Can I get an ethical hire suit?
Jun 18th, 2013 by Katie
This is the question we’ve been asking ourselves for a while – after all, a hire suit is intrinsically eco-friendly as it gets worn again and again, but where and how was the suit made in the first place, and what happens to it when it just can’t make it up the aisle one… more… time?
We put our intrepid blogger, Tara, on the case. Over to Tara…
According to the Office for National Statistics the number of marriages in England and Wales increased by 3.7 per cent to 241,100 in 2010. So I think I’m safe in saying that if every bridegroom bought and wore wedding clothes that were destined never to see the light of day again, that’s a mind boggling stretch of miles and miles of yarn ostensibly going to waste.
But why should it only be the bride getting all the attention and admiration? Because although they might not admit it, every groom, best man and usher wants to look sharp on the big day too.
Suit hire no longer equates with cheap and nasty, shiny suits. There are many companies in the UK that offer top quality tailored formal suits, morning suits and all the accessories made from real wool, cotton and often UK-made materials.
More and more grooms, best men and ushers are opting for less formal clothes that reflect their personal style, and can be worn again. But a lot of men still prefer the traditional and time-honoured look: the formal suit or morning suit. And who can blame them? Dapper, flattering and with a touch of vintage all rolled into one – it’s a look that’s hard to beat.
As a bonus, formalwear hire is inexpensive and sustainable: you’ll keep spending and waste to a minimum by hiring clothes that will be re-worn and reused.
We applaud formalwear hire companies for already supporting sustainability. But as part of our groom focus on the blog, we wanted to take things a step further and find out if there were any formalwear hire companies going the extra green mile. We spoke to three forward-thinking hire companies about what they are doing to get ethical.
Anthony Formalwear
An established and traditional company with over two decades of experience in men’s tailoring, they have a choice of traditional, contemporary, designer and vintage suits and groomswear for hire, as well as accessories and evening wear.
1. Where and how is your formalwear made? In the UK or abroad? Do you have any information on the working conditions or pay of those who make it?
“I do not like to deal with any company on important items I cannot travel to and from within 24 hours. I like to know as much as possible about how and where items are made.”
All of our own branded items are made in Europe. Our waistcoats, ties, cravats and so on are all made in England in our own factory. Our suits for hire are all made in Germany or Portugal, while tailoring is done in England and Europe. All the suit factories are large modern establishments so pay would be in line with country average. Shoes again are made in Portugal or by Loakes in Northampton. We sell cufflinks by Ian Flaherty - made in London. I have visited virtually all of our manufacturers and can vouch for the conditions.
We do have a few accessories and shirts for hire which we buy through agents and I have no idea about the conditions and pay of workers who make those items.
2. What is the formalwear made from? Are any organic, sustainable or fair trade fabrics used?
“Our new range of Harris Tweed is from a small family mill on the Isle of Lewis. I chose to use them rather than buy a cheaper version from the East because I feel we need to support our industry.”
Our suits are all made from European silk, cashmere, wool or wool poly mix. Our waistcoats are made using European and English milled cloth with some of our accessories’ cloth coming from Japan. Again I prefer to buy British but some of the mills in Italy and Germany produce better cloth.
We did look at organic cotton shirts but it worked out too expensive – this is a price-conscious industry. We can make one-off items in organic and Fairtrade cloth through our made-to-measure department, so shirts, ties and suits can all be designed and made.
3. What happens to the clothes at the end of their life in the hire shop? Are they donated to charity? Recycled?
We sell everything useable on Ebay or to other shops, theatres, performers and artists. Anything not useable goes in the recycling.
4. As a company, do you have any particular ethical policies? Make any donations to charity? Support the local community in some way?
I have my own ethical morals, however, it is hard to bring those to bear in today’s economy where you have to make a profit to keep the staff employed.
In 26 years I have never been asked whether the cloth is organic or Fairtrade, however, a number of times people have commented that they bought from us because the item was made in the UK. As a company we have always tried to deal with businesses we know from the ground up.
Hugh Harris
Hugh Harris Formal Attire has been offering menswear hire and formal suit hire since 1914 with a focus on the very best quality, tailoring and service.
They offer a wide range of their own design suits and accessories in traditional or modern styling as well as an exclusive range from William Hunt of Savile Row.
1. Where and how is your formalwear made? In the UK or abroad? Do you have any information on the working conditions or pay of those who make it?
“Currently we stock William Hunt, also of Savile Row, London. In regards to the rest of our collection, shirts, waistcoats, accessories and so on, we try and source as much as possible from the UK.”
The majority of our suits are made by a company called Wilvorst who specialise in what is known as ‘Occasion Wear’. They are based in Germany, with all of their manufacturing taking place there. At Hugh Harris we also specialise in designer suit hire. We have worked in the past with Ozwald Boateng of Savile Row to create a collection exclusive to us.
2. What is the formalwear made from? Are any organic, sustainable, Fairtrade fabrics used?
“Although we aren’t aware of any organic, sustainable or Fairtrade fabrics being offered or used by our suppliers at the moment, we would certainly consider it if we found it to be a suitable and cost effective alternative to the fabrics we currently use.”
Around 90% of our collection is made from natural fibres. Wool, silk and mohair in our suits, silk in our waistcoats, cravats, ties, hankies and other accessories and cotton in our shirts. This is because natural fabrics create a far superior product to wear, and are often longer lasting than man-made fabrics.
3. What happens to the clothes at the end of their life in the hire shop? Are they donated to charity? Recycled?
Once we discontinue a line of suits, either because there is no longer a demand for them, or because they are no longer of an acceptable standard, they are usually donated to charity. We also often sell off our stock as ex-hire.
4. As a company, do you have any particular ethical policies? Make any donations to charity? Support the local community in some way?
Although Hugh Harris doesn’t currently have a specific ethical policy in place, our staff do make an active effort to reduce waste as much as possible, whether by recycling or by turning off unused electronics and lights. The managing director of Hugh Harris also donates to charity on behalf of the company on an annual basis. We regularly donate gift vouchers as raffle prizes for local events that support local charities.
Hugh Harris is also looking to upgrade their booking system to reduce the amount of paper we use. We aim to eliminate sending paper copies of customers’ orders, terms and conditions and other paperwork, instead sending this information digitally either via email, or via a web-based customer portal. This will also facilitate an improvement in how we manage, prepare and dismantle orders, again reducing the amount of paper we use.
Young’s Hire
Located in Debenhams stores nationwide, Young’s have a large collection of pure new wool morning suits – in traditional or contemporary styles.
1. Where and how is your formalwear made? In the UK or abroad? Do you have any information on the working conditions or pay of those who make it?
All our factories and suppliers go through regular vigorous checks to ensure that all workers are paid fairly and work in safe environments. The majority of our formal hire suits are made by Swiss Garments in Egypt which is wholly owned by the Arafa group, which is our parent company.
2. What is the formalwear made from? Are any organic, sustainable, Fairtrade fabrics used?
A mixture of natural and man-made fibres are used in our suiting and all fabrics are sustainably sourced.
3. What happens to the clothes at the end of their life in the hire shop? Are they donated to charity? Recycled?
Most garments are donated to charity, unless they are beyond use in which case they are then recycled.
4. As a company, do you have any particular ethical policies? Make any donations to charity? Support the local community in some way?
Help for Heroes is our current supported charity; we have a kilt that was designed in conjunction with Help for Heroes and they receive a donation for each one hired – to date we have raised a considerable amount for the charity.
A big thank you to Anthony Formal Wear, Hugh Harris and Youngs Formal Wear for answering our questions and being transparent, something that isn’t always easy for businesses to do.
The following companies either failed to respond at all, or were unable to respond within the time frame: Jo McLaren, Slaters, Regency Groom, Moss Bros, Groom Hire, Ultimate Formal Hire, and Nicholas Smith. Burton menswear provided a telephone number to their head office but were unable to send us any information via email.
Something a little bit different
If you’re after a keepsake from the day, something you don’t have to give back to the hire shop, how about a quintessentially British flat cap? It might not quite fit with morning wear, but certainly looks cool with a suit, or why not pull one on as you drive off into the sunset?
The traditional flat cap has been given a sustainable update by East London label Cock & Bull Menswear, who offer a range of designer menswear made entirely in the UK from sustainable fabrics and yarns. This tweed, hand-woven design is made on a Hattersley loom in the Outer Hebrides and spun from an eco-friendly blend of British Scottish wool. It’s 100% organic and made to last a lifetime.
Personally, I love this look, and you don’t have to be dressed in plus fours to rock it either. Here’s what designer A.A. Lindsay said,
“The story of this flat cap began with the hunt for exceptional fabrics for the outer tweed cap and an inner lining that would render our flat cap indestructible. Our journey began in the outer Hebrides islands of Scotland – known worldwide for their excellent production of wools and tweeds, and specifically for the British Isles’ most famous heritage textile – Harris Tweed.
“What we wanted were hand-woven woollen tweeds in arresting patterns and palettes that would seriously blow away any hat lover. And we certainly got that!”
Enjoy the hunt for your ethical groomswear – and if you have time, come back and tell us about it, we’d love to share your stories.
Tara
Related articles:
Seven stylish ethical cufflinks
Keep calm, you’re getting married
Meet the Groom: Collaboration, Cream Tea & a Céilidh
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