For more than two decades, Hawes & Curtis has been one of the cornerstones of my wardrobe…
by Alpaslan Düven / London
For more than two decades, Hawes & Curtis has been one of the cornerstones of my wardrobe. From shirts and trousers to ties and other classic menswear, I have relied on the brand for years. Its combination of exceptional quality, timeless elegance and accessible prices has made it my first choice whenever I needed formal clothing.
Curiously, despite being such a loyal customer, I had never wondered who owned the company—until I attended a friend’s summer garden party in London.
Among the guests were Mustafa Suleyman and his brother, Touker Suleyman, the owners of Hawes & Curtis. As fate would have it, I was wearing one of their shirts. During our conversation I mentioned that I had been buying Hawes & Curtis clothing for more than twenty years. Mustafa smiled warmly and thanked me for my loyalty before inviting me to visit the company’s outlet and distribution centre in Enfield.
A few days later, I accepted his invitation.
Mustafa personally welcomed us with tea and coffee before sharing the remarkable story of the company.
Founded in 1913 by Ralph Hawes and George Frederick Curtis, Hawes & Curtis opened its first shop in London’s Piccadilly Arcade. Within a remarkably short time, the company had become one of Britain’s finest shirtmakers, attracting an extraordinary clientele that included members of the Royal Family, British aristocracy and Hollywood legends such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire.
Perhaps its most famous customer was the Duke of Windsor, then the Prince of Wales. In 1922, he awarded Hawes & Curtis its first Royal Warrant, making the company his preferred shirtmaker. To complement the Duke’s distinctive style, Hawes & Curtis developed what is now known worldwide as the Windsor collar, or full cutaway collar, which remains one of the defining features of classic shirt design more than a century later.
Innovation has always been part of the company’s DNA. During the 1920s, Hawes & Curtis introduced the revolutionary backless evening waistcoat, a design admired for both its elegance and comfort. The garment became so desirable that Hollywood star Fred Astaire reportedly requested one for himself but was politely refused because demand from Britain’s aristocracy was simply too high.
By 1934, only twenty-one years after opening its first store, Hawes & Curtis had expanded to seven shops across Jermyn Street and Piccadilly Arcade, serving more than 12,000 regular account customers. Over the decades the company received four Royal Warrants from successive members of the British Royal Family, a distinction achieved by only a select group of British heritage brands.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, the company strengthened its reputation under the leadership of E. H. Watson, who also served as Chairman of the British Fashion Council. Then, in 2002, the brand entered a new chapter when entrepreneur Touker Suleyman acquired Hawes & Curtis for the symbolic price of just £1. Through strategic investment, international expansion and digital transformation, he turned the historic British shirtmaker into a globally recognised omnichannel fashion business. Today, Hawes & Curtis combines more than a century of British craftsmanship with a modern international presence, serving customers around the world through its stores and online platform.
After introducing me to the company’s history, Mustafa gave us a tour of the impressive Enfield facility. Covering approximately 10,000 square metres and employing hundreds of people, it is far more than an outlet—it is one of the operational hearts of the business. Hawes & Curtis now operates 18 stores across the United Kingdom while serving customers globally through its expanding online business.
At the end of the tour, Mustafa made a gesture I will never forget. He invited me to choose several of my favourite shirts as a gift. Unsurprisingly, I selected four colourful shirts from the collection I have admired for so many years.
Over another cup of tea and coffee, our conversation turned to Türkiye. I suggested that Hawes & Curtis should consider opening stores there. Mustafa agreed that the idea was an attractive one and mentioned prestigious locations such as Zorlu Center and İstinyePark in Istanbul as possible destinations.
Later, I shared this conversation with Türkiye’s Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertaş, who was delighted by the prospect.
As someone who has proudly worn Hawes & Curtis for more than twenty years, discovering that one of Britain’s most distinguished heritage menswear brands is owned by a British Turkish Cypriot family made the experience even more meaningful. Their success is an inspiring example of how entrepreneurship, vision and determination can preserve a historic British institution while transforming it into a modern global brand.
Meeting the people behind the company whose clothes I have trusted for over two decades was an unforgettable experience. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mustafa Suleyman, Touker Suleyman and everyone at Hawes & Curtis for their generosity, hospitality and commitment to maintaining one of Britain’s finest names in classic menswear.
I sincerely hope that one day Hawes & Curtis will open its doors in Türkiye. I have no doubt that a brand with such an extraordinary heritage, exceptional quality and enduring British elegance would quickly find a loyal following among Turkish consumers.
