The letter A measures the length, brightness and colour of a fibre. This quality measurement was developed by sheep farmers in Queensland, Australia, who supply the wool from which the fabrics are produced. The sheep that produce AAAAA quality wool permanently wear jackets made of jersey to protect their wool from rain and sun damage.

Longer than ordinary shorts, Bermuda shorts are knee-length. They originally came from Bermuda where they were part of the local police uniform to cope with the warm climate.

Bermuda shorts already existed from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, but they were only worn by children and were known as "short pants".

The blazer is a double-breasted jacket, usually navy, inspired by the Navy jackets of the nineteenth century, and subsequently by club jackets. The term "Blazer" comes from the name of a British frigate, HMS Blazer, whose captain had Navy jackets made for his crew.

The bow tie is a derivative of the ordinary tie which, in the nineteenth century, was wound several times around the neck and knotted in front, so that its ends did not fall on the shirt. In 1904, following the success of Giacomo Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, men used to wear their ties in a bow reminiscent of the shape of a butterfly to go to the opera, which was later renamed the bow tie (noeud papillon in French).

The oldest type of weave is canvas, obtained by the alternate crossing of even and odd warp threads and passing through the weft thread. The fabric obtained has no right side or wrong side.

This is a type of weave where the warp and weft threads intersect to form a pattern that is reminiscent of a bird's eye.

The cardigan is a buttoned, long-sleeved waistcoat, usually made of wool. Its origins date back to the early nineteenth century in Wales, when the Earl of Cardigan split his sweater with his sword as it was too tight.

Cashmere comes from the winter fleece of a small goat that lives in the Cashmere region, situated between India, Pakistan and China. The long wool of this goat is extremely fine and silky and is renowned for its quality.



Collected in the spring, this down is traditionally bleached with a preparation of rice flour before being washed and woven. The province of Cashmere has been producing this wool since the first millennium BC.

This is a type of weave where the warp and the weft intersect to form a v shape.

The club tie is originally from England and dates from the mid-nineteenth century. At that time, sports clubs used to print their "colours" on their flag, blazers, caps and ties. An example of this is the red, green and white stripes of the "Free Foresters Cricket Club". Regiments also used to print their colours on their tie. The red and blue stripes of the "Brigade of Guards" are a famous illustration of this tradition. This distinctive striped pattern was particularly successful after the first world war because soldiers liked to show that they had fought in the war.



Although club ties and regimental ties were initially differentiated, it is customary nowadays to speak of a club motif for all ties with wide diagonal stripes.

A diamond tip is an ornamental pattern depicting the pyramidal shape of the tip of a cut diamond. This pattern can also be found in the weave of some ties or engraved on cufflinks or lighters.

This is a fine thread which has been twisted before being woven. Double twisted fabrics give added strength, flexibility and comfort. This technique is often used for shirts, however it is also used in some suits.

A technical garment originally designed for winter sports, the down jacket is has become a chic and urban item of clothing.

The jacket was created by a German aeronautical engineer, Klaus Obermeyer, who opened a ski school in Aspen (USA), eager to discover the joy of winter sports and American high society. As the cold on the slopes was scaring away customers, Klaus Obermeyer cut up his own duvet and turned it into a quilted jacket. It was an immediate success, and 75 additional quilts were immediately ordered to dress his clients.

The Egyptians were have been using cotton since the 12th millennium BC, they cultivated and used it to make light clothing which were suitable for the warm climate of the region. The Nile valley has the ideal humidity and soil conditions for growing exceptional quality cotton.

Indeed, the fibre of Egyptian cotton is twice as long as that of other varieties. The threads obtained are strong, shiny and soft. They are also very absorbent and hold dyes better over time than other types of cotton.

This is a weave with a heathered appearance obtained by alternating light and dark threads.

The "fil de réserve" is the little thread present in the interlining of our ties. When the tie is placed flat and held taut, pulling on this thread will help to restore the tie to its original shape. In the case of a traditional tie, it is normal for the silk and interlining to twist out of shape slightly when it has been knotted several times.

Flannel is a fabric made of wool or cotton, combed or carded and brushed one or both sides. It is characterized by its soft feel and fluffiness which is obtained by washing the fabric at the end of the production process.

The origins of this fabric date back to the eighteenth century with the use of the first looms in Britain and Flanders. At the time, flannel had a mottled appearance as the woollen threads used were natural and undyed.

This is the measurement of the number of knitted stitches and rows per 1.5 inches (38 mm). The higher the gauge, the finer the knit. Gauges generally vary between 3 and 18.

This small piece of triangular cloth reinforces the side seams at the hem of the shirt.

This is a type of weave that is very similar to puppytooth except that the pattern is larger in size

A knitted fabric of wool or cotton, jersey takes its name from the island of the same name where it was first created in the Middle Ages.

Mercerised cotton is cotton that has been treated using the process invented in 1844 by John Mercer to increase its brilliance, strength, ability to absorb dye and its resistance to mould.

Taken from the merino breed of sheep, merino wool is recognized as the highest quality sheep's wool. Originating mainly from Australia and New Zealand, this wool is characterized by fibres which are three times finer than traditional wool; they are bright, soft, warm and yet extremely light.

The mignonette is a French term for the striped fabric which, in true tailoring tradition, is used to line the sleeves of jackets.

Made from the fleece of the angora goat of Asia Minor, this fibre protects against the cold and the heat. It is used in the production of light-weight fabrics. It is also used in the composition of certain linen suits.

A fabric made from 100% wool; it is the weaving technique used which makes it more elastic and flexible to wear.

Named after the Ottoman Empire where it was created, ottoman is a thick silk fabric with a pronounced ribbed or corded effect. Today, it is used to refer to the pattern of certain ribbed silk ties.

This is a small strip of fabric that is folded in half lengthwise, cut diagonally and then sown into the seam. Used for buttonholes and pockets, piping provides a clean finish.

Cotton fabric with two warp threads - one taut and the other loose - and two weft threads. The difference in tension between the warp threads creates a ribbed effect that is unique to the pique style; it can take the form of diamonds, squares or dots. This raised pattern also brings softness and freshness to the pique style.

The Placket Tower is the strip of fabric used to strengthen the opening of the bottom of the sleeve near the cuff.

The pocket handkerchief was originally used purely for hygienic purposes. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt when it was used in the form of a piece of white linen, and to the ancient Greece when the wealthy scented their pocket handkerchiefs and used them to blow their noses.
In the fourteenth century, the French nobility used to add scent to small squares of silk to guard against unpleasant odours. The handkerchief became widely popular at the end of that century under the reign of Richard II of England, who was an avid user.

The two-piece suit, developed in the nineteenth century, changed where the handkerchief was kept. It moved from the trouser pocket to the jacket, but it was only in the 1920s that the handkerchief became a mere fashion accessory and lost its purpose as a handkerchief. In the 1950s and 1960s, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper used handkerchiefs as a symbol of elegance.

The Prince of Wales check is based on a set of squares and horizontal and vertical lines which intersect at regular intervals, usually in shades ranging from white to dark grey, on a light grey background.
This fabric, designed by Charles Redfem at the end of the nineteenth century, owes its name to the "future" Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, who used this fabric for his travel outfits.

Using a twill-like weave, usually in black and white, this fabric is characterized by repeated four-pointed shapes. Originally from England, puppytooth was created to mimic the reflection of armour. Very popular in the 1950s, this pattern was especially used for jackets and suits, and it was also used to cover car seats. Even today, this fabric is constantly being modified and revisited for men's and women's collections.

The term "Raglan" refers to a type of sleeve where the armhole runs from the neck to the armpit, and therefore by extension, to a garment that uses this type of sleeve.
It takes its name from a British officer, Lord Raglan, who had to have his arm amputated after the Battle of Waterloo and had the sleeves of his clothes adapted to make them easier to put on.

This jacket is known as a caban in French which comes from the Arabic qaba, because the Bedouins of the desert were the first people to wear it. Then in the eighteenth century, European sailors began to wear this garment cut from a thick woollen sheet called a caban to avoid getting wet. Its large collar completely covered the neck and it had a double breasted front and breast pockets where the sailors could easily slip their hands to protect them from the wind and cold. As the reefer jacket became increasingly popular in society in general, the anchor motif on the buttons gradually disappeared. Today, the reefer jacket is an essential menswear item.

A rare metal belonging to the platinum family, rhodium is often used in jewellery because of its shiny and stainless aspect. It is used in various different men's accessories, such as cuff links or tie clips.

This item of clothing was originally worn between the shirt and the jacket. Characterized by tightly-woven, sand-coloured cotton twill and four bellows pockets, the safari jacket was usually belted and worn by British officers in the nineteenth century.

The safari jacket was revisited by Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s when he went on safari to Africa, and then by Yves Saint Laurent in 1966, making it an indispensable item of a man's summer wardrobe.

Sheep's wool, sheared or natural, is retained on the inside of the coat while the pelt is buffed to achieve a velvet or oiled effect. The quality of the sheepskin depends on the climate in which the lambs have been raised. Indeed, in a warm climate, the skin is thinner and the wool is finer and therefore of a higher quality, while in colder climates, the wool is thicker.

This is a weave where the warp and weft are tightly woven which gives a dense overall look and exposes the original grain of the fabric once it has been finished.

An animal textile fibre, silk is taken from continuous threads used to make the cocoon of a caterpillar, commonly known as the silkworm. Silk is the only naturally occurring continuous thread.

Silk can be woven and worked in different ways to vary its appearance:
Grenadine silk - taking its name from the city where it was created in the fifteenth century - is obtained by weaving a thread which is composed of two tightly twisted threads, creating a lightweight fabric with varying texture and tone. Originally madder silk was a silk which was coloured with a natural dye called madder. Today, modern dyes are used to reproduce the rendering of a madder dye - a velvety, matte, dark effect which is softened by patterns or weaving.

Originally, stays were made out of whalebone. Previously used to stiffen garments such as corsets, they are mainly used today in bras and shirt collars.

The stripe has had very different connotations at different times throughout history. Associated with evil characters during the Middle Ages, the stripe lost its negative connotations when it started to be used on coats of arms.

From the nineteenth century, stripes known as "chalk" or "tennis" stripes were widely used for business suits.

These are quality labels determined by the IWTO (International Wool Textile Organization). The higher the number, the finer the thread. The diameter of each fibre of Super 80s wool must measure no more than 19.75 microns, 19.25 microns for Super 90s, 18.75 for Super 100s, etc. Keep deducting 0.5 microns until you reach the highest grade where the fibres are finer than 13.25 microns. Remember that a micron, or micrometre (microns) is 0.001 mm.

The tie first appeared in France in the seventeenth century - it was originally worn by soldiers to protect them from the cold. It became popular first in France and then in the rest of Europe, replacing the lace ruffle. It has been through many different mutations before becoming the model we know today.

Adorned with ribbons and lace during the reign of Louis XIV, it had an additional black ribbon around the neck that was used to hold the hair behind the head in the late eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, it became rather puffed out in France, and white with complex knots in England. The ancestor of today's tie, known as the "Regatta tie" was created a short time later to address the challenges associated with tying these accessories.

In 1901 Thomas Burberry designed a raincoat that would a few years later be transformed into the trench coat, a garment designed to protect WWI soldiers who lived in the trenches. The coat is made from tightly woven cotton, in order to be as waterproof as possible. Two loops were sewn on the shoulder in order to attach a cap and a large lapel was added to the chest in order to hold the butt of a gun.

Later used by civilians, the trench coat has remained popular down the years, retaining its 26 pieces of different sized gabardine and belt loops adorned with rings. It became a garment of timeless elegance when Humphrey Bogart wore one in Casablanca in 1942.

This is a cloth edging added to wool, cotton or silk.

The two terms "Smoking" and "Tuxedo" are used to denote the same garment, however they have different origins.
As its name suggests, the smoking jacket was a jacket that was originally worn by English gentlemen in their smoking rooms so that their clothes would not be tainted by the smell of tobacco. The son of King George V, the Duke of Windsor, ended this gallant custom by wearing his smoking jacket to welcome his guests to dinner.

The smoking jacket can be single or double breasted and has a notch or shawl collar with lapels of silk or satin. The jacket is completed with matching trousers with a stripe down the leg, a dress shirt, a bow tie and a cummerbund. Once it started to be worn at the casinos in Monte Carlo, this item of clothing lost its functional purpose and became a formal item of clothing in the nineteenth century.

The tuxedo, on the other hand, takes its name from the New York club, the Tuxedo Club, which, in 1886, was attended by James Potter wearing a jacket with shiny satin lapels, completely going against the dress code at the time. Potter's jacket was like a replica of the British smoking jacket; this is why the "Tuxedo" and "Smoking Jacket" have always been synonymous. During the nineteenth century, the tuxedo emerged as suitable cocktail party or evening attire and later became the symbol of James Bond.

A woollen fabric of Scottish origin, tweed comes from the verb "to twill", which means to "cross". Tweed is indeed characterized by patterns obtained by the crossing of different coloured warp and weft threads. This thick fabric is used for making coats and suits.

This is a type of weave where the weft thread passes under 1, then over 2 or 3 other warp threads, moving forward one thread on each row, thus giving the fabric a diagonal effect. This plain weave creates faint diagonal stripes in the fabric.

Renowned for its smoothness, velvet is a fabric with a luxurious look and feel. It is created by weaving a weft thread with threads of varying lengths which then emerge on the surface of the fabric.

Originally from the Orient, in the fourteenth century the fabric became popular in major Italian cities. The fabrics were made of silk with designs in velvet and they became highly sought after. In the nineteenth century, velvet became popular and was used by workers as wide-leg trousers.

Viscose is a plant-based textile. With a high absorption capacity and no fluff properties, viscose, unlike polyester, is not static, but "breathable", light and soft.

Viscose can be dyed easily and the colours are long lasting. Its fibres resist mould and insects. Finally, viscose is biodegradable. It is produced with the residue of the forest industry based on renewable and low-treated cultures.

The waistcoat was created in the seventeenth century. At that time, it was a jacket that was worn under a coat. However, in the eighteenth century, clothes got smaller and the jacket lost its sleeves to become the waistcoat that we know today. The front was most often created from refined fabrics such as silk embroidered with gold or silver, while the back of the waistcoat was made out of less extravagant materials. The addition of a waistcoat to today's suit creates a traditional three-piece suit.

The term "Woolmark" is a quality label for wool which guarantees the use of 100% virgin wool. Virgin wool is obtained by shearing live and healthy animals and contains no recycled wool.