Introducing Lyle & Scott
That green placket polo is what I’ve unknowingly spent my entire life searching for.
It wasn’t the first time I had noticed Cook, Jack O’Connell’s character on the double BAFTA-winning E4 teen drama Skins, sport the golden eagle logo and by then, I had already become desperately keen to find out who made it and where I could get it. The show’s blog provided the answers: It was by a brand called Lyle & Scott — style code KD622V22 — and they sold it in Selfridges and had a store in Covent Garden. “Good luck tracking it down,” wrote Edward, the stylist for Series 3. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had taken a fancy to it.
Cook’s polo had long been discontinued by the time I got to the UK in 2010, a full year after, but I didn’t have to look hard to find other items to covet. There was a spectrum of V-neck knit sweaters, slim chinos, and plaid shirts at the stand-alone shop in London’s King Street and limited-edition pieces were on sale at Dover Street Market. The Urban Outfitters in Glasgow devoted a good deal of rack space to Lyle & Scott’s nylon jackets, tiny-collared shirts and wool cardigans, not far from the A.P.C. and Farah sections. I felt a tidal wave of cheer rise within because I had stumbled upon another menswear label to add to my everyday wardrobe, one that was clean, contemporary, and British and high street but still a bit of a secret.
It All Began In Hawick
The history of Lyle & Scott, I later read, started in the Scottish town of Hawick. Knitwear factories had been churning out hosiery for years, but in 1874, William Lyle and Walter Scott realized there was a growing demand for quality underwear for the increasingly wealthy middle classes. And so, with an £800 loan, Lyle & Scott was born.
Their product line continued until the 1950s, when the company shifted its focus and went into women’s clothing, which included manufacturing cashmere garments for Christian Dior. In the late 1960s, soon after the eagle logo was created, it was all changed again with a foray into golf clothing.
In 2003, managing director Derrick Campbell came up with the idea for Lyle & Scott’s Vintage range, a metamorphosis that had the Scottish knitwear house moving beyond the putting green. Selfridges, the esteemed British department store that decided to stock up on the line, had a lot to do with the brand’s reinvigoration, according to an interview published in Drapers. Shortly after, musicians such as Alex Turner and Pete Doherty were seen in Lyle & Scott’s figure-hugging piqués. It continues its trajectory as one of Britain’s coolest clothing companies, beloved by the likes of Emma Watson, Calvin Harris, Tinie Tempah, Alexa Chung, and One Direction’s Zayn Malik. Lyle & Scott’s Curated series, which champions the best of the UK’s music scene, has featured up-and-coming North London synth duo Disclosure at the increasingly influential club XOYO in Shoreditch. Of course, that it has been seen on the Skins cast has only enhanced its youth following.
Now In Manila
In an interview with Dazed Digital, Carolyn Massey, Lyle & Scott’s recently appointed creative director, talked about what attracted her to accept the position. “I completely understand the youth culture element associated with the brand, it’s something I really love about the brand and its aesthetic, that sort of Saturday night kinda guy from my hometown,” said the RCA graduate, who has shown at London Fashion Week for years as part of Topshop’s NewGen award and has collaborated with ASOS. Her work can be seen starting Spring-Summer 2013.
As I inspect the new Lyle & Scott corner at Bratpack in Greenbelt 5, I spot a nice mix of wearable items which borrow surf, skate, preppy, and military elements. A pair of camouflage shorts and a gray marl cardigan have a dry, quiet wit about them and I soon mentally bookmark them, along with a pair of faded green chinos I suddenly couldn’t live without. All of them carry the tiny golden eagle, that badge of in-the-know, premium cool.
That green placket polo will always be the one that got away. It will probably haunt me forever, but now at least I don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find something by Lyle & Scott.
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Lyle & Scott is available at Bratpack, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City. Special thanks to Macel Abejero, Jay Claparols and Ian Belleza.
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