Dents

Dents was established in Worcester in 1777 as a manufacturer of fine leather gloves by John Dent (1751–1811).[1] It is possibly Britain's oldest existing fashion manufacturer. Dent's sons, John and William, helped the company expand throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1845, mechanical sewing was introduced to the company to assist craftspeople.[2]

In 1847 the business became Dent, Allcroft & Co. when John Derby Allcroft ran the company. Under Allcroft, annual production quadrupled to over 12,000,000 pairs in 1884 and Dents became the premier glove producer in the world.[3]

The firm now exports to Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, and has expanded to include belts, handbags, hats, serapes, and other small leather goods in the Dents Collection.

Dents is also known for historically providing leather gloves to the British Royal Family, such as George VI and Elizabeth II's coronation gloves.[1][2] Other notable historical figures that wore Dents gloves include Lord Nelson, and Queen Victoria.[4] In addition, Dents gloves have been featured in several movies. Examples include the unlined black gloves worn by Daniel Craig portraying James Bond in the 2012 movie, Skyfall,[5] the black gloves worn by Michael Keaton portraying Batman in 1989 film, Batman, and the purple suede gloves worn by Jack Nicholson portraying the Joker in the same film.[4]

The patterns used today date back to 1839.[2] Each pair of Dents Heritage gloves is handmade in England by a Dents craftsman. Every glove is individually bench cut. Quirks, which are small, diamond-shaped pieces of leather, are hand sewn at the base of the fingers in order to provide a snug fit. Dents craftsmen also utilize a hand felling technique in which the cuff of the glove is stitched to the lining, improving the gloves' shape and comfort. Dents Heritage gloves are made with peccary skins, North American deerskin, and fine aniline Ethiopian hairsheep leathers.[6] Heritage gloves are available in a handful of stores worldwide with a luxury price tag and should not be confused with the imported gloves sold in most stores.

• Official website