About the Brand

Established in London in 1884 by British accountant Lewis Tomalin, whose son and grandson both succeeded him as Chairman, Jaeger has been at the forefront of British style for over 125 years.

The house takes its name from Dr Gustav Jaeger, a professor of zoology and physiology, who pioneered the benefits of animal hair in clothing. Jaeger's subsequent fame for the quality of its woollens made it the natural choice to equip the Antarctic expeditions of Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Scott in 1907, and 1910, respectively.

The brand, which had been associated with all-important health-based, animal hair ideas for clothing (Jaeger famously introduced camel hair to Britain in 1908) soon evolved into other territories: those of style and fashion. It's little wonder why today, Jaeger is synonymous with inventive design and beautiful fabrics, in addition to attention to detail, fit, cut and finish.

By the 1930s Jaeger had become a highly prestigious, luxury brand, and its iconic, innovative fashion made it the first retailer to independently trade within Selfridges. Staying true to its DNA, the brand continued to explore new ideas, such as spearheading the use of new washable fabrics in the 1950s. Its status has enticed some of the world's most celebrated stars; Jaeger fans include Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe and more recently, Madonna, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, Victoria Beckham and Kylie Minogue.

Each collection is designed by Jaeger's talented team of in-house designers who fuse fashion-forward trend-driven ideas with archive-inspired pieces. This uniquely creative mix ensures Jaeger's position as an international luxury fashion brand.

Trends aside, above all Jaeger is famous for its desirable coats, tailoring, and knitwear woven in fine wools, cashmere, camel hair, silk and angora. True to the brand's British heritage, the collections continue to incorporate traditional fabrics such as pinstripe, herringbone, houndstooth, tweed and plaid. Mesmerising prints too, namely polka dots, zigzag stripes, animal prints and graphic florals combine to make up Jaeger's distinctive style vernacular. Other design signatures revolve around a black, ivory and navy colour palette, made modern each season with vivid highlight colours.

Harold Tillman, fashion entrepreneur and retail visionary and current chairman of the British Fashion Council acquired Jaeger in 2004, with the aim to reinvigorate the house. His first move was the appointment of Belinda Earl, who had previously led Debenhams to great success, as its group chief executive. Belinda is the driving force behind its reinvention; transforming the house into a premium, desirable lifestyle brand and restoring its world-class status.

Nowhere is this seen more so than in the directional Jaeger London women's wear collection. The line launched in autumn/winter 2005 to great acclaim, featuring supermodel Erin O'Connor. Due to customer demand, the collection's distribution doubled within the year. To complement this, the supremely stylish Jaeger London menswear collection launched in autumn/winter 2006 with an advertising campaign featuring Fenton Bailey, David Bailey's son.

Jaeger has long been celebrated for its arresting advertising imagery created by masters of every era - from eminent photographers David Bailey and Norman Parkinson to Fauvist artist Raoul Dufy - the sort which earned the brand its elegantly witty spirit. Jaeger continues to reinforce its forward-thinking reputation by featuring the hottest, newest models. Abbey Lee, Imogen Morris-Clarke, Lara Stone, Angela Lindvall, Freja Beha Erichsen, Alana Zimmer, Behati Prinsloo, Kiera Gormley, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jade Parfitt, Erin O'Connor, Laura Bailey, Ollie Edwards, Sean O'Pry, Jon Kortajarena, Mat Gordon, Will Chalker, Jamie Strachan, James Rousseau, Danny Beauchamp, Conrad Matschke and Fenton Bailey have all featured in Jaeger's attention-grabbing campaigns.

Jaeger's trajectory continued in 2006 with the launch of the exclusive Jaeger Black women's wear collection, the brand's most luxurious fashion label comprising a limited number of exquisite pieces, inspired by the skilful craftsmanship of couture. Jaeger Online launched in the same year, reaching a new generation of Jaeger customers; and finally, the development of the brand's glamorous gift and accessory lines including shoes, sunglasses and handbags, which have quickly become one of Jaeger's go-to items and have garnered a loyal following.

Belinda Earl has also been instrumental in the development of Jaeger's property portfolio, overseeing the growth of shop-in-shop units within department stores nationwide, including Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Fenwick, House of Fraser, and John Lewis; the development of Jaeger's franchise and wholesale business, in addition to major international expansion plans. Overseas, Jaeger is currently sold in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North & South America.

Jaeger has 45 UK freestanding shops (including the Jaeger Westfield flagship store which is the largest store opened by Jaeger in five years) and over 72 shop-in-shops across UK and Europe, the majority of which are either new or completely modernised. Significant investment continues to be made in the brand's existing retail portfolio and the majority of Jaeger stores are now either new or completely modernised, including Jaeger's luxurious, landmark Regent Street flagship, a four-story tall retail emporium which spans 16,000 sq ft. 

Jaeger once again stands at the forefront of premium fashion retailing, and where better to show this than on schedule at London Fashion Week. For the first time in its history, the brand staged a catwalk show at the British Fashion Council tents in February 2008. Jaeger London's reputation as a covetable fashion brand was cemented. Showing for the seventh season this February, Jaeger is now a favoured fixture on the international fashion week calendar.

In 2009, Jaeger celebrated its landmark 125th anniversary. To commemorate, the brand honoured its heritage and delved into its rich archives to launch the unique 125 Limited Edition collection. The collection featured pieces inspired by original 60s Jaeger pieces, each one a Jaeger heirloom of the future.

Jaeger also commissioned 'Jaeger 125' - the first official book devoted to the iconic British brand - past and present. Written by fashion curators Amy de la Haye and Judith Clark from London College of Fashion, 'Jaeger 125' boasts a wealth of iconic archive material and documents Jaeger's evolution from its origins as a producer of avant-garde knitwear to its current position as a global, lifestyle fashion brand.

Further reinforcing the brand's luxury, lifestyle positioning, Jaeger launched its first Home collection in spring 2009. The collection continues the fashion house's tradition of innovative, noble fibres, luxurious fabrics and stylish designs inspired by fabulous Jaeger archive patterns and prints, drawing on Jaeger's unique design heritage.

Following the success of the 125 Limited Edition collection, the range continues under the brand name Jaeger by Jaeger, launched in Spring/Summer 2010. The Jaeger by Jaeger collection features iconic pieces from Jaeger's archive; re-interpreted and updated with exquisite detailing. Jaeger by Jaeger is a limited edition and timeless collection synonymous with excellence, luxury and Jaeger's sartorial distinction. The Jaeger by Jaeger logo incorporates Jaeger's 'straw' logo, established in 1935, which signifies Jaeger's heritage of noble fibres and fine yarns.

In Autumn/Winter 2010, Jaeger launched Boutique by Jaeger, its dazzling collection for the fashion-fervent girl. Sold in 18 Jaeger stores including www.boutiquebyjaeger.co.uk, this exhilarating new line boasts the quality, attention to detail, and eclectic style for which the 126-year-old company is justly renowned, while inviting a whole new generation to fall in love with the label.

www.jaeger.co.uk

For further information please contact the Jaeger Press Office on 020 7979 1134.