RIDING HIGH ON MANCHESTER'S SHIRT TAILS

Manchester was once the centre of the shirt world. Here, and in the textile mills throughout Lancashire, millions and millions of yards of cotton shirtings were made that sold around the globe, the finest cottons available.

Now, just a few of those old mills are left, the rest falling prey to international competition from the 1950s on, and to a pursuit of quantity over quality on the part of too many mill owners.

Bucking both trends, one Manchester company manages a highly successful international business at the top level. This is Frank Rostron, established in 1968, and attracting a loyal band of over 800 customers for its bespoke shirt service.

A local boy, Frank Roston came into the shirt business by happy chance. His mother worked at one of the mills and came home one day with a length of blue shirting that had been rejected for slight flaws. She intended making pinnies from it for her fellow loom workers. Young Frank purloined the material to make a shirt for himself. A friend admired it and asked if he would make him one. And so a business was born that now encompasses made-to-measure suits and accessories, but with the concentration upon bespoke shirts.

“Bespoke shirts are our main business,” says Ben Dean, the man mainly responsible for fitting customers.“ Classic, traditional, yes… Classic.”

This is not to say that they don’t make the occasional extravagant style, or confine themselves to the plain white or blues that are their mainstays. Florals and checks and stripes and some fancy prints are available, and a variety of collar shapes are offered, with such original details as fancy collarband linings, pleats, contrast cuffs, etc.  But, as  Dean firmly repeated, classic white and blue shirts are what the majority of their customer want.

“We design some of the fabrics, source others. We use a lot of Swiss cottons and voiles, Italian shirtings, some Irish linen. The standard favourite is a 2-fold 100s cotton, though we may use Super 170s or some 200s. Some customers like trying new things.

“New technology has brought some interesting developments. We’re trying a bamboo/linen mix. There’s a  new 3-ply Italian shirting that is not woven too closely so isn’t heavy and has an airy quality.  We go to the major fabric shows, like Premiere Vision, to see what’s new.”

At the company’s shop headquarters in Manchester, bang opposite the Town Hall, the full extent of their merchandise is on display, from shirts and suits, to shoes, bags, ties and knitwear. With Manchester one of the UK’s top business cities, there is a ready customer base for high quality merchandise, both among locals and visiting businessmen, including many from overseas.

“They come from Europe, especially the Swiss, and quite a few from Norway. And then we travel to the US, which accounts for about 50 per cent of our business. It has all built up from word-of-mouth recommendation, which is the best way of course.”

The American business started some 25 years ago, when a lawyer from Chicago was visiting Manchester regularly. He ordered shirts at the shop and was so impressed, returned on each visit to order more. He suggested that the firm should go to the US and from that one man, the company has built a customer base now reaching all over that country.

Now, the online business is growing, both for bespoke shirts and other lines. “We prefer to have a fitting with a customer but if that is not possible, we encourage them to send one of their shirts, with their measurements.”

Dean has seen the company develop, joining it first as a 17 year old trainee, then re-joining last year after a stint in the business world as a Loss Adjuster."I was running out of clothes," he explains. But having to spend much of his time in Manchester as well as on trips, while his wife is based in London, its clear that he must enjoy what he does and sees plenty of expansion ahead.

The Manchester base  continues to attract customers covering a wide age span, and to cope with growing demand, both at the shop and online new staff have been added. “We also have offices in Cavendish Square but I will go to wherever the customer is for a fitting,” he says.