Deborah & Clare
Product brand
UnclaimedDeborah & Clare was a London bespoke shirtmaker known for bringing contemporary design to men's custom shirts during the late 1960s.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Deborah & Clare was a bespoke shirtmaking business established in London in 1965 by designers Deborah Wood and Clare Bewicke. The company emerged at a time when custom-made men's shirts in Britain were strongly associated with the established Jermyn Street trade and its traditional elite clientele. Wood and Bewicke identified an opportunity to make bespoke menswear more experimental, visually distinctive, and connected to the changing culture of the 1960s. Rather than reproducing conventional formal shirts, they pursued contemporary shapes, colours, fabrics, and styling. The business began under difficult circumstances in a condemned basement on Walton Street in Chelsea. Its early production relied on a Greek shirtmaker working in London's East End, while the founders developed the design and retail concept. By 1967, the operation had moved to Old Church Street, Chelsea, and later that year relocated to 27 Beauchamp Place, London SW3. The Beauchamp Place shop opened in December 1967 and became the brand's defining retail setting. Its interior, designed by David Mlinaric, used terracotta walls, putty-coloured paintwork, polished glass shelves, and racks of cloth to create an atmospheric, unconventional environment. The shop attracted attention as a fashionable destination and developed a clientele that extended beyond Britain. The founders' 1967 visit to New York led to an offer of backing from music executive Ahmet Ertegun. The proposed arrangement reportedly involved the London shop carrying the full range of Levi jeans, a condition the founders rejected because it did not fit their concept for the business. Financial backing instead came from David Astor, allowing the pair to establish the larger Beauchamp Place premises. To support production, the company recruited experienced shirtmakers trained in the Jermyn Street tradition. Andy Mullins and Annie Mullins brought cutter and collar-making expertise, while Alan Holston, recruited from Dandie Fashions on King's Road, became the shop's manager. Deborah & Clare's significance rested less on scale than on its role in changing perceptions of men's shirts. It combined bespoke craftsmanship with a youthful, design-led retail identity and helped position custom shirts as objects of fashion and self-expression rather than solely as conservative wardrobe necessities. Contemporary coverage described the shop as colourful and internationally appealing. The brand was sold by Wood and Bewicke in 1973, after which the original partnership ended. Wood subsequently worked for Laura Ashley for a decade as head designer of clothing and textiles. Deborah & Clare shirts have since entered the Victoria and Albert Museum's collections, and a substantial vintage collection of more than 200 shirts has also been documented. The business itself is no longer operating as an active brand.
History
Deborah Wood and Clare Bewicke founded Deborah & Clare in London in 1965. Both were designers, and their business was shaped by the perception that men's clothing, particularly men's shirts, lacked innovation. They entered bespoke shirtmaking at a time when made-to-measure men's shirts were closely identified with Jermyn Street and a conservative upper-class market. The business initially operated from a condemned basement on Walton Street in Chelsea. Production was supported by a Greek shirtmaker in London's East End, while Wood and Bewicke developed the designs and customer proposition. By 1967, the business had moved to Old Church Street. That year, a visit to New York resulted in an offer of financial backing from Ahmet Ertegun. His proposed condition was that the London business carry the complete Levi jeans range, but the founders rejected the arrangement as inconsistent with their ambitions for the shop. David Astor ultimately provided the backing that enabled the business to move to 27 Beauchamp Place. The Beauchamp Place premises opened in December 1967. Designed by David Mlinaric, the shop used terracotta walls, putty-coloured paintwork, polished glass shelving, and displays of shirts and cloth. Its visual environment distinguished it from conventional tailoring establishments and helped make it a fashionable destination. The business recruited skilled makers from the established shirt trade, including Andy Mullins as a cutter and Annie Mullins as a collar-maker. Alan Holston, previously associated with Dandie Fashions on King's Road, became manager. Deborah & Clare's shirts combined bespoke production with contemporary design. The brand's importance lay in demonstrating that custom men's shirts could be colourful, expressive, and fashionable while retaining specialist craftsmanship. The shop developed a clientele that was not limited to London's traditional tailoring customers and was described in contemporary accounts as attracting visitors from around the world. Wood and Bewicke sold the business in 1973. After the sale, Deborah Wood worked for Laura Ashley for ten years as head designer of clothing and textiles. The original Deborah & Clare business is now defunct, but its products remain part of fashion and design history. Examples of its shirts are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, and a documented private collection contains more than 200 vintage Deborah & Clare men's shirts.
- 1973
Business sold
[1]Wood and Bewicke sold Deborah & Clare, ending the founders' ownership of the business.
- 1967
Move to Old Church Street
[1]The growing business moved from its original basement premises to Old Church Street in Chelsea.
- 1967
Backing and relocation to Beauchamp Place
[1]After an unsuccessful proposed backing arrangement with Ahmet Ertegun, David Astor backed the business's move to 27 Beauchamp Place.
- 1967
Beauchamp Place shop opens
[1]The new shop, designed by David Mlinaric, opened in December and became the brand's best-known retail location.
- 1965
Business founded in Chelsea
[1]Deborah Wood and Clare Bewicke established the bespoke shirtmaking business in a condemned basement on Walton Street.
Shirts enter the Victoria and Albert Museum
[1]Examples of Deborah & Clare shirts became part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's holdings.
Products and positioning
A design-led London bespoke shirtmaker that challenged the conservative conventions of traditional men's tailoring through colourful, contemporary, and individually made shirts.
Bespoke menswear · 1965
Bespoke contemporary men's shirts
Deborah & Clare's principal product was the individually made men's shirt. The brand sought to move beyond the formal and conservative conventions associated with traditional Jermyn Street shirtmaking, using contemporary design and a more expressive visual language. Shirts were produced with specialist cutting and collar-making skills and were offered through the brand's distinctive London shop.
Brand decisions
1973
Founders sell the businessM&ABackground
After several years of operation and recognition for contemporary bespoke shirts, Deborah Wood and Clare Bewicke left ownership of the business.
Action taken
The founders sold Deborah & Clare to an unspecified buyer.
Aftermath
The founders' period ended, and no reliable source in the supplied material identifies the subsequent owners or the exact date the business ceased trading.
1967
Reject proposed Levi jeans retail conditionStrategyBackground
Ahmet Ertegun offered backing after meeting the founders in New York, reportedly on the condition that the London shop carry the entire Levi jeans range.
Action taken
Wood and Bewicke declined the proposed arrangement because they considered the Levi range incompatible with the concept and identity they were developing for Deborah & Clare.
Aftermath
David Astor provided the backing instead, enabling the move to the larger Beauchamp Place premises.
1967
Relocate to Beauchamp PlaceStrategyBackground
The founders needed a more prominent setting to develop the business after its early Chelsea locations and the arrival of outside financial backing.
Action taken
The business moved to 27 Beauchamp Place and opened a shop designed by David Mlinaric in December 1967.
Aftermath
The shop became a fashionable and internationally noticed destination, strengthening the brand's design-led identity.
Sources1 sources
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