Drake's
East London haberdasher turned full menswear house, built on 'relaxed elegance' and a genuine manufacturing heritage.
- Founded
- 1977
- Founder
- Michael Drake
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Made In
- Portugal (outerwear); UK (ties, shirts); Italy (tailoring)
- Price Range
- Upper Mid
- Stance
- 8 / 10
- Coverage
- 11 products
Member ratings will fold into this score, coming with Loopwheel membership.
Drake's was founded in 1977 by Michael Drake in East London, a short walk from the silk weaving roots of Spitalfields. What began as scarves, shawls, and handmade ties grew into one of Britain's most respected menswear houses — still the largest independent producer of handmade ties in England. In 2010, Michael Hill (Drake's longtime understudy) and Mark Cho (co-founder of The Armoury) acquired the brand, keeping the ethos intact while expanding into soft tailoring, knitwear, outerwear, and selvedge denim. Today Drake's produces tailoring in Italy, knitwear in Scotland, shirts at their own factory in Chard, Somerset, and sources Japanese fabrics for their denim and outerwear. The brand's guiding philosophy — 'relaxed elegance' — is less a marketing line than a genuine design constraint: clothes that are refined without being stiff, and built to be worn for years.
Founded 1977 by Michael Drake.
Products from Drake's
Stone Wash Cotton Chambray Button-Down Collar Popover Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Navy Cotton-Linen Camp Collar Three Pocket Short Sleeve Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Red Stripe Cotton Fatigue Jacket
Reviewed Jun 2026
Mayumi Y. for Drake's Cotton Tote Bag
Reviewed Jun 2026
Mayumi Y. for Drake's Navy Cotton Twill Baseball Cap
Reviewed Jun 2026
Mayumi Y. for Drake's Stripe Cotton Camp Collar Short Sleeve Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Mayumi Y. for Drake's Print Cotton Camp Collar Short Sleeve Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Mayumi Y. for Drake's Stripe Cotton Embroidered Rugby Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Khaki Linen Short Sleeve Camp Collar Military Shirt
Reviewed Jun 2026
Indigo Stripe Denim Field Jacket
Reviewed Jun 2026
Ecru Cotton-Hemp Smock Sweatshirt
Reviewed May 2026
// Within the lineup
Brand average: 7.8/10 · across 11 scored products
Best of the lineup
Below the line
Variance vs the brand’s make-quality average. Outliers sit ≥ 1.5 points above or below the mean — the kind of spread worth knowing before you click buy.
Return policy
14-day returns from date of delivery. Items must be unworn, unwashed, with tags attached. Return shipping cost is deducted from refund; exchanges and store credit get a complimentary return label. Online orders cannot be returned in-store.
Is Drake's Worth It?
Drake's earns its price more consistently than almost any brand in this tier, averaging 8.3/10 across 11 reviewed pieces. The shirts, in particular, are the strongest argument: three of the top five scored pieces are shirts, led by the Stone Wash Chambray Popover at 9.1/10. If you can stomach the prices, this is a brand that will not disappoint you.
Across 11 reviewed pieces, Drake's averages 8.3/10, with the Stone Wash Cotton Chambray Button-Down Collar Popover Shirt leading at 9.1/10.
The man who wants considered, well-made clothing with a genuine manufacturing story behind it and is willing to pay for it without needing to be convinced twice.
The prices are real: shirts run $345-$375, and the Indigo Stripe Denim Field Jacket sits at $895. Drake's rewards patience and deliberate buying, not casual browsing.
The make
Drake's is not a brand that talks about manufacturing heritage and then quietly outsources everything. Shirts are made at their own factory in Chard, Somerset. Tailoring is cut in Italy. Ties are still handmade in England, where Drake's remains the largest independent producer of them. The Indigo Stripe Denim Field Jacket (8.5/10, $895) uses Japanese fabric, which explains both the price and why it scored where it did. When a brand controls this much of its own production, the consistency shows in the scores.
The lineup
The shirts are where Drake's is hardest to argue with. The Stone Wash Cotton Chambray Popover (9.1/10, $345) and the Navy Cotton-Linen Camp Collar (9.0/10, $375) sit at the top of the scored list for good reason: the construction at their Somerset factory produces collars and plackets that hold their shape in a way that off-the-shelf shirts from brands spending more on marketing simply do not. The Mayumi Y. collaboration Rugby Shirt (8.5/10, $345) shows the brand can bring in outside creative energy without losing what makes it worth buying in the first place.
The value
Drake's was founded in 1977 in East London, a short walk from the silk weaving history of Spitalfields, and the current ownership has kept that seriousness intact since acquiring the brand in 2010. None of that history makes $375 for a camp collar shirt feel casual. But the scores reflect what you actually get: 8.3 averaged across 11 pieces is not a brand with two hero products propping up a weak lineup. It is a brand that is doing the work across categories. You will cave eventually. Better to do it deliberately.
Im a huge fan of brands that can stick to their traditions and manufacture closer to home. I do my best to support brands like these and give it a harder look. While Drake's likely on the higher end for most shoppers (including myself), i will absolutely indulge on a quality product if it speaks to me. Keep this brand on your radar, you're going to cave and splurge eventually.
Ties, scarves and pocket squares are handmade at Drake's own factory at 3 Haberdasher Street in East London (per brand About page and Wikipedia). Shirts are made at the brand's own shirt factory in Chard, Somerset, the former Rayner and Sturges factory acquired in July 2013. Per the brand's About page, soft tailoring is produced in Italy and knitwear in Scotland. Per Michael Hill in a Merchant & Makers interview, grenadine silk for ties is woven in Como, Italy on shuttle looms.
Drake's owns its own tie factory in London and shirt factory in Somerset and emphasizes natural fibres and long-lasting design in interviews, but holds no third-party certifications and publishes no measurable sustainability targets.
- 1977Foundedhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake's_(haberdashers)
- 2010Acquired by Michael Hill and Mark Chohttps://www.merchantandmakers.com/tie-making-with-drakes/
- 2013Acquired by Drake's (acquired Rayner and Sturges shirt factory)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake's_(haberdashers)
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