Jaeger (clothing)

Jaeger

Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1884
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Key people	Founder: Lewis Tomalin Majority owner: Better Capital CEO: Colin Henry
Products	Clothing Accessories Shoes
Subsidiaries	Allders
Website	www.jaeger.co.uk

Jaeger /ˈjeɪɡə/ is a United Kingdom-based fashion brand and retailer of menswear and womenswear. Traditionally known for a classic 'twinset and pearls' image and the use of high-quality natural fibres, it has focused on updating its brand image since 2008, when it first appeared at London Fashion Week. Formerly owned by Harold Tillman, and acquired by Better Capital in 2011, the brand's current positioning is described as "affordable luxury".

Jaeger was established by British businessman Lewis Tomalin as 'Dr Jaeger's Sanitary Woollen System Co Ltd' in 1884, capitalising on a craze for wool-jersey long johns inspired by the theories of German scientist Dr Gustav Jaeger. Jaeger's writings about the value of wearing animal fibres (not cotton) next to the skin had attracted fans including George Bernard Shaw. The woollen undergarments were worn by many explorers – including Ernest Shackleton. It had received its first Royal Warrant by 1910.

Jaeger began creating wool suits, and by the start of World War I it had cut its associations with Germany and become a British brand. Long johns for British and Commonwealth troops kept the company going during the war, but by the 1920s it had switched to fashion. The company's flagship store opened on Regent Street in the 1930s and attracted a solid clientele who wanted British-made garments at prices that were not as high as Savile Row or the high-end couture brands.

Natural fibres remained central to the brand – the camel hair coat was a Jaeger invention and it also utilised other exotic woollen fibres such as cashmere, angora and alpaca. Jaeger's yarns were also popularised via knitting patterns in the 1940s. The clothing was modelled by both Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s.

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