As the WSJ recently revealed Drakes’ buyout by The Armoury, I’m sure some people had their doubts about it. Some of you probably saw this as a sellout by one of the world’s best tie manufacturers. You aren’t to blame, since after brands such as Gieves & Hawkes and Kent & Curwen were bought by a Hong Kong properties developer, both brands were then mass-marketed in Asia pretty much with a purely profit-driven business model. Rest assured, I’m quite certain this won’t be the case for Drake’s.

To be honest, I can’t think of anything more appropriate and deserving than what has happened. The guys at The Armoury are individuals who care about what they do. They fucking love it. They’re a rare breed in the industry. As Michael Drake would “turn down things that might make money if [he] didn’t want to do them,” so would the guys at The Armoury. It’s romantic and comforting that there are people who care about quality and would go to great lengths in order to uphold high standards of craftsmanship. I saw a Prada knit tie today that costs more than one by Drake’s. Personally, I think you should get shot if you chose the former. You can’t trust all luxury brands these days.

Enough talk. Check out some of the pics by Dev, the homie, from a recent visit to their new store in Savile Row. Just glancing at their recent pieces, you can only expect greater things from Michael Hill – head designer at Drake’s. Aside from that, thanks to Jake, Augustine, Chris, and Lal for showing us around. (Excuse us if some photos are blurry, but it’s sprezzy like that)

Drake’s London – http://www.drakes-london.com/