How Turnbull & Asser Became the Shirtmaker of Choice
Turnbull & Asser has occupied 71-72 Jermyn Street in London's St James's since 1885, making shirts for a clientele that has included Winston Churchill, Prince Charles, and every actor to portray James Bond from Roger Moore onward. The house's ascent from competent shirtmaker to the definitive name in English bespoke shirts is a story of fabric obsession, royal patronage, and cinematic exposure.
The company was founded by John Arthur Turnbull and Ernest Asser, who combined Turnbull's skills as a hosier with Asser's experience as a shirtmaker. Their innovation was not in construction — their methods followed established Jermyn Street traditions — but in fabric sourcing. Turnbull & Asser developed exclusive relationships with Swiss and Italian mills, commissioning cloth in colours, patterns, and weaves unavailable elsewhere.
Churchill's patronage established Turnbull & Asser as a shirtmaker of statesmen. The wartime prime minister ordered his shirts with a particular specification: a turndown collar with extra-long points that accommodated his polka-dot bow ties and broadcast authority even across grainy newsreel footage. The collar style remains available as the Churchill collar in the house's bespoke programme.
The Bond films provided global visibility. Costume designer Lindy Hemming chose Turnbull & Asser shirts for Pierce Brosnan's Bond, and the association continued through the Daniel Craig era. The sea island cotton shirts with contrast-coloured cuffs and collars became a recognised element of Bond's wardrobe — flamboyant enough for a spy, refined enough for Jermyn Street (https://www.turnbullandasser.com).
Bespoke Turnbull & Asser shirts begin at approximately three hundred pounds and require two fittings over four weeks. The first fitting establishes the body pattern; the second fine-tunes collar, cuff, and sleeve specifications. The client selects from over a thousand exclusive fabrics, and the completed pattern is stored indefinitely, allowing repeat orders by correspondence.
The house holds a Royal Warrant as shirtmakers to King Charles III, an endorsement that signals adherence to standards of quality and service maintained over years of continuous royal supply. Only firms that have provided goods to the Royal Household for a minimum of five years are eligible for consideration.
Turnbull & Asser's lesson for the modern man is that a truly excellent shirt — properly fitted, cut from superior fabric, and constructed with reinforced seams and mother-of-pearl buttons — transforms every outfit it accompanies. Before investing in another jacket or pair of shoes, consider whether your shirts deserve the same attention. Jermyn Street has been making that argument successfully for well over a century.
