BEHIND an unassuming shop front on Wigton’s High Street lies a business with international reach.

It counts some of the most influential people in the world among its customers, and it is keeping the traditions and craftsmanship of its trade alive.

Redmayne 1860 is rooted firmly in this town, even while the skills of its team are known across the world. The company has been the home of Savile Row tailoring for more than 160 years, creating beautiful clothing for men and women.

Its head cutter, Tom Mahon, still uses a pair of shears which once cut cloth for the suits of the likes of Hollywood superstar Fred Astaire. This is a business which is built on strong and famous foundations.

The team welcomes customers through the doors here in Wigton, at premises in London’s Mayfair, and also meeting customers overseas - pandemic restrictions permitting - hosting city visits for clients across the USA and, when it comes to their most loyal clients, travelling to wherever they ask.

But it is the historic market town of Wigton which is the company’s hub. Everything starts and finishes there, no matter where the customer is based.

The team works under the careful supervision of Tom, a Carlisle-born tailor who has created suits for everyone from the Prince of Wales to the chief executives of the biggest international companies.

He’s very discreet about exactly who is wearing his carefully-tailored clothes. “They find us,” said Tom. “They do their research.”

Tom started his career with Redmayne 1860 as an apprentice, going on to work with the renowned Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row, then running his own company, English Cut.

He returned to Redmayne 1860 in 2017 to ensure the company carried on its success as its owners looked towards retirement.

Redmayne’s Wigton presence was first established by its founder, Samuel Redmayne, in a workshop in Water Street, and, at the start of the 1900s, he built the most modern clothing factory in Europe in Station Road. The company also expanded its retail offer – at one time there were 27 shops across the UK selling ready-made and made-to-measure garments.

When fashion trends changed and suit-wearing lessened in popularity, the factory suffered and it eventually closed in the 1980s.

Around three quarters of Redmayne’s customers live overseas, but Wigton is an ideal base when it comes to their UK clients – close to the Lake District and to the motorway, plus Tom travels each week to London, when restrictions have allowed.

And locals do make up a good part of the Redmayne client base. “There are more than you would think,” says Tom. “Cumbrians want to be well dressed.

“Wigton has all the fundamentals and Wigton people are good fun. There are nice genuine individuals here.”

Redmayne 1860’s Wigton building is a fascinating place. The ground floor is the showroom for visiting customers. It’s lined with wood panelling and rows of beautiful garments – the jackets known as ‘coats’ in the Savile Row tradition – and with samples of fabric, in rolls or in books.

Tom adds: “Almost all our cloth is made in England. The only thing that sneaks through is a bit of Italian cloth, and that gives me something to moan about!”

Tom's wife, Claire, comes from a family of bespoke shirtmakers and trained in fashion. She now manages the business with her husband. The pair live in Wigton with their three sons.

They’re in the process of creating a prize in association with The Nelson Thomlinson School so that an outstanding girl and boy pupil, who are making a difference in local life, can each win a made to measure Redmayne suit.

Redmayne 1860 is taking part in a new Shop Local Allerdale campaign, organised by Allerdale Borough Council and funded by funded by HM Government's Welcome Back Fund. For more information, visit www.visitallerdale.co.uk/shop-local-allerdale