Style: Timeless meets trends at Hall St Menswear

Step into Hall Street Menswear in Long Melford and you’ll find an inspiring rangeof brands plus a friendly personal service, as owner Sean Garnham explains

When did Hall Street launch and why did you choose a menswear business?

The menswear shop is celebrating its 10th anniversary this May, whilst the Hall Street brand, as it is now, is eight years old.

Having retired from my London-based career in technology and telecoms (after almost 20 years) in the summer of 2012, I was taking a year’s break from work, when the menswear business found me. Within 12 months I owned a retail business which grew quickly to have two sites – Long Melford and Hadleigh.

Tell us a little about your clothing and accessory range?

Currently we sell menswear only. Some would use the term designer clothing but personally I do not like this. Classic and quality are the virtues I look for in each brand. Some are household names which are commercially available, some not so. Business casual replaced smart casual some years ago and over the pandemic this style has grown with working and social patterns changing; this lifestyle is exactly where we have always positioned ourselves. Each brand must have values and an edge we can work with so there is something for a customer to buy into, not just a logo, whether that be a sporting legacy or an important eco/sustainable position or just a good story to inspire.

Which are your favourite brands?

I wear all the brands personally, on rotation, and usually depending on my mood! But each does something different for me and – almost obsessively – I try not to mix brands in an outfit so I can literally be a walking ad for them. Long-term preferences are rugby legends Eden Park and the great British brand Hackett. Both offer top quality.

My current choices are Rodd & Gunn, an absolutely brilliant outdoor lifestyle brand from New Zealand which no one else has in Suffolk. It talks to my own country roots as a farmer’s son, plus, being a keen dog lover, the logo is a dog too!

Equally, Danish brand Knowledge Cotton Apparel, which most importantly has achieved 100 per cent carbon neutral status and uses amazing recycling processes, plus it is PETA and vegan registered.

What makes Hall Street unique?

We are not unique; there are many great independents out there still and I am pleased to call many of them friends, but we are becoming rarer. I won’t labour the death of the High Street piece because everyone knows the symptoms behind that (albeit what on earth will become of these places?).

What we have is something I call the independent’s integrity – a qualification that guarantees customers quality, service and trust.

Customers cannot trust volume manufacturing (conditions and quality), cannot trust online and outlet volume sales and pricing, cannot trust online reviews and cannot trust online transactions where there is no expertise.

Because of our expertise, we have minimal (and I mean literally almost zero returns) because we get things right the first time. There is nothing simpler, more convenient or satisfying than that.

Which three looks are you excited about for spring/summer 2022?

It’s too difficult to narrow down to just three, and as I’ve already said we are more ‘reliable’ than trends allow for. I’ve mentioned Rodd & Gunn and Knowledge already, and I’d add German brand Brax (and the fantastic hi flex denim they produce) into the mix, then I think you cannot go wrong.”

Hall Street Menswear is at Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk, CO10 9JL. Call (01787) 464828 or visit hall-street.co.uk.