Identity area
Reference code
2018.4
Title
Austin Reed Printed Dressing Gown and Sash Tie
Date(s)
- undated [1920-1929] (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
2 [gown and tie]
Context area
Name of creator
(1906-2020)
Administrative history
Reed & Sons 1900–6 Austin Reed 1906–2020
Tailor Austin Leonard Reed (1873–1954) opened his first shop at 167 Fenchurch Street, London on 7 July 1900, trading as Reed & Sons, and financed by his father William Bilkey Reed. The business moved to 13 Fenchurch Street in 1906 with the company trading under the Austin Reed name from then onwards. In February 1911 Austin Reed opened a flagship store at 113 Regent Street. Predominantly a shirt house and men’s outfitter, also selling hosiery, hats and raincoats, they expanded in 1920 to include off-the-peg suits and formalwear. In 1929 Austin Reed opened a shop on the Cunard transatlantic liner RMS Aquitania; this was followed by shops on the RMS Queen Mary (1934) and RMS Queen Elizabeth (1946). During the Second World War, the company manufactured uniforms for the armed forces and produced a siren suit for the prime minister, Winston Churchill.
In 1965, in a significant development, the company opened The Cue Shop, or Cue at Austin Reed, within its Regent Street flagship store in order to appeal to a younger male demographic seeking a more trend-driven wardrobe. Helmut Newton was employed to photograph four advertising campaigns in 1965, and guest designers were commissioned to create capsule menswear collections for the shop, including John Weitz, and later Tommy Nutter, Bill Gibb and, in 1984, Paul Smith (see p. 305). In 1966 Barry Reed, the grandson of Austin Reed, was appointed managing director, having overseen the successful launch of The Cue Shop. The success of Cue led to other traditional menswear shops creating their own in-house boutiques, including Simpson with Trend, Way In at Harrods, Aquascutum’s Club 92, the Army and Navy stores with On Target, and One Up at Moss Bros. After twenty years, Austin Reed shut The Cue Shop in 1985. In 2011 the company moved from their original Regent Street store to the former Aquascutum flagship store on the opposite side. In 2015 Austin Reed closed thirty-one of its stores, and in April 2016, the company entered administration. The following month, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group acquired the name. In November 2020, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group went into administration and Austin Reed closed.
Sources: Berry Ritchie, A Touch of Class: The Story of Austin Reed (London: James & James, 1990); Financial Times; The Guardian; The Times.
Tailor Austin Leonard Reed (1873–1954) opened his first shop at 167 Fenchurch Street, London on 7 July 1900, trading as Reed & Sons, and financed by his father William Bilkey Reed. The business moved to 13 Fenchurch Street in 1906 with the company trading under the Austin Reed name from then onwards. In February 1911 Austin Reed opened a flagship store at 113 Regent Street. Predominantly a shirt house and men’s outfitter, also selling hosiery, hats and raincoats, they expanded in 1920 to include off-the-peg suits and formalwear. In 1929 Austin Reed opened a shop on the Cunard transatlantic liner RMS Aquitania; this was followed by shops on the RMS Queen Mary (1934) and RMS Queen Elizabeth (1946). During the Second World War, the company manufactured uniforms for the armed forces and produced a siren suit for the prime minister, Winston Churchill.
In 1965, in a significant development, the company opened The Cue Shop, or Cue at Austin Reed, within its Regent Street flagship store in order to appeal to a younger male demographic seeking a more trend-driven wardrobe. Helmut Newton was employed to photograph four advertising campaigns in 1965, and guest designers were commissioned to create capsule menswear collections for the shop, including John Weitz, and later Tommy Nutter, Bill Gibb and, in 1984, Paul Smith (see p. 305). In 1966 Barry Reed, the grandson of Austin Reed, was appointed managing director, having overseen the successful launch of The Cue Shop. The success of Cue led to other traditional menswear shops creating their own in-house boutiques, including Simpson with Trend, Way In at Harrods, Aquascutum’s Club 92, the Army and Navy stores with On Target, and One Up at Moss Bros. After twenty years, Austin Reed shut The Cue Shop in 1985. In 2011 the company moved from their original Regent Street store to the former Aquascutum flagship store on the opposite side. In 2015 Austin Reed closed thirty-one of its stores, and in April 2016, the company entered administration. The following month, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group acquired the name. In November 2020, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group went into administration and Austin Reed closed.
Sources: Berry Ritchie, A Touch of Class: The Story of Austin Reed (London: James & James, 1990); Financial Times; The Guardian; The Times.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Austin Reed robe or dressing gown of cotton or cotton and linen mix fabric printed with an all over abstract pattern of swirls and foliage (possibly pine cones and pine needles) in orange, teal green, light blue, brown and cream. It has hand sewn finishing and two self covered buttons with bound buttonholes. It has two patch pockets on the front and comes with a detachable tie belt of the same fabric with black tassels at each end. There are two belt loops on the gown. Areas of fading to the fabric and woven brown tape Austin Reed label in the back of the neck.
Country of Design: United Kingdom
Country of Design: United Kingdom
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Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Label: Austin Reed Ltd London
Material: cotton or cotton and linen mix
Material: cotton or cotton and linen mix