1) Tell us about your time in the clothing industry. What led you to Drake’s?

Well, before university, I went to work in Italy – doing work for Drumohr, and then some weavers and printers in Como. After about a year, I went to study textile development at the London College of Fashion. During my college years, I’d work Saturdays for Richard James on Savile Row.

I suppose I got into the clothing business because I grew up with it. My father, Charles Hill, had a tie company with Michael Drake. And every Saturday as a teen, I went up to their factory, which was making private label ties for other brands. We’d see the people at the factory, as well as the outworkers. It’s funny because, during those weekend trips, there was always music and bales of silk in the car. My brother went into the music business, and I went into the textile side of things. So maybe it started with those car rides.

2) What do you think makes Drake’s special?

I remember when I first met Michael Drake, he was wearing a button down shirt, 50oz English foulard tie, and Solito sport coat. At first, I thought it was a bit strange, since he sold to half of Savile Row. But no, looking back, it made sense. Michael built this incredible business in Italy and was there often. He also loved that softer approach to tailoring – he’d wander around in his Solito jacket with his shirt collar flying out. Those were just things he took on and made into his own style.

I’d like to think that’s what we’re doing. Our stuff is a little classic, and at times a bit formal, but we’re trying to do them in a way that’s a little softer and more comfortable. It’s about a certain sensibility.

3) Drake’s has remained steady and true to its roots over the years. Given how quickly fashion changes, how have you guys been able to do that?

I think it helps to remember where we came from. My father and Michael used to work very closely with their suppliers. I was fortunate enough to witness a lot of that growing up, which I think gave me a deeper insight into the business. And today, we still work with those same mills, which have been our partners for decades now.

I also think we have to stay true. If we didn’t, our customers would notice. As the Japanese would say, they look for “authentic brands.” It’s an overused term, but you have to stay authentic. These days, we’re making more than just ties, but we feel like we’re taking that Drake’s philosophy and applying it to other things. It’s about doing things our way and, hopefully, bringing our point-of-view to the market.

4) Why is it important for Drake’s to manufacture in the UK?

We don’t make in the UK for the sake of making in the UK; we go where we can find the best producers. One of the reasons why we make our own shirts and ties in the UK is because we’re based in the UK. And since we’re located here, making things locally allows us to have more control over the process. We can study things and improve the work, which allows us to produce the best goods possible. On some level, making in the UK won’t mean anything if it’s just about a label. If people love our things, it’s because we’ve made them well. In that sense, we’re very product focused.

5) You manage the design process for a wide range of products. Where do you start each season and what influences that process?

It sounds cliché, but it’s really the work of many people. Designs come from an accumulation of experiences – going around the world, seeing what people are wearing, and building a color story. This morning, I talked with the women on my design team. I spent about thirty minutes explaining some of my ideas, and they discussed how those might be technically possible. That sort of back and forth is important. Similarly, we work very closely with our mills. They might show us a new technology they’ve developed for printing on grenadine, or suggest something from their archive. It’s never the same thing, it’s about an evolution – how you can make something feel fresh again.

I think sometimes we can get carried away with giving certain people too much credit. We all contribute. I don’t think of myself as a great designer or whatever – my work is just as much about editing colors and patterns. We’re not reinventing the wheel here.

6) As a maker you’re surrounded by materials all the time. Are there any that you keep on coming back to or something new that you’d like to experiment with?

Being a tiemaker, there are certainly fabrics we return to time and again, such as Ancient Madder. As far as tie cloths go you'd be hard pressed to find something better, and very few people are making the genuine article these days, so we like to continue the tradition and include it in each collection. That's actually a big part of what we do at Drake's, and one of the most rewarding elements of the whole creative process: making things in what we feel is the 'proper' way, which often requires a lot of hard work and research, whether that's weaving oxford cloth in the way it was done in the early 20th century, sourcing traditionally made knitwear from Scotland, or grenadine silks created on antique looms in Italy. 

7) You have a very clear sense of personal style. What inspires it?

Oh God, there’s an old photo of me standing next to my dad. I’ve got shaggy hair and I’m wearing tartan trousers – clearly not a good example of personal style. But I was thirteen at the time and thought I’d like to wear tartan trousers that day. I enjoyed that stuff. It’s good fun, isn’t it?

I think Drake’s has to be careful about that sort of thing as well. We make things carefully, and design them so our customers will still like them in twenty years, but our goods are also for relaxing and enjoyment. Bring your own little quirk to things. The rules can be guides, but you can also make up your own rules. Yes, you have to fit your environment, but it’s good to have your own sense of personality. Hopefully we make great clothes, but they’re also just clothes.

8) Is there a moment or object that tells a story about how you found 'your style’, whether that be how to dress or just how to live?

I'm not sure that there's a single eureka moment, rather it feels like an ongoing, ever-evolving process. However, certain memories I have from being a child have left a lasting impression on me. My father and grandfather were both involved in the garment trade, so I've spent my whole life in and around this industry. I remember one Christmas my father giving my grandfather a set of beautiful gingham shirts he had had made for him. My father had taken so much care over them, and that gave me a sense of how significant clothing could be. 

I also remember being excited by the differences in the way people from different countries dressed. These days we can see all of this on Instagram, but when I was young you only saw this in person. Americans dressed like Americans, and Italians dressed like Italians, and noticing these subtle differences was a real education in personal style.

9) The Drake’s aesthetic is always evolving. How do you stimulate your creativity to keep your vision progressing?

The Drake's aesthetic is very much the meeting point of our origins as a company, and what excites us today. I'm never short of inspiration in that respect, because I'm constantly surrounded by inspiring people. Michael Drake and his distinctive personal style will always be a touchstone for the brand, but also our shop floor teams in London, New York and Asia wear Drake's in their own unique ways, and that's a great source of inspiration and new ideas. For me, it's simply about keeping my eyes open to the world around me. 

10) Your shops have a different aesthetic in each location. Can you tell us a bit about the design?

We want our shops to have a unifying feel, but for each one to be distinct. Our latest project has obviously been our Savile Row flagship, which we're hugely proud of. Nearly everything for the shop space was custom made, so it all carries a particular Drake's handwriting. As well as that the shop is home to a lovely collection of art from a range of London-based artists, including Sir Peter Blake, Clive Hodgson, Dominic McHenry, Adam Dant and Lothar Götz, giving it a sense of place. We have done something similar with our New York shop on Crosby Street, working with a terrific local art dealer to fill the space with art that's unique to the city.