Luxury notebook
In the making: Cornelia James
‘We hope never to lose sight of the fact that every one of our customers is going to feel that bit better for being well gloved,’ Genevieve James, design director
IN 1939, Cornelia James arrived in England as a refugee, with a suitcase full described the glovemaker as ‘the colour Queen of England’, after which business boomed, and her gloves were supplied to many couturiers, keeping the finest hands in the country elegantly covered. In 1979, James was honoured with a Royal Warrant (which the company retains today) and the designer first made gloves for The Queen for her going-away outfit when, as Princess Elizabeth, she married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. ‘The skill of our glovemakers and their commitment to producing really beautiful gloves is the beating heart of our business,’ says Genevieve James, the founder’s daughter. Each glove is still die cut using a manually operated lever press made by W. H. Hallett & Sons of Yeovil, Somerset, more than 100 years ago. There is no interest in mass production, with each glove being made to order at the on the family’s farm in Ripe, East Sussex. ‘Gloves are the perfect accessory,’ she continues. ‘They provide the punctuation that can turn the everyday into a statement.’ From £115 (01273 977103; ).
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