In 1992, the Italian weaver Cotonificio Albini SPA purchased three failing British shirting brands. The best known of these was Thomas Mason. The prize, based strictly on the quality of the cloth, was David & John Anderson.
Joe Hemrajani of MyTailor.com was kind enough to send me a slim volume published by Albini in 2007. A lavishly illustrated re-issue of a 1952 David & John Anderson company history, it gives an overview of cotton weaving and concludes with a dozen large glued-in swatches from that weaver's product line.
Founded in 1822, David & John Anderson made itself into one of the two highest quality cotton weavers in the world (the other being Alumo). Under Albini ownership, the starting quality of the company's cotton shirting has continued to improve, with the majority of its production 2x2 200s count or better today. Woven from Giza 45 (the best Egyptian cotton), Sea Island cotton, and the finest linen flax from Normandy, DJA fabrics are strong and ultra light with very clean patterns.
MyTailor charges about a $100 per shirt premium for DJ&A cloth compared to the well regarded Thomas Mason Gold Line (TMG is principally 2x2 140s which is still significantly better quality than ordinary shirtings). In other words, none of this cloth is going to scratch a man's neck when he wears it.
Touch it and be hooked.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Touch It and Be Hooked
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2 comments:
Will - Thank you for the information on the fabrics. On a related note, would you be able to suggest top sources for tie silks and linens? I have a list of the best sources for the ties, but I'm having difficulty getting to the sources for the fabrics themselves.
The best known silk weaver is probably Vanners in England. They sell to the trade though, not to consumers.
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