Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2006/January 2007 | Page 63

FASHION

A modern take
on an old classic

A move of premises, a new branch
in Shanklin, and the launch of a
new on-line ordering service has
made 2006 a big transition year for
the long-established menswear
specialist Osbornes.
The original gentleman’s outfitters
which opened in Ryde in 1832 has
been ushered into the 21st century
by Ian Turpin, who has run it since
1978, and his sons Mark and James.
Last year, they moved from the
original premises in Union Street
to a more suitably modern store on
the High Street, which gives a better
showcase to their growing ranges
of high quality casual wear for men.
They have also recently returned
to Shanklin High Street, where
Osbornes had a branch 50 years ago,
with a new branch at number 30.
Changing tastes in men’s clothing,
with a more casual approach
to dressing, means that whilst
Osbornes still offers the bespoke
tailoring service on which it built
its reputation, the new shop and
newly-established on-line store
features quality off-the-peg men’s
clothing ranges sourced from
leading suppliers in Italy, Germany,
Denmark, and the Netherlands as
well as the UK.
Said James Turpin: “The traditional
image of an Osbornes customer
has been an older man, but with
our move to casual wear, the age

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demographic is moving downwards,
and now tends to be from about the
30s onwards - although I’m only
24 and I’d happily wear a lot of the
shirting”.
James added that the focus of
Osbornes ready-to-wear range is
strong colour, quality of manufacture
and a certain look that marks it out
as different.
“We buy at big shows in Europe and
are always looking for things that
will make us stand apart from the
multiples,” he said.
As well as being available in store,
the Osbornes collection is also going
into cyberspace, with a new online
shop at www.osbornes-online.co.uk
Along
with
all
the
new
developments,
the
business
continues to offer a bespoke
tailoring service for made-tomeasure suits in the finest pure
wools and British cloth, provided
by highly-experienced tailor John
Law who has been making suits
for over 30 years. The Ryde-based
service includes all fittings and any
alterations within the price of the
suit.
Osbornes also continues to offer a
quality hand-finished dry cleaning
service from its own dry cleaning
factory in Ventnor, as well as a
formal hire wear business for
weddings and special occasions
from Ryde.

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