Chester Barrie was first established in London in 1935 by an Englishman, Simon Ackerman, who had emigrated to the USA at the turn of the century. In the States, Mr Ackerman built up a high priced, quality tailoring business in and around New York. When he came back to London, he set up Chester Barrie to make quality suits for the US market. He would produce suits in London with the button holes un-finished and then send them back to the US to be finished and thus avoiding duty!
After his return to London, Mr Ackerman became a leading figure in the British fashion circles before WWII. He was a far sighted man and saw his opportunity to establish his name and product in England's tailoring heartland, Savile Row.
He opened his first store on London's Savile Row in 1937. His one concern was that of his name, (or more accurately the name of his store) which he felt at the time was not "English" enough and he was keen to appeal to a local customer as well as an American one.
It is not exactly known how he decided upon Chester Barrie but it is understood that he wanted to have an English-sounding name. So he decided upon Chester (the English city in the north of England) and "Barrie" (as in J.M. Barrie, author and play write of Peter Pan fame).
London in the 1930's was the international centre of male elegance, with its famous streets Savile Row (for suits) and Jermyn Street (for shirts), and Chester Barrie thrived in this heady environment. Simon Ackerman's customers included the likes of Winston Churchill and later such luminaries as Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant.
During World War II Chester Barrie was involved in the war effort, providing hand-made uniforms for officers of the American forces.[1]
Until recently (mid 2000s) Chester Barrie was a vertical operation. Owning its own factory in Crewe (where it is still made to this day). The Chester Barrie values stem from its English made goods and the reason for its base in the north was due to proximity with the port of Liverpool (and his export to the USA) and good communication routes with the mills in Huddersfield.
Chester Barrie became extremely popular for one very good reason; they provided a suit, ready for you to take away, that is of "good Savile Row quality". The rest of the street were "bespoke" tailors, that whilst of excellent quality, meant that it often took weeks for your suit to be ready. Chester Barrie provided the first "Ready-to-Wear" suits on Savile Row! In addition to their ready-to-wear, they offered (and still do to this day) a handmade-to-measure service if you had a little more time.
At Chester Barrie the cutting is still done by hand, although to average measurements rather than a pattern designed for the individual customer.
Chester Barrie, though are still hand crafted using only the very finest suit cloths. Attention to detail is paramount, from the 'comfort splice' in the trousers, the covered "Chester Barrie belt" and the full canvas structure.
Today, Chester Barrie provides the gentleman with the very best in suits, shirts and ties, using only the highest quality suiting cloths and shirting fabrics.[2]