Jaeger, a British company that is 125 years old next year, recently presented
its second collection at London Fashion Week. Under its Jaeger London label,
digital rainbow and oversized poppy prints sprinkled a confident collection
of self-assured tailoring: balloon-sleeved jackets, slouchy peg-leg trousers
and fluid maxi dresses. Composed from a sober pebble-coloured palette, the
spring/summer 2009 collection was shot through with accents of coral,
ultraviolet and pea-pod green. Designer Karen Boyd’s dynamic collection was
accessorised by witty trilbies and turbans from Stephen Jones, while hair
and make-up from Sam McKnight and Hannah Murray for MAC added the finishing
touches to a sleek, contemporary vision.
As flashbulbs popped and fashion editors purred, the press and buyers who have
“discovered” Jaeger over the past season lapped it up. Those who had
foolishly missed the show last time (there was some scepticism and only mild
interest at the label’s arrival at London Fashion Week in February) guarded
their seats like rottweilers. There have been changes afoot at Jaeger for
many years now, but its presence at LFW has seen its profile take a leap.
Recently featured in Elle Collections Top Ten, alongside international
greats such as Valentino and Jil Sander, the brand is regularly spotlighted
in high-end publications such as Vogue, Tatler and Marie Claire. And at a
party given at No 10 by Sarah Brown to launch LFW, the PM’s wife selected a
Jaeger shift for the occasion. Jaeger, it would seem, is officially hip.
Casual observers might find all this a bit puzzling. How does a brand commonly
associated with middle-income, middle-class, middle-England ladies suddenly
become a star? How does a label that triggers thoughts of The Archers, Radio
4 and PTA meetings suddenly become the one sported by Victoria Beckham,
Claudia Schiffer and Madonna? How does a label known for sturdy tailoring
and sensible knitwear get to be the one that delivers the season’s must-have
items, like its glamorous shearling coat (£1,600) or architectural
cape-sleeved jacket (£499)? With echoes of those other heritage brands
seemingly touched by Midas, Burberry and Gucci, Jaeger has been lucratively
transformed. The latest figures released in May announced a 16 per cent rise
in sales to £82.2m. It has done this without the advantage of a distinctive
check or aspirational emblem, but doggedly, quietly, stealthily.
Although this brand’s transformation seems to have happened overnight,
Jaeger’s metamorphosis has been underway for years. Its spirit of witty
elegance and sleek modernity has lain dormant for decades and been recently
excavated by a team of dedicated designers. By going back to the company’s
archives, bequeathed to the City of Westminster in 2004, they have been able
to strip back the recent layers of noncommittal, safe and often unfocused
design that had more recently blighted the brand and hindered its progress.
They have been able to tap into a rich source of inspiration and translate
Jaeger’s values of high design and innovation into clothes that fit the
attitude and lifestyle of the 21st-century woman.
The 21st-century woman at the helm of Jaeger’s revival is Belinda Earl,
Jaeger’s CEO. She sums up the secret of its success with succinctness: “We
sell desire. Customers see Jaeger as synonymous with luxury, style, fit and
quality. Our customers trust us to interpret trends into affordable,
relevant fashion.” A sure-footed businesswoman, she was employed by its new
owner, Harold Tillman, in 2004, to reposition the floundering brand.
Tillman, current head of the British Fashion Council, lured Earl from her
position as chief executive at Debenhams with a 20 per cent stake and carte
blanche. Tillman had bought the brand a year earlier from former QPR owner
Richard Thompson, whose company Riverhawk acquired it for £1 from thread and
clothing manufacturer Coats. Coats had attempted some radical changes at
Jaeger, which had backfired and seen its customers deserting in droves.
“I saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took it,” says Tillman. “Like
Burberry, Jaeger had a Britishness to it. I felt it had the potential to
become a complete lifestyle brand.” But a glorious past alone is not enough
to survive in a cut-throat industry. Tillman needed someone with vision,
courage and flair, and Earl struck him as “a thorough retailer who
understood her product. She’s also a great team motivator and well
organised. Someone who knows everything from systems to finance and product.”
Earl, 47, was “compelled by a brand with such a rich heritage, but at the time
lacking in consumer focus.” She felt a “huge amount of responsibility for
managing and moving forward this label that a loyal fanbase held in deep
affection. Heritage is so alluring because it cannot be replicated; its
gives a depth and identity to the product.” The first thing Earl did after
arriving at Jaeger was to talk to the customers, both on the shop floor and
through focus groups. “They understood what Jaeger was about but felt it
lacked relevance,” she says. Then she began to immerse herself in Jaeger’s
illustrious history, through a vast collection of photographs, prints,
advertising campaigns and letters, spanning decades and centuries, which
allowed Earl to “get under Jaeger’s skin”.
Fashion curators Amy de la Hayes and Judith Wilson, who have been commissioned
to write a book based on the archive, have been enthralled by the unfolding
Jaeger story. “It was a very radical and visionary brand, with an almost
anti-fashion stance when it was founded. In the early days it appealed to
explorers and artsy people.” (Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Scott
both braved the Antarctic clad in Jaeger clothing and blankets.) The first
store, which opened near Moorgate in 1884, was inspired by and founded on
the principles extolled in Dr Gustav Jaeger’s book, Health Culture, which
promoted natural fibres as part of a healthy lifestyle. Until 1914, the
shops – of which there were already 20 by this point – were owned by the
Tomalins, a British family, and were known as Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen
System Co Ltd. Natural fibres – the best wool, cashmere, silk and angora –
have always been part of Jaeger’s identity.
Far from this leading to associations with frumpiness, though, Jaeger has a
heritage of being cutting-edge and highly creative. “Historically, they had
worked with the greatest architects [Charles Dawson, Frederick Etchells],
graphic designers [René Gruau, Francis Marshall], photographers [David
Bailey, Norman Parkinson], and illustrators, including the Fauvist artist
Raoul Dufy,” says de la Hayes. “As a source of reference for designers, it
has been immensely valuable. Fashion continues to draw on past decades for
its inspiration: Jaeger designers can go direct to the source. Now some of
the Seventies designs are being revisited and some of the trouser shapes
look very radical.”
“The archive is great for trims, and for details like black and white piping
or double stitching,” says Earl.
Although it was very exciting at Jaeger HQ when Kate Moss was photographed in
its star shirt last year (causing sales of that piece to rocket by 300 per
cent), or more recently when Fearne Cotton was seen toting its Tilly bag,
its history is saturated by bigger and cleverer celebrity endorsements. In
the Thirties, it was worn by George Bernard Shaw and Rudyard Kipling; in the
Forties by Sir Ralph Richardson, Vivien Leigh and Deborah Kerr; in the
Fifties by Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe. In the swinging Sixties, Jaeger
swung with the best of them and saw Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Marianne
Faithfull all decked out in the brand. Creatively, Jaeger was in a high arc
from the Thirties to the Sixties, with a reputation for superb tailoring,
stylish womenswear and beautiful knitwear. But somewhere along the line it
lost its way, like an absent-minded old lady. The last recession in the
early Nineties was a depressing one for Jaeger, with severe losses.
This credit crunch around is a different story. Despite consumers being
strapped for cash, the tills are ringing at Jaeger, where customers are
happy to invest in the hip, luxurious classics on offer. Jaeger’s history
has allowed its current proprietors to navigate a way back to the present
and project into the future. Earl invested heavily in design and product
development. Getting the clothes right was key. This was followed by a new
visual identity through sharp advertising campaigns (featuring among others,
Erin O’Connor, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Freja Beha Erichsen),
ultra-slick window displays and refurbished and modernised store
environments.
Earl introduced the Jaeger Black label in 2005, an upmarket range that could
compete at a designer level, challenge outdated notions and draw in a
younger consumer. Last year, Jaeger Black saw sales increase by 50 per cent.
Menswear, fragrance, eyewear, accessories and Jaeger London by Karen Boyd
have all followed. As part of an aggressive expansion plan, Jaeger is also
moving into new international areas. The United States will have its first
stand-alone Jaeger store next year. The Far East, the Middle East and Russia
are all on Jaeger’s To Do list.
In times of retail pressure and financial downturn, Jaeger presents a
startling success story: a fashion business that has grown year on year in a
highly competitive arena and the most challenging of economic conditions.
But it is Jaeger’s solid foundations that have allowed this brand to
step out with such certainty and self-assurance. Although London Fashion
Week saw Jaeger on show for only the second time, it felt as though it had
always been there. But then, it did have 125 years to prepare for its
close-up.
