NEWS
A London Cufflink Designer
Ian Flaherty designs and manufactures men’s bespoke cufflinks in his London based workshop ready to be distributed nationally and internationally.
Visit Ian Flaherty at his studio and you’ll find him working at the coal face with his subordinates, unafraid to get his hands dirty. A Scouser by birth and the son of a builder he chose a different career path that lead him out of working class Liverpool and into London, the fashion capitol of the world.
After designing for many prestigious brand names, Ian thought it was time to harness his energies and direct them toward developing his own brand. It’s been a long road from Liverpool, now his delightful designer cufflinks are displayed in some of the most famous department stores around the world, including Selfridges and John Lewis (UK), Nordstroms (USA) David Jones (Australia) plus stores in Japan with un-pronounceable names.
The cufflink market has become crowded as designer brands cash in on resurgent popularity of cufflinks. Plus there is the lure of manufacturing in Asia as a way to increase profits, but not without risk of negative effect on your reputation.
Increasing profits at your customer’s expense does not make good business sense. Ian’s a big fan of traditional British craftsmanship and prefers the workmanship he gets from his own Battersea studio.
Ian literally draws his design inspiration from the world around him. He’s always looking at patterns and reflections, sketching things that catch his eye as he walks down the street.
Ian’s designs are hand cast in pure English pewter, because it gives the most accurate result. Each item is double plated in rhodium, a precious metal derived from platinum, and polished before being hand-enamelled or inset with Swarovski Crystals. Then polished and inspected again to make sure it’s flawless.
Rhodium prevents tarnishing and adds functionality to form making them extremely hard wearing, less likely to be scarred thus adding value. His cufflinks don’t tarnish and neither will his reputation. His customers keep coming back for more precisely because he does not cut corners.
The only thing that overshadows Ian’s talent is sincerity; his working class principles remain intact.
A closing historic anecdote: Swank Inc a popular designer and manufacturer of men’s cufflinks were incorporated on April 17, 1936. When Cufflinks peaked in the 1960’s they were making 12 million a year. Even though these were aimed at the lowest end of the market, retailing for an average of $2.50 a pair, that still adds up to a lot of men wearing cufflinks. These days the figure is closer to 200,000, but cufflinks are making a strong comeback with gross sales having increased consistently over the last ten years, while the French cuff continues to be the most prestigious type of shirt.
The most expensive cufflinks ever sold were a pair given to the soon-to-be
King Edward VIII by his later wife Wallis Simpson. These featured diamonds set in platinum and sold at auction for $440,000. The most a pair of Flaherty cufflinks will cost you is £67.00.
The English Way
CMT is an abbreviation for, “cut, made and trimmed”, which was used often, as described, in a clothing industry that once flourished across England. Commonly known as the rag trade, it has suffered many low blows over the past couple of decades, but never out for the count.
This is specific to mass production. Conversely bespoke industry and CMT are the gathering storm, soon to challenge the conveyor belts on many fronts.
Savile Row has played a major role helping the industry’s survivors, like local silk weavers, CMT and tie manufacturers. The bespoke market is directly driven by demand and therefore sustainable, with little impact on our environment.
If you’re looking for value, there is always something new and exciting, but not easy to find. Made in England. individuality and originality need not cost a fortune, so if your budget is a little tight, don’t be concerned, because there are brand names that cater to your needs, at the right price, without compromising quality.
One example; is Timothy Everest, renowned tailor, who moved east to set up his Bespoke headquarters at number 32 Elder Street Spitalfield. Not far from the music halls that Charlie Chaplin made his first public appearances, before his rise to stardom. Everest’s designer ties (Spitalfield Flower) impress a conservatism expected of a tailor, but with a unique originality, affordable luxury best describes.
Now, to a more unlikely candidate: Vivienne Westwood. She has ventured down every avenue from designing evening gowns to crockery for Wedgwood. Three times winner of “fashion designer of the year” and awarded DBE in 2006 for her contribution to the fashion industry. Vivienne’s ties are original designs.
Closing anecdote: 1858: Henry Poole earns the first of his Royal Warrants from the newly crowned Emperor Napoleon III of France to whom Poole and Baron de Rothschild advanced £10,000 to stage a coup in France to establish The Second Empire. At the accession of Emperor Napoleon and his Empress Josephine, Henry Poole erects an audacious gas illuminated eagle-and-coronet light show above the facade of No 36: a tradition he repeats on all great Royal occasions connected to customers of Henry Poole. Reference 201.4
