After the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, Paul Tribble and Paul Watson found a way to start anew. The two finance industry veterans left Wall Street the following year and moved to Richmond, where they pursued their passion for menswear. Ledbury Clothing brand.
“We started out just focusing on shirts, but expanded our collection to a full line of menswear, expanding our collection and our business,” Tribble says. “To this day, we’re still in the shirt business, but what’s changed a bit in our business is we’ve moved from ready-to-wear to a more bespoke concept, which has been transformative for our business.”
Building on years of crafting finely crafted clothing, they launched a custom line of button-down shirts in September 2022 that has taken on a life of its own. Although they previously operated a brick-and-mortar store, for the time being they plan to remain headquartered in Richmond and continue their online operations.
The pair learned their craft from bespoke shirtmakers on London’s Saville Row and Jermyn Street, mastering the craft and bringing what they learned back to the U.S. in December 2009. “We originally had a little shop on Cary Street in the Slip, but the core of our business is e-commerce,” Tribble says.
Since then, the business has grown from the owner’s ready-to-wear men’s shirts to other fashion staples, and thanks to word of mouth and some great customers, the shirts have been worn by celebrities like CNN commentator Anderson Cooper and NBC journalist Peter Alexander.
“Our ambition is to be the classic British men’s shirtmaker. [experience] “We’re starting with dress shirts and expanding into a casual collection of linens and flannels, with the goal of becoming a one-stop shop for people who love our dress shirts,” Tribble said.
The bespoke shirts are designed entirely online, starting with the brand’s classic drape and allowing customers to customise elements such as neck size, sleeve length, cuff style and collar size. There are six different collar styles to choose from, with pockets and French cuff options also available.
“Customers loved the experience of coming into our store and getting measured,” Tribble says. “The question for us was, ‘How do we replicate that experience online and get shirts made quickly and in stock with our customers?'”
Custom shirts typically take 10 to 14 days to arrive after ordering, and the brand plans to expand its collection of men’s suits and sport coats next year after seeing a 40% growth in its e-commerce business last year.
For those looking for an in-store experience, Tribble said, “It’s only a matter of time before we return to Richmond and open up.” [a new store]”We’d like to share what we’ve been up to since closing our original Broad Street store and introduce some of our new products.”
Source: Shopping & Style – richmondmagazine.com
