Though many brands espouse the idea of timeless traditions - claiming that their products and methods of craftsmanship have somehow escaped perversion and remained untouched by the constant shifting of societies tectonic plates - few can lay claim to this with the same legitimacy as British stalwarts, Albert Thurston.
Established in 1820 in London’s Haymarket, the eponymous Albert Thurston brand has remained at the vanguard of their craft for nigh on 200 years - their iconic British-made braces and suspenders transcending time to remain a sartorial staple to this very day.
Over the course of their rich and enduring history, their wears have warranted the praises and subsequently adorned the frames of Kings, Princes, Presidents and businessmen the world over - thus conceiving the brands longstanding synonymity with 'power dressing'.
Silver Screen Icons
If there was any doubt as to the enduring relevance and rakish appeal of suspenders in the modern era, it was eroded in one foul swoop as Gordon Gekko - the rapacious capitalist and archetypal antihero brought to life by Michael Douglas in the 1987 cult classic, ‘Wall Street’ - graced the silver screen adorned in Albert Thurston's suspenders - thus immortalising them as a status symbol in the corporate world.
Since then, suspenders have gone on to endure as a staple of film and television - worn by the likes of Christian Bale in American Psycho, Daniel Craig in both Casino Royale and Skyfall, Ralph Fiennes in Skyfall, Paul Giamatti in the critically acclaimed HBO drama, Billions, and most recently, Gary Oldman during his Oscar-winning portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.
And while each film and each character is vastly different to the next, they’re bound by one common thread - suspenders - specifically how they were employed to denote hierarchy and an air of sophistication.
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Distinguish Yourself!
So, despite all the functional and artisanal merits of Albert Thurston’s suspenders - of which there are many - it would seem as if the appeal of their products is rooted in something more primal.
Suspenders aren’t merely a means to an end. They wield the power to singlehandedly distinguish oneself, and in doing so transcend the mundanity of one’s suspender-less peers.
The words of Oscar Wilde have perhaps never been so befitting as they are here, as the bookend to this article - “Clothes should hang from the shoulder, not the waist”.
And on that note, go forth and acquire a piece of British history in the form of Albert Thurston’s beautifully crafted suspenders, for you’ll be sure to feel just as emboldened and powerful as those luminaries who have done so before you.
This is a guest article by Aidan Chappelle from the Sartorial Journal