Weekender: James Bond’s jumper maker to open New York store

Yorkshire cashmere retailer N.Peal, whose jumpers worn by icons ranging from Marilyn Monroe to James Bond, is to open a store in New York.

N.Peal, which is based at Beamsley, near Bolton Abbey, will launch the store on Madison Avenue in the heart of the Big Apple’s luxury retail district next week.

With a history going back to 1936, the retailer is run by Yorkshire entrepreneur Adam Holdsworth.

The Madison Avenue store will take N.Peal’s total number of stores up to seven.

Holdsworth said: “2018 is set to be a stellar year for British luxury brands, and especially for N.Peal. Recent years have seen us open new stores in Piccadilly, Mayfair and Covent Garden and launch a US retail website. We’re proud to announce the introduction of the New York store to the growing N.Peal family, and deliver a slice of British luxury to the US market.”

The brand itself has a prestigious pedigree, N.Peal’s founder, Nat Peel, was inspired to launch his own range of British luxury clothing after being stationed in the Shetland Isles while in the military. Noticing the high quality of wool produced from Shetland sheep, he began selling sweaters knitted from the wool in the flagship Burlington Arcade store in London’s Mayfair.

Following the end of the Second World War, Peal introduced cashmere to the production process and cemented his reputation as the ‘Sweater King of England’.

The N.Peal brand soon gained a cult following in the United States, with silver screen stars ranging from Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor to Cary Grant and Ava Gardner sporting the iconic cashmere knits.

N.Peal’s movie star allure hasn’t dimmed, with the makers of the Bond franchise commissioning a series of specially-made cashmere jumpers for the character James Bond in the 2012 film Skyfall and 2015 Spectre.

“Following a successful 2017, in which sales soared to £15m, the time is right for us to launch our exciting Madison Avenue store that will in turn support online growth,” added Holdsworth.

The launch is also a personal success for Holdsworth, who bought the business in 2006, quickly rebuilding the brand by focusing on its British heritage and high-quality supply chain.

“As N.Peal goes from strength to strength, it’s clear that British luxury has a firm hold in the international market, a position that can only increase as heritage brands like N.Peal expand overseas.”