After the country’s financial crash and subsequent economic downturn in 2008, Paul Trible and Paul Watson found a way to start fresh. The financial industry veterans decided to ditch Wall Street the following year and move to Richmond, where they turned their passion for menswear into the Ledbury clothing brand.
“We started solely focused on shirts but expanded the collection to a full line of menswear and expanded the collection and the business,” Trible says. “Flash forward to today, we’re still very much a shirt business, but a slight change to the business has been a move from ready-to-wear to a more made-to-order concept. It’s been transformational for our business.”
Building on their years of finely executed clothing, they started a made-to-order line for their button-down shirts in September 2022 that has taken on a life of its own. And despite formerly operating a storefront, they intend to remain an online venture for now headquartered in Richmond.
Learning from custom shirtmakers on Savile Row and Jermyn Street in London, the two mastered the craft and brought what they learned back to the states in December 2009. “Originally, we did have a little walkup on Cary Street in the Slip, but the heart of the business is e-commerce,” Trible says.
(From left) Ledbury founders Paul Watson and Paul Trible
Since, the business has grown on the back of the owners’ off-the-rack menswear shirts and expanded to include other fashion staples. Word of mouth and a few impressive clients have helped; to date, the shirts have been worn by celebrities including CNN commentator Anderson Cooper and NBC journalist Peter Alexander.
“What we’re trying to do is to be a classic English men’s shirtmaker and bring that [experience] to the American market,” Trible says. “We started with dress shirts and expanded to casual collections of linens and flannels and really try to be a one-stop shop for people who love our dress shirts.”
Designing a made-to-order shirt happens entirely online. Starting from the brand’s classic drape, clients can customize elements such as neck size, sleeve length, cuff style and collar size. There are six collar styles to choose from, and add-ons include pockets or French cuffs.
“People loved the experience of coming to our store and getting measured,” Trible says. “For us, the challenge was, ‘How do we re-create that experience online and also get the shirts made and to them very quickly?’ ”
When someone purchases a custom shirt, it typically takes 10 to 14 days from the time the order is placed until they receive the product. In the next year, the brand plans to expand their collection of men’s suits and sports coats, thanks in large part to successfully growing their e-commerce business by 40% last year.
For those looking for an in-store experience, Trible says, “It’s a matter of time before we come back to Richmond and open up [a new store], show what we’ve done and the new products that we have since we closed the original Broad Street store.”
