Kent & Curwen

Kent & Curwen is a British menswear retailer, founded in 1926 in London by Eric Kent and Dorothy Curwen. Kent & Curwen first made its name supplying ties to universities in Oxford and Cambridge. The brand went on to introduce a cricket sweater in the 1930s. The Three Lions Herald trademark was registered in 1982.

Kent & Curwen is now owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate Trinity Ltd who were put into liquidation in January 2021.

History

 * 1926 - Eric Kent and Dorothy Curwen established E.W Kent & Curwen in London. They began as a manufacturer of regimental, club and college ties, supplying Oxford and Cambridge universities.
 * October 1931 - Eric proposed to Dorothy whilst travelling through Europe. They married the following year
 * 1932 - The company bought a knitwear factory in London to manufacture its first cricket jumpers. In the 1930s, E.W Kent & Curwen dressed the Hollywood Cricket team.




 * 23 June 1937 - E.W Kent & Curwen was registered as a limited company becoming simply Kent & Curwen Ltd., trading on Silver Street in the City of London.
 * 12 February 1939 - Eric Kent died suddenly, aged just 46.
 * 1940s - Kent & Curwen moved from Silver Street during WWI due to bomb damage, to Warwick Street in the West End.
 * 18 December 1972 - Dorothy died at her home on Sussex Coast.
 * 1973 - Kent & Curwen moved from Warwick Street to a leasehold premise on Domingo Street.
 * 1975 - Jane Bourvis joined the company, eventually becoming the Director for Knitwear Sales and Design.




 * Early 1980s - Kent & Curwen opened their own store at 39 St. James’ Street, close to Piccadilly Circus. They also became the costumes sponsor of the Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire.
 * December 1982 - Kent & Curwen was taken over by a Swiss trading company called Giselle. Through this merger, the company was introduced to the Japanese company, D'Urban, with whom a trading agreement was formed.
 * Mid 1980s - Kent & Curwen began to explore the export market, exhibiting at trade shows in New York and Paris. In 1986, they opened on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. In Asia, Kent & Curwen opened across Singapore and Hong Kong.Kent & Curwen Advertisement in 1985.png




 * 1990s - Tie manufacture was down.
 * 2000s - Moving into the 21st century, each of the stores closed in quick succession, including the St. James store in 2002, leaving Kent & Curwen no obvious retail presence.
 * 2006 - Kent & Curwen opened a new flagship store on Conduit Street.
 * 2008 - Kent & Curwen acquired by Trinity Limited of Li & Fung Group with headquarter in Hong Kong.
 * February 2010 - Kent & Curwen opened a new shop at No. 2, Piccadilly Arcade.
 * 2015 - Kent & Curwen started a 5-year global business partnership with David Beckham.
 * 2016 - Kent & Curwen appointed Daniel Kearns as Creative Director.
 * 2017 - They opened a second London shop at Covent Garden.



Collaborations and Sponsorship
Uniforms Sponsorship of Hong Kong's representatives for Olympic and Asian Games

Kent & Curwen was the official uniforms supplier of Hong Kong’s representatives for the London Olympic Games in 2012. Kent & Curwen's designs included white knit jacket and casual polo shirts.

At the 17th Asian Games at Incheon in 2014 Kent & Curwen were the official uniforms supplier for the Hong Kong representative.

Business Partnership with David Beckham

Kent & Curwen announced a 5-year partnership with David Beckham in September 2015.

Daniel Kearns was appointed in February 2016 to oversee all collections, including the partnership with David Beckham.

Other


 * Kent & Curwen has sponsored the “Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup” since 2010
 * In 2012, they sponsored a charity cricket match in support of British servicemen through the charities Help for Heroes and Walking with the Wounded.
 * They were the sponsor of The Kent & Curwen Royal Charity Polo Cup between 2012 and 2014.
 * In January 2019, Kent & Curwen launched a collection produced in collaboration with the BBC TV show Peaky Blinders, which included frock coats, tailored suits, and the flat cap featured in the television show.
 * In 2019, David Shrigley created motifs and statements to fit with the brand's style. The collaboration included sweatshirts, T-shirts and accessories.

Stores
As of March 2020, Kent & Curwen has 83 stores in 29 cities.