Products Clothing Founded 2001 | Number of employees 100 | |
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Website www.londontradition.com Profiles | ||
London Tradition Ltd is a clothing designer and manufacturer, specialising in traditional British duffle coats, pea coats and trench coats. The company was founded in January 2001 by Mamun Chowdhury and Rob Huson, is based in London, England, and has around 100 employees.
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History
In January 2001, Mamun Chowdhury and Rob Huson set up London Tradition. The company operates from a factory and design studio in Hackney Wick in the East End of London near the Olympic park, designing and manufacturing luxury duffle coats for export, it makes coats that start at £300 and sell for as much as £1,500 and employs 100 people to produce on average 1,000 coats a week. The founders insist that their garments are, have always been and will continue to be designed and manufactured in London.
Manufacturing and products
London Tradition's innovation led to the development of one of their signature garments - the Heritage Duffle Coat - which has it roots in the British Royal Navy and being worn by Field Marshall Montgomery.
The company designs clothing that is manufactured in the UK. It also designs and makes unlined garments for the wholesale market, including pea coats, duffles and trench coats. Every coat is hand-finished, hand-cut and made from Italian or English wool cloth. The process demands skill and experience and the company has a team of craftspeople using traditional methods - most of whom are British Asians living in Tower Hamlets. It uses a network of approved resellers.
Export
The company now exports 30,000 to 35,000 coats a year, 90% of its output is outside of the UK, it exports to 12 markets including the Asia Pacific region and Europe - including Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Netherlands and Spain, and has seen overseas sales rise by 865% between 2007 and 2013.
Awards and recognition
In July 2014, London Tradition was awarded a Queen's Awards for Enterprise for International Trade in recognition of its business performance, having demonstrated continuous and cumulative growth in exports sales of 865% over six years. "The award is a recognition of excellence for this rapidly expanding company that has taken British outerwear - including the humble duffle coat - and transformed them into a luxury heritage brand for an international market."