First founded in 1899 by Charles F. Hilditch and W. Graham Key, Hilditch & Key quickly established a reputation amongst the best-dressed Londoners. We made our first appearance on Jermyn Street in the early 20th century, expanding to Paris with the opening of a store in 1907. During the following decades we expanded along Jermyn Street, operating three separate stores on the street as late as the end of the century. A pioneer of the ready-to-wear shirt in the 1950’s at a time when shirts continued to only be made to measure, we developed a reputation as one of the finest shirtmakers. With distinguished past customers such as Dior, Worth, Chanel, Lacoste and Givenchy, we designed and made for some of the greatest designers of the age.

Today, we continue to stay close to our roots, crafting the very finest menswear for men with an effortless sense of style. For those who appreciate classic design and craftsmanship, but wear it with a creative, contemporary flourish. A mainstay on Jermyn Street at number 73, we continue to dress some of societies most noted individuals whilst staying true to our own sense of style.

Perhaps our best known connection is with Karl Lagerfeld, the signature shirt which he famously wore having been made by ourselves. Having first purchased from Hilditch & Key in the late 1970’s, he would go on to own over 1,000 of our white shirts. As Lagerfeld said, it was the unmistakable craftsmanship and high quality which made a Hilditch & Key shirt so desirable. Little things like the meticulous matching of stripes and checks – from shoulder to sleeve, collars, cuffs and pockets. A split yoke, cut on the bias, made for a better fit. Tiny pleats at cuff and yolk ensured it easier movement – infinite detailing which mattered much to the wearer.

For Lagerfeld, Hilditch & Key shirts were precision built yet looked and felt incredibly comfortable to wear. An even bigger tribute, and possibly one of the fashion world’s best kept secrets, is that Lagerfeld used the know-how of Hilditch & Key to make up the prototype shirts for the catwalk presentations of his collections for Chanel, Chloé and Lagerfeld. “They have a great craftsmanship and cut the shirts so beautifully,”