21st CENTURY SHIRTS
The Breton Shirt is a timeless piece of clothing. Always in style, it was originally worn by sailors at sea due to the design’s distinctive striped pattern (which helped sailors identify each other from great distances among the sea waves), this classic design was first introduced into the fashion world by none other than Coco Chanel herself, after a visit to the French seaside at the start of the 20th century. The Breton Company was later established in 1988, and has been moving steadily onwards ever since, making garments that have never gone out of style.
The original Breton design had 21 stripes, one for each of Napolean’s victories, and was made popular worldwide by way of the film industry ever since. Whether it’s Audrey Hepburn or Edie Sedgewick, Parisian chic or Hollywood glamour, nautical stripes have had quite the career on the silver screen, which has played an important part in maintaining their ongoing appeal.
The founders of The Breton Shirt Company first began their business after holidaying in France, selling their shirts through newspapers and magazines before the advent of the internet. They pride themselves on the fact that in their 25 odd years of business so far, their shirts have barely changed. Using 100% organic cotton, they practice ethical design as a small family business on the Atlantic coast. Manufactured and hand finished to top quality standards, The Breton Shirt Company use locally sourced materials and skilled craftspeople to keep their nautical tradition alive today, and well into the 21st century.
