Saturday, May 7, 2016

A-Z Brands: G & H

I've got nothing going on today so why not get F, G and H done? I'm going to put G & H together in the same post because the companies have a lot of similarities. 







A-Z Brands: G & H 


Gieves & Hawkes 
Hickey Freeman 


Gieves & Hawkes and Hickey Freeman are both famous for their men's suits. Their products are so much alike, I can only look at the label to tell the difference. Gieves & Hawkes is the British version of the American Hickey Freeman. Therefore; I am doing one post for the two. 



Gieves & Hawkes is one of the oldest clothing companies in the world. The British company was founded in 1771 and is located at 1 Saville Row. Yes, Gieves & Hawkes is older than the United States of America! Thomas Hawkes originally tailored for the British Army, Royal Navy and British Royal family. King George III, who George Washington and the colonies fought in the Revolutionary War, was a famous customer. In 1835, James Gieve was the tailor for the Royal Navy and started Gieve & Co. In 1974, the two companies joined to form Gieves & Hawkes. Famous Gieves & Hawkes customer include: Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Bill Clinton, GW Bush, and Princess Diana. 


Jeremiah Hickey was a bookkeeper for a men's clothing manufacturer and his friend Jacob Freeman was a contractor for the company. In 1900, the friends started Hickey Freeman, a highend clothing manufacturer in Rochester, New York. Hickey Freeman recognized the need for hand crafted quality ready to wear suits. In 1912, Hickey Freeman opened a new factory within walking distance of most of their employee's homes; to help their employees. Hickey Freeman's control has changed several times since 1912, but still reside in the same Rochester factory. 


A major difference between Gieves & Hawkes and Hickey Freeman is there presence on ebay. Hickey Freeman has 3,327 pre-owned items currently listed on eBay and 2,258 have sold recently; while Gieves & Hawkes pieces are much more rare. Only 150 Gieves & Hawkes items (new or pre-owned) are currently listed on eBay and 254 have sold recently. Gieves & Hawkes is one of the rarest brands on my A-Z list. Here are a few of the recent sales for each brand. 




























As expected by the listings on eBay, you are much more likely to find Hickey Freeman items than Gieves & Hawkes. I always search for both brands in the men's Blazers/jackets section. I buy what I find, unless the condition is bad. To date I've found and sold 2 Gieves & Hawkes pieces. I've bought and sold 4 Hickey Freeman jackets and have 2 more currently listed. I generally expect $20-$50 on each jacket, but it varies. Here are some of the jackets I've sold: 



I thought it would sell for me but really there was nothing special about it. 



         Gieves & Hawkes Wool Jacket 

                    Sold: $30.00 



















My advice: stick to the jackets/suits from these brands unless you find something else really cheap. Try to buy the jackets on sale. 


Grades: 

Gieves & Hawkes: 

Selling price: B 
Availability: B-
Competition: A+ 
Consistency: C 
Overall: B 


Hickey Freeman: 

Selling Price: B-
Availability: A
Competition: B 
Consistency: B+ 
Overall: B+ 

Next A-Z Brand: H 

Hugo Boss 



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