Eton–heritage shirtmaker yet a modern shirt specialist
It all began at a kitchen table, where Annie Petterson started sewing for friends and neighbours. Known for the quality of her work, she soon outgrew her kitchen and founded Syfabriken Special with her husband, David. In 1948, the founders' sons searching for quality fabrics, were passing through a small town in the UK named Eton. Inspired by the number of well-dressed young men there, they created a new kind of shirt--the Eton shirt. Fibre2Fashion spoke to Henrik Henriksson, Chief Financial Officer of Eton Shirts, to find out more about the iconic brand's heritage and key USPs, how it has tuned into the digital world and some of its recent product launches.
How does it work at Eton - do you only manufacture or is your team involved from scratch - the mood board to the final product? Do elaborate.
Our collections start with the overall creative idea by our design team, who set the overall mood board and overarching theme for each collection. Just like the larger fashion houses, we create mood boards and creative concepts that are incorporated into the entire collection - from bold prints to fabric selections, and micro-print details that are only visible when looking closely. In that sense, many of our shirt and accessories designs tell a unique story.
Unlike the garment-making industry as a whole Eton focuses on developing most of its own fabrics for its shirt range, while working integrated with a few selected partners to ensure we create shirts that live up to our high-quality standards and ambitions. This means that rather than buying fabrics directly, we collaborate with weaving mills, mainly located in Italy and Switzerland, to actively choose weaving techniques and influence a fabric's quality and longevity, as much as its aesthetic value. We are vertically involved throughout the supply chain and work very closely with our partners throughout the value chain.
We strive to have long, transparent, and mutual beneficial relationships with our partners and together we create the best shirt offering in the world. We only work with partners that share the same vision and obsession as we do.
What is the significance of the name Eton? What is key to its success through the years?
Since 1928 Eton has been devoted to creating the perfect shirt for all men striving for excellence. The key to our success lies in our heritage and long expertise when it comes to craftmanship, while constantly innovating and working to perfect our shirts. The passion for what we do keeps us striving forward and this allows us to be on top of our game and to be able to offer fantastic, high quality shirts that are made to last over time. We are a heritage brand but also a modern shirt specialist in that sense, and I think this really sets us apart and makes us unique as a shirt specialist.
I am particularly proud of the steps Eton has taken within the casual shirt segment. With new product developments including t-shirts, denim shirts, linen, and overshirts, we are far beyond just a dress shirt brand anymore. With our new casual range, we are now a go-to destination for all type of shirts - whether customers are looking for something to wear for the office, for the vacation, or for the casual day off. It has been exciting to see how well-received our casual shirts have been by customers and Eton fans around the globe.
As far as the company name Eton goes - it dates to the 1950's, when our founders' sons passed through a small town in the UK, Eton. They were inspired by the well-dressed young men there and created a new kind of shirt - The Eton shirt. "The Eton shirt" was such a success that we chose Eton as our new company name and put it over the doors of the charming brick factory that is our global headquarters to this day.
Where do you source raw materials from and where are your shirts manufactured?
Our aim is to always offer the best quality product that are made to last. We use nothing but premium raw materials, such as extra long staple cotton from Egypt and California, woven by mills in Egypt, Italy, Romania, and Turkey. Our shirts are manufactured in Europe: Romania, Lithuania, and Macedonia. We work with world-leading suppliers and specialist partners and the key to success for us has been to maintain strong partnerships and close contact with all our partners.
How many collections do you usually come up with in a year?
We have three main collections - Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer, and Holiday. Beyond these, we roll out capsule collections and unique drops including exclusives to own channels or strategic partners. We want to always offer our customers something new, fresh, and exciting on our digital channels.
What is the hardest part to reinvent in a shirt's design? Give some instances where you have played around with the design, fabric, accessories etc while coming up with a new collection.
Reinventing the most classic shirts tend to be the hardest. Our design team constantly works to create new fabrics or add newness with each collection. This could be refining the fabrics or the functionality of the shirt, to playing around and finetuning the smallest details.
Which are your best-selling products?
Our best-selling products are our iconic shirts: our high-quality and crease-resistant dress shirts that we are known for around the world. Beyond these, we are increasingly selling shirts from our casual assortment, with top-sellers such as polo piqués, denim shirts, linen, and overshirts.
What is your retail presence - online & offline?
Eton's products are sold on a near global scale digitally, through our own website and digital resell partners, and in brick-and-mortar stores in over 50 markets in Europe, North America, Africa, Oceania and Asia (including Russia). Among our retail partners are prestigious department stores including Nordstrom, Selfridges, Harrods, Le Bon Marché, and La Rinascente. We also sell our shirts and accessories through our own retail stores in key cities in Europe and North America, including Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, New York and Frankfurt.
What kinds of quality and design standards do you comply with?
The Eton Standard, agreeing to our quality standards in three areas:
Performance and Quality (ensures longevity), Chemical Restrictions (ensures compliance with strict demands) and Flammability (for safety). The Eton Standard is based on REACH, and ECHA, the European Chemical Agency's Candidate List Of Substances Of Very High Concern For Authorization, as well as the Oeko-Tex standard. All our suppliers must live up to the Eton Standard, and are controlled to ensure compliance. Oeko-Tex 100 certified, is a standard for limiting dangerous substances in textiles such as harmful chemicals, including legally banned and controlled substances, chemicals known to be harmful to human health but not yet legally restricted and other parameters for health protection. With our goal for 100 per cent GOTS certification in mind, we have decided to move way from strictly looking at Oeko-Tex, while always ensuring that our suppliers fulfill those demands.
Is there any special care that needs to be taken for Eton shirts?
The best way to care for our shirts is to wash them in the machine and then let them hang dry on a hanger. By caring for them this way, our shirts tend to last much longer. Dry cleaning does not hurt our shirts more than other shirts on the market, but it generally tends to shorten the lifespan of most garments.
Do your shirts serve a specific niche? Who are your customers like?
We want to empower the modern man to be the best he can be and to be the best version of himself. We do this by offering superior products for all occasions in life made with consideration for people and the planet, sold in a premium to luxury segment to men striving for excellence. The Eton man is driven not only by success but with an urge to excel in every aspect - confident yet curious mind who sets his own standards and never compromises.
What are the strengths/USP of your shirts?
An Eton shirt is a masterpiece in every aspect. As a nearly 100-year-old shirt specialist we have spent a long time perfecting our shirts, constantly pushing the boundaries within shirting. Through innovation and commitment, we design shirts and accessories of superior quality and style. There is a reason that people who have tried an Eton shirt tend to get 'hooked'. To wear a shirt from Eton means you can feel stylish, confident, and empowered. You will look good and feel good, all day long.
Some of our key USPs include:
Superior products - We never compromise on quality. With the best materials, techniques and expertise, our shirts stand the test of time.
Innovation - We design for optimal use on many different occasions, in many different ways.
Timeless design - We aim higher than the next trend. We create shirts that are modern today, tomorrow and in ten years.
Versatile - We push the boundaries of what "shirt specialist" means constantly looking for the next step in design, materials, and technique.
The lines between innerwear and outerwear are blurring. Are you working towards designing products in this range?
We are a true shirt specialist, and we believe that the shirt is the blazer of our time. With that said, we are continuously improving, innovating, and developing new products within our product offering. Two of our recent product launches worth mentioning, our overshirts and a vest in tech fabric, have been extremely well-received among our customers all around the world.
How have consumer preferences changed in the current scenario when the world is dealing majorly with the pandemic?
We are noticing an acceleration of the digital transformation meaning increased demand for digital distribution channels as well as an increased demand for casual products. We have seen an increase of interest from our customers around our casual offering. We are super excited to see this and look forward to introducing additional products within the casual segment.
What per cent of your revenue comes from exports? Which countries are you exporting to?
Eton can be found in more than 50 counties worldwide, primarily in Europe and North America, but we also have presence in Australia and parts of Asia. North America is our largest market (accounting for more than a third of the revenue), followed by our other key markets--Nordics, EU, and the UK.
Since everything has become more digital now, how has your working style and operations changed?
We had already started this transformation prior the pandemic. Our strategy and plans were already in place and the pandemic just accelerated this shift. With our digital enhancements, Eton is set up and on a great trajectory for continued growth as the world returns to normalcy.
What are your future plans?
We have ambitious growth plans when it comes to product offering as well as geographical distribution. We are confident we will gain market share in all our existing markets through improved product offering. We are also setting detailed plans in motion on markets where we currently are just scratching the surface. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Eton… (PC)
