How Ledbury Maximizes The Power Of A Shirt

Allow me to take you back to 1918 when the postwar boom had begun, and men were buying $20.00 silk shirts. Imagine that. Yet the big fashion news at that time was the swing of the pendulum to the collar attached shirt. In fact, it was the soft-collared khaki army shirt, credited with having been the catalyst of change at that time. The shirt was selling well at retail with its regulation army cuffs, pocket, and collar and sleeve patches intact. 

Despite the style revolution that was taking place in dress shirts, the shirt with the detached collar continued to sell well into the early twenties. As a menswear style historian, I feel inclined to inform you that is was Mrs. Hannah Montague of (none other than) Troy, New York, who is credited in developing the detached collar. As History will have it; one day in 1820 to reduce the stress of producing a fresh shirt every day for her blacksmith husband, Ms. Montague simply snipped off the collar and washed it. Henceforth, was born the first detachable collar. For me, it is so very important to be aware of the progressive menswear developments made right here in the USA. 

Thankfully, today, revival of interest in men’s shirting is making an impressive comeback. Although there are various reasons for the comeback, the most common answer is the form of motivation in the desire to make a sale. In short, selling is a process that affects everybody and which all of us engage at many times in our lives, whether we are selling products, services concepts or ourselves. The most important point that I have to express is that any man whether in business or in social life (which, in present times, happen to be more and more inseparable), can “sell” himself far more successfully through the adroit manipulation of his clothing than he can by any other means. To the great majority, it is absolutely the most dominant force in their lives and is responsible on a crucial day-to-day basis for their businesses, their jobs, their economic well-being and subsistence. 

And remember, in the Middle Ages, when a sovereign committed a crime that put him in a face-off with the greatest power at that time - the church- he would often expiate himself by putting on a shirt and prostrating himself before a cathedral. In doing so, he thereby signaled one of two developments: either he was attempting to work himself back into the good graces, or his property was up for grabs. Today, in the twenty-first century, the shirt you wear can be just as significant a signal to everyone around you. It can express that you are in good graces at your job or that your position, your power and your future are up for grabs. In a highly competitive world, I would place my bets on dressing of success!

The advantages of wearing a fine shirt are substantial: it will feel good to wear; it’s soft and smooth; it looks rich; and it breathes, making it comparatively cool in the summer and all too often stuffy board rooms. No matter what type of shirt you wear, it should fit well. A surprising number of men really don’t even know what size they need, and consequently, there is all too often something just a little bit off with their shirts. I recommend that you have your shirt sizes taken at least once a year, by someone competent enough to do it right.

I recently reviewed a men’s shirting brand who understands that shirting is not only far more complex that one would think but rather one of the most important parts of a mans overall business style combinations. Founded in 2009 by Paul Trible and Paul Watson, Ledbury is the premium shirtmaker and menswear brand based in Richmond, VA. Ten years later, the brand remains best known for dress and casual shirts that prioritize great fit and superb quality. Each Ledbury shirt is made from fabric sourced from the finest European mills, finished with mother-of-pearl buttons, and available in multiple fits.

*One Hundred Fifty Customers Own 100+ of These Shirts; Here’s Why:

In addition to its core products, Ledbury releases a new, innovative shirt each week and has created a collection mentality amongst its customers, with hundreds owning over one hundred Ledbury shirts apiece. The brand’s values of fit and quality carry through to collections including sport coats, sweaters, pants, polos, ties and accessories.

Ledbury was at the forefront of the direct-to-consumer, digitally native vertical brand (DNVB) movement, launching as an ecommerce-only shirtmaker in 2009. Since then, Ledbury has expanded into wholesale, selling with StitchFix, Bloomingdale’s and 100+ independent men’s specialty stores across the country. The brand also has stores in Richmond, VA, Washington, DC, and just opened on Bleecker Street in New York City. In 2015, Ledbury acquired Creery Custom Shirts, the second longest continuously running bespoke shirtmaker in the U.S. Ledbury maintains the tradition of bespoke shirtmaking in Richmond workshop.

I recently had the privilege to speak with Paul Trible, Co-Founder and CEO of Ledbury about what he believes men are seeking today in shirts, how he aims to inform Millennials and Gen Z about the importance of dressing well for the office and detail about the current collection and why it is important for consumers to be aware of this brand!  

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about the history, launch date and the Richmond, VA - DNA of your brand?

Paul Trible: I was not always a shirtmaker. My background is in the nonprofit world. I ran medical missions in Africa and Asia for the children’s nonprofit Operation Smile and later helped launch the charity in London. I ended up in graduate school at Oxford in 2007 where I met my business partner, and Ledbury Co-Founder, Paul Watson. Yes - we are both named Paul! Ironically, we were both heading into jobs in finance but graduated the day before Lehman Brothers collapsed, so our plans had to change. I always loved clothes and, after years in London, had become spoiled by access to great tailors. I loved going to specialists like the shirt-makers on Jermyn Street and got excited about the idea of creating an American shirtmaker that really focused on fit and quality. It became somewhat of an obsession, so one day I approached the tailor who was making my shirts and told him I wanted to work with him. He thought I was crazy - and told me so, but we ended up meeting up for a beer. We met again the next week and again the week after that. Eventually, he agreed to let me work with him.  

 I spent the better part of a year working under him, learning about fabrics, stitching, collars, cuffs, and generally what makes a great shirt. At the same time, I somehow convinced my business partner that we should get into the clothing business.During the day, we would design shirts, and, at night, we would sit in the back of a pub on Ledbury Road writing the business plan. After that, we moved to Richmond, Virginia, and launched the business in December 2009.

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what is your competitive advantage in the luxury shirting market?

Paul Trible: Our mantra is better fit, better fabric, better shirt. On fit: All of our shirts, both dress and casual, are available in two fits and 14 sizes. There is no general S-XL sizing. Additionally, sleeve alterations are available on every style. The result is the fit of a custom shirt at the convenience of ready-to-wear. On fabric: Our dress shirts are made from Italian-woven fabric. They are then handcrafted in Europe, finished with mother-of-pearl buttons and start at $98. No one in the market can compete with that on quality or price. On the shirt: This speaks to subtle innovations like a slightly lowered second button creating the perfect V at the neckline. Or that fact that all of our buttons are wrapped with tension threading to ensure they stay fastened for life. These are small changes that customers grow to love. That is why we have hundreds of customers that own over 100 Ledbury shirts apiece.

Joseph DeAcetis: How do you intend to market to Millennials and Gen Z and inform them about the importance of dressing well for the office? 

Paul Trible: We believe that dressing well at the office does not necessarily mean dressing up. It’s more about looking put together. We sell as many casual shirts as we do dress shirts, but our casual shirts are styled such that they can be worn at work just as easily as on the weekend. Our customer appreciates the versatility.  What is also refreshing about millennials is that they take the time to educate themselves on the products they buy and are willing to support brands they believe in. A lot of our younger customers wear our shirts for their most important moments—the ones where dressing well matters: weddings, job interviews, etc.

Joseph DeAcetis: In your words, what are men seeking today in shirts?


Paul Trible: Variety and versatility. Gone are the days of men wanting their closets filled with oxford button-downs. Today men want interesting fabrics, unique weaves, or performance features. To meet this need, we created a program called Sunday Shirting where we release a new, innovative shirt each week. Recently we released a beautiful moleskin double pocketed windproof flannel, the week before we launched an Airtex open weave dress shirt. You’re not going to find these at Brooks Brothers...   

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes in detail about the current collection and why it is important for consumers to be aware of this brand? 

Paul Trible: Our current collection is all about quality, variety and discovering something new for fall. If someone is refreshing their dress shirt collection, start with our Essentials Collection of Italian-woven poplin dress shirts for $98. If they are looking for something casual, we offer dozens of beautiful Portuguese flannels as well as washed indigo and denim fabrics from Spain. If they want something innovative, they can pick up a cotton-cashmere blend or a buttery soft, printed corduroy.  And that’s just our shirts! Our Italian-made sweater and sport coat collection are the perfect complements to our shirts

Joseph DeAcetis: If you could choose one celebrity to wear your brand, who would it be and why? 


Paul Trible: We have a handful of celebrities that wear our shirts, but I get more excited about folks who rely on Ledbury on a daily basis. That said, we have always had a great group of journalists and reporters who wear our product. Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist, Andrew Sorkin, Anderson Cooper, and Sean Hannity, to name a few. I often joke that Ledbury might be one of the last bi-partisan things in the country.   

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about how technology aided you in the development of your brand both product make-up and e-commerce? 

Paul Trible: We are a digital-first brand with 70% of our sales online, so technology plays a huge role in what we do. Our focus is on quality and fit, two tactile experiences, so you find a lot of video and imagery on our site to detail what makes our shirts so special. We also build deep relationships with our customers, so marketing technology that tracks a customer’s journey and their engagement with the brand is critical to tailor the Ledbury experience to each individual shopper.

Joseph DeAcetis: What are your day-to-day responsibilities? 


Paul Trible: In my official title as CEO, I set the strategic direction for the brand. But my day-to-day is spent on merchandising, marketing, and ensuring that we are creating a great product that is resonating with our customers. I am lucky to have a talented business partner who focuses on operations and technology.    

Joseph DeAcetis: Where is the product made and why? 


Paul Trible: Our philosophy on production is simple: work with small mills and factories that make the very best of a given product category. Our fabrics are European, our shirts are made in Poland and Turkey, sweaters and sports coats in Italy, cashmere in Scotland and leather goods in the United States. A few years ago, we also acquired the second-oldest bespoke shirtmaker in the United States. So we have a master pattern maker and craftsmen that make bespoke shirts by hand daily in our Richmond workshop.

Joseph DeAcetis: Explain to my viewers what the difference is between a well-made shirt and a dept store shirt. 


Paul Trible: The two components to a great shirt are fabric and construction. To put it simply, shirt fabric is similar to sheet fabric: the higher the yarn count, the softer the material. Luxury quality shirts will use higher yarn count from longer staple cotton that makes them feel better and last longer. On construction, it comes down to stitches per inch. A cheaper shirt might have 12 stitches per inch, whereas a luxury shirt like ours will have over 20 stitches per inch. That level of construction ensures the shirt can be worn for years without falling apart. And I can’t forget buttons. I may be biased, but I think a great shirt should have real mother-of-pearl buttons. It’s a small detail, but it matters.

Joseph DeAcetis: What are you future projections and growth strategy for the next few years? 

Paul Trible: Our growth strategy is simple. Make great shirts and truly spoil our customers. If we continue to do that, I have no doubt that Ledbury will continue to grow. For that to happen, we need to achieve a larger digital reach and open new stores. In fact, we are opening our first New York store on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village this month.