Our Story - Peter Christian

The Peter Christian Timeline

Pre-1860 - Samuel Alderton Goes to Town to Seek His Fortune

My ancient forbear, Samuel Alderton, a country lad brought up in rural Suffolk, dreamt of swapping the grind of a lowly farmhand for the excitement of the big city. He set forth on foot to London - no mean feat at some 75 miles.

After impressing the owners of an East End tailors by unpicking then re-stitching his waistcoat during an impromptu job audition, he was hired on the spot. Samuel's natty blend of urban smarts and rural sensibility underpins Peter Christian's raison d'etre. We honour British tradition without taking ourselves too seriously - offering menswear for country yomps or city saloons.

1860 - Alderton's Opens its Doors

Samuel swiftly built a reputation for tailoring excellence, specialising in the classic men's Town & Country outfits of the era: pinstripes, plus fours, tweeds, and hunting attire.

In 1860 he opened his first eponymous shop, Aldertons the Tailors. Branches soon followed in London's most moneyed quarters - Fleet Street, Holborn, Cheapside, and Cannon Street - along with a coastal outpost in genteel St-Leonards-on-Sea. Over time, there would be eight.

Such was Samuel's renown that he was appointed Councillor for the Wards of Farringdon and Cheap, offices he served with great distinction for many years.

1860–1918 – A Military Operation

Alderton's went from strength to strength, boosted by their role as an entrusted military supplier, sewing over 60,000 officers' uniforms during The Great War.

One of the era's thriving Alderton's shops stood opposite HMS King Alfred - not a ship but an officers' training college established in Hove in 1939. It was a convenient spot for officers to get fitted before impressing the ladies in their dazzling new finery.

Aldertons Invite You on This Special Day

1918-1940 - Beauty and the Blitz

Aldertons' unimpeachable reputation continued through the 20th century. Then disaster struck. On the 29th December 1940, under a hail of Luftwaffe bombs during the Blitz, every shop was razed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the stuffing was knocked out of the business, and Great-Uncle Samuel's sartorial vision went into stasis.

1955 - Lord Trousers was born

In the late winter of 1955, amidst the comforting rustle of tweed and the faint whiff of pipe tobacco, yours truly made his debut. Unbeknownst to many, the world that day gained a future purveyor of fine corduroy.

1959 - Lady Trousers was born

A few years later, Lady Trousers arrived — destined to bring grace, good sense, and impeccable taste to the Alderton story. With a keen eye for detail and a head for business, she would one day prove the perfect foil to Lord Trousers' sartorial flights of fancy.

2003 - Peter Christian Was Born

After completing our art degrees - much like Great-Great-Great-Uncle Samuel - we set out into the world of menswear. Having served our apprenticeships in gentlemen's outfitting, we longed to start something befitting the Alderton heritage.

In 2003, Lady Trousers and I purchased a family-run mail order company that specialised in shoes, and would become the vehicle for our outfitting enterprise. The name? Peter Christian.

2005 - The Era of Trousers Arrived

Despite the idiom, shoes alone don't maketh the man. Thus Peter Christian diversified into men's trousers, beginning with that most iconic fabric of British life. Corduroy.

Adorned by everyone from Industrial Revolution mill-hands to preppy Oxford undergraduates, they were the perfect everyman breeches to propel our journey into gentlemen's clothing.

This year also marked the launch of our website.

2006-2009 - Getting our 'just awards'

One does not enter the noble domain of gentlemen's outfitting in pursuit of trophies and trinkets…but if they come, we accept them warmly.

From 2006 to 2009, Peter Christian triumphed at the ECMOD Awards which recognise the finest in direct mail and catalogue trades. On three occasions we took the plaque for best menswear firm - besting many household names in what we consider a victory for old-fashioned values.

2011 - Indulging Our Need for Tweed

Following lengthy negotiations with the hand weavers of the Isle of Harris, Peter Christian's first Harris Tweed® suit was launched. This totemic British garment - once the garb of hardy farmers and now protected by law to be made only on this Outer Hebridean island - became one of our most popular products.

We have since launched the Donegal Tweed, hailing from County Donegal on Ireland's rugged west coast, which has been similarly embraced by tweed aficionados.

2013 - Enter Maxwell

Another generation joined the Alderton family trade in 2013: Maxwell, our treasured son, was brought into the fold to focus on e-commerce - a dark art beyond the skill set of our generation.

Maxwell has inherited the clothing gene and effortlessly weaves his love of the classic clothing tradition into the demands of the modern digital landscape.

2014 - The Boxing Hares Logo Is Commissioned

Peter Christian regulars will know us by our boxing Hares emblem. But why this motif?

Introduced by the Romans and woven into folklore, few sights are more evocative than two hares sparring in the pale light of a misty March morning - a spectacle I witnessed in my impressionable teens that left an indelible mark.

2015 - A Million Orders - Time to Upgrade

This decision paid swift dividends. We reached a heady milestone (along with some sore heads after the ensuing celebrations): one million Peter Christian orders sold and shipped.

Our modest warehouse in Small Dole could no longer contain our grand ambitions, so we moved operations to Partridge Green. Today, we command approximately 20,000 sq ft across three warehouses - packed to the rafters with finery for the discerning gent - along with our head office and the Peter Christian shop.

2017 - Coming to America

Maxwell harboured ambitions of breaking into the American market - home to so much sartorial influence. A US website was launched in 2017, and we advertised in the country's most prestigious publications, including The Wall Street Journal.

Today, Peter Christian is well established Stateside, with impeccably attired clientele striding forth from Nantucket to Nashville.

2020 - The Pandemic: Hunkering Down but Levelling Up

While the pandemic was a time of heavy emotional strain, the business - like a treasured old hound - kept on going.

After initially shutting down, our customers called, demanding we resume service. So Lady Trousers and I rolled up our sleeves and, with a skeleton crew, processed every Peter Christian order until the crisis passed. Service was maintained, and the nation could step out in dignity - in smart shirts, pressed strides, and hole-free socks.

That we could bring a shaft of sunshine during such clouded days brought us great comfort.

2023 - 20th Anniversary Party

As Peter Christian approached its 20th anniversary, Lady Trousers and I knew there was only one fitting way to celebrate with our treasured staff: a garden party.

The spread was suitably traditional - cream teas, finger sandwiches and flutes of fizz - ample ballast for lively lawn games of croquet and rounders. I confess my speech may have run on somewhat, but all was forgiven as glasses were raised to another 20 years of service.

2024 - EU Launch

Following strong demand from our stylish brethren across the Channel, Danube, and Rhine, we launched an EU website serving six European countries: France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.

2024 - Going Full Circle: The Peter Christian Shop

One hundred and sixty-four years after Samuel opened the original Alderton's, I cut the ribbon on a bricks-and-mortar Peter Christian warehouse shop at our Partridge Green premises.

Modelled on a traditional gentleman's outfitter - the kind that once dotted every high street but are now rarely seen - it captures my deep nostalgia for those emporiums, with their polished parquet floors, mahogany cabinets with gleaming glass tops, and fussing old boys in pristine suits.

In recreating their magic for a new generation, I hope I have made Samuel proud.

2025 - Tailored to a T

In 2025, we took things up a notch - or rather, in a notch. The Peter Christian Tailoring Department was born, offering custom leg lengths and brace buttons for those who demand more from their strides. I've long believed a gentleman's trousers should hang just so; now, thanks to our in-house tailoring, they finally do.