Jigsaw (clothing retailer)

Jigsaw is a fashion clothing retailer with store and concession partners across Britain, Ireland, Holland and Australia. The company is based on Mortlake Road in Kew, south west London. The group turned over £102m for the 2017/2018 period. It has circa 80 stores across the UK (as of August 2019). Jigsaw's sister company Kew 159 closed in 2012 following heavy financial losses.[1]

Chapel to Duke of York's Headquarters, King's Road, Chelsea, now a Jigsaw store

History

The company was started in 1970 by John Robinson, and is now jointly owned by Best Dressed Group and Robinson Property. Robinson (born 1948), who grew up in Herefordshire, went on a holiday to Turkey and brought back a sheepskin coat. People wanted a coat like his, so he and Webster went back to Istanbul and filled an old Post Office van with sixty coats and sold them back in the UK. Robinson lives on a farm in Wiltshire.

The company launched menswear in 1994, and produced it successfully for five years, selling clothes designed by Chris Bailey.[2] In 1998, the same year that the menswear range was bringing in an annual turnover of £15 million,[2] a Jigsaw ensemble was chosen as the men's outfit for the Dress of the Year.[3][4] In 1999, Bailey bought out Jigsaw Menswear, rebranded it 'Uth' (pronounced 'Youth'), and offered more adventurous designs at higher prices, only to close down in 2002.[2] In 2012, Jigsaw relaunched its menswear brand under the direction of Frances Walker, formerly of Nicole Farhi.[2]

Jigsaw Junior was established in 1996 to further extend the range, however, this line consists only of girls clothing. The same year they opened stores in Tokyo and Denmark.

From 2006-07, Catherine Middleton, then the girlfriend of Prince William, was employed by Jigsaw as an assistant accessories buyer.[5] She worked there four days a week to help her manage her high-profile relationship, but eventually left on 1 November 2007.[6] The couple also holidayed together at Robinson's villa on the island of Mustique.[5][6]

References
  1. Thomas, Natalie (29 July 2012). "Jigsaw brings down the shutters on Kew as losses hit £10m". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. Nicholls, David (2 December 2011). "Jigsaw Menswear poised to relaunch". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  3. Porter, Charlie (3 December 2005). "Top of the frocks". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  4. Fashion Museum, Bath. "Dress of the Year – 1990-1999". Fashion Museum, Bath. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. Andersen, Christopher (2007). After Diana: William, Harry, Charles, and the royal house of Windsor (1st mass market ed.). New York: Hyperion. pp. 283–291. ISBN 9780786891245.
  6. Joseph, Claudia (2011). Kate: The Making of a Princess. Random House. ISBN 1907195351.
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