful wool, from one of our favourite breeds of sheep from the north of England, the Cheviot, had been spun and woven into a worsted cloth. Previously it had been used for tweeds and some years ago we presented a beautiful version to our customers with great success. Spun very tightly, the unusual texture provides a springiness which improves crease resistance and durability over the more traditional worsted suitings.
Recognising these virtues, we were so impressed and confident of the success of this new cloth that we selected a vivid blue for a test model. Many years ago, I had an elderly, somewhat eccentric client who would have described it as “vibrant”. We always assess new cloths before offering them to our customers and in this case, the result was our famous “Blue Suit”, which was a huge success. Customers loved the crisp line, with detailed features maximised by the worsted Cheviot.
The bunch comprised a plethora of colours and shades, and impressed by their new purchases, we received follow up orders in different colours; not just for suits but for blazers, slacks and lightweight overcoats. The incredible performance meant that one suit could be packed and used for short business trips; overnight the cloth would recover and be ready for important meetings the following day.
So what was missing? The provider of this remarkable cloth, heeding our demands, worked on developing patterns in the worsted Cheviot. Eagerly awaiting the results we were delighted to see the fruition of their labours. Glenurquhart and Shepherd’s checks in different colours featured largely in the exciting new collection.
The Cheviot cloth comes from the rugged hills of North Northumberland and the Scottish borders, where the sheep have been bred to resist the inclement weather over many hundreds of years. The cloth is resistant to creasing, so this is a suit you can travel cross-country in and still arrive looking crisp.
This suit, modelled by Richard, is a stunning single-breasted blue and navy houndstooth check, a colourway that creates dimension and character. With a single button fastening, notch lapel and turn-ups on the trousers, this is the classic Richard Anderson silhouette that we know and love.