Aston Martin by Hackett London: a match made in heritage heaven

When two businesses form a partnership, the courting almost always begins with one company’s “people” reaching out to their counterparts in the other company. With Hackett London and Aston Martin however, there was nothing so formal: it all started with a spot of shopping.

A dozen or so years ago, David Richards, the Prodrive founder who was running Aston Martin at the time, was browsing for menswear in one of Hackett’s London stores. Jeremy Hackett, who opened his first shop in 1983 after getting a taste for the trade selling vintage clothes bought on the Portobello Road, was keeping an ever-keen eye on business and he got chatting to Richards.

Suede Nylon jacket, £695, Aston Martin by Hackett London

The Aston Martin boss almost immediately suggested that the two companies should do something together and Hackett did not hesitate.

The comparisons between the two companies are obvious - both are businesses that never forget their classic British style and heritage. But from a brand perspective they have also achieved something extremely elusive; you do not need to know anything about menswear to appreciate Hackett, and the same thing goes for cars and Aston Martin.

Combining the two forces, it turns out, has gone pretty well too. Hackett began by kitting out the Aston Martin Racing team, which competes in the endurance racing series that includes the showpiece Le Mans 24 Hours. Then a limited range of Aston Martin clothes was put into Hackett stores, mostly things like polo shirts that the racing teams wore.  The demand was huge and Hackett could barely make them fast enough.

Over the years Hackett has expanded its Aston Martin range greatly. The motorsport-inspired Aston Martin Racing collection has everything from T-shirts and polo shirts, through to jackets, gilets and washbags. There is also the separate Aston Martin by Hackett line, a more formal range of clothes including jackets, flannel trousers and classic-cut shirts.

Rubberised leather jacket, £850, Aston Martin by Hackett London

To see the partnership in action, Telegraph Luxury was among a small group of media invited to spend a couple of days in the south of France with Jeremy Hackett, driving along the Riviera in a fleet of DB11s.

The cars are not shy about announcing their arrival as they snake through the winding Provençal roads in a popping symphony of V8 and V12 engines. But as the locals stop to gape, the looks are of admiration for the beautiful, broad-hipped Aston Martins. These particular Brits are very welcome abroad.

Our journey ends at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille where we meet Aston Martin Racing drivers and engineers who are testing the new GT cars ahead of the 2018 World Endurance Championship season that begins in May.

After being shown around the frenetic racing garage by the team of engineers, Jeremy Hackett – relaxed, friendly and as stylishly turned out as you would imagine – sat down to talk about working with Aston Martin.

“It is incredible. You see grown men with tears in their eyes at the sight of an Aston Martin,” says Hackett. “We have done certain partnerships that we decided to let go after a couple of years because we didn't really see the return, but we see the value in this one enormously. I am very proud of it. I love to tell people we are partners with Aston Martin.”

Leather biker jacket, £995, Aston Martin by Hackett London

Despite revealing that he is just a few weeks shy of his 65th birthday (“I’m going to be an O.A.P. next month!” Hackett exclaimed with mock-horror), there are no retirement plans on the horizon. As Hackett chairman, he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the business, but still takes an active part in planning for the new collections, as well as acting as the public face for the company.

He is modest about what he has achieved, despite Hackett becoming a global success with branches all over the world. But he does allow himself a moment of pride, albeit with tongue in cheek.

“When David Richards suggested doing something together I didn’t need to be asked twice,” he says. “I mean, Aston Martin is the most famous British brand in the world,” he said, before adding with a wink: “Apart from Hackett!”

Aston Martin by Hackett London; hackett.com