The iconic brand has gone a long way from its beginnings in 1884 as the rather unglamorous Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System to its current status as one of the most successful British fashion name. Over the past few years, it has managed to retain its more conservative customers, while reinvented itself to appeal to a new younger crowd thanks to new lines like Jaeger London and Jaeger Boutique.
This well established British brand, famed for its precise cuts and quality fabrics, was founded in 1884 by Lewis Tomalin, a British accountant who took inspiration from Dr Gustav Jaeger, a professor of Zoology at the university of Stuttgart, who advocated that humans would be healthier if they dressed in clothes made only of animal hair, mostly wool, and avoiding vegetable fibres like cotton and linen. After translating Dr Jaeger’s book into English, Tomalin opened his first clothing store in London under the name “Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System”, which -despite its rather unappealing name- went on to become very successful.
In 1900, the brand had expanded to 20 shops in the UK and while not particularly fashionable, it proved quite innovative, by introducing to the British public camel hair in clothing, alongside merino wool, alpaca, angora and cashmere. Another innovation was made in 1930 when Jaeger opened a concession at Selfridges, therefore becoming the first retailer to operate independently within another company’s outlet.
The Style
Traditionally associated with classic and conservative clothing, Jaeger continued to expand during the years, through a loyal customer base, but was seen in the 1990s as an ageing brand unable to appeal to the younger market. However, following the examples of Burberry and Aquascutum and after being bought in 2002 by fashion entrepreneur Harold Tillman, Jaeger started rebranding itself as a fashionable brand.
While its first attempts were disappointing, the appointment in 2008 of Stuart Stockdale -a young Central St Martin’s graduate who previously worked for Jean-Paul Gaultier- has proved massively successful. While some of its clothing is still targeted at classical, middle-aged customers, Jaeger -which now owns over 140 shops, including its flagship store in Regent Street- has launched new edgier collections, such as the very successful Jaeger London.
Modelled by hot names like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Lara Stone, Jaeger London, which is the brand’s most fashion forward collection, was first presented at London Fashion Week in February 2008. Since then, it has been going from strength to strength, as showed by its 2010 Autumn-Winter show (below), helping Jaeger to reposition itself as a global (but still relatively affordable) luxury brand. And it will soon have a new contender, with the launch of Jaeger Boutique, a line inspired by the Swinging London of the Sixties, which will appeal to its younger consumers.
Jaeger, 200-206 Regent Street W1 (Oxford Circus)
