When £900 Hackett suits and £500 sports jackets promise to deliver that coveted British aristocratic look, you’re right to question whether the quality matches the investment.
As London’s self-styled guardian of British style, does Hackett truly deliver the craftsmanship that successful men demand?
To answer this equation, we tracked Hackett’s evolution from a vintage clothing stall to a global brand.
In this article, we share our candid assessment of whether Hackett’s quality justifies its premium pricing – helping you avoid expensive mistakes and identify genuine value.
The Evolution of Hackett’s Quality Standards
Jeremy Hackett built his reputation by sourcing immaculate second-hand Savile Row suits at Portobello Road market in 1979, where customers queued for hours to purchase garments meeting his exacting standards.
This early success stemmed from Hackett’s ability to identify superior construction elements: hand-stitched canvassing, precise pattern matching, and premium British fabrics – qualities that defined the brand’s initial manufacturing criteria in 1985.
When transitioning to manufacturing in 1985, Hackett maintained high quality through 95% British production, utilising local craftsmen and traditional techniques that mirrored the Savile Row standards of his curated vintage pieces.
By 2013, Hackett had largely moved production overseas, citing the decimation of British textile manufacturing capacity as the primary reason. While the UK Fashion and Textile Association contested this claim, arguing for investment in domestic production, Hackett chose expansion over maintaining British manufacturing standards.
This decision to prioritise growth over traditional production methods marked a turning point in quality control, leading to the current inconsistencies across product lines as the brand attempts to balance heritage appeal with mass-market demands.
Quality Assessment
The brand’s construction quality varies significantly across product lines and price points, with notable differences between mainline and outlet collections.
The mainline collections feature hand-finished details, full or half-canvas construction in jackets, superior fabric grades, and higher stitch counts, while outlet pieces employ fused construction, machine finishing, and simplified designs made specifically for outlet distribution at lower price points.
Dress shirts earn praise for collar spread designs and construction, representing one of Hackett’s more consistent product categories.
On the other hand, suit jackets, a cornerstone of Hackett’s offering, predominantly use fused construction rather than the superior canvassed method, placing them below true luxury standards.
While the brand’s photos showcase dramatic waist suppression and high armholes, real garment examination reveals more modest tailoring, as confirmed by customers reporting significant differences between advertised and actual silhouettes – a disparity explained by Hackett’s documented use of clips during campaign photoshoots.
Shoulder construction often appears built up and boxy, creating an awkward drape that betrays the garments’ mass-market origins.
Button attachment proves problematic, with multiple reports of failures within months of purchase, even on premium items like down parkas.
Hackett vs Ralph Lauren
In the crucial battleground of smart casual menswear, Hackett and Ralph Lauren compete directly, with comparable price points but distinct quality profiles.
Hackett’s casual trousers demonstrate superior quality to Ralph Lauren’s offerings, while Hackett and Ralph Lauren polo shirts share similar construction standards, though Ralph Lauren offers a broader range of styles and colours.
Ralph Lauren maintains an edge in sports jacket variety and execution, particularly in their Polo Blue Label line – Ralph Lauren’s mainline collection that sits above the outlet green label but below Purple and Black labels in terms of quality and price point.
Hackett’s rugby shirts exhibit marginally better construction quality, though Ralph Lauren offers broader style options.
Customer Service and Quality Control
Recent 2024 reviews indicate a robust response system to quality issues, with Hackett readily replacing defective items.
The made-to-measure service receives mixed feedback, with some customers reporting persistent fitting issues despite multiple adjustments.
October 2024 reviews highlight improved quality control in casual wear categories, particularly corduroy trousers and knitwear.
Best and Worst Purchases
Hackett’s casual wear, particularly moleskin trousers and tweed jackets, offers respectable value when purchased during sales.
Rugby shirts and polo shirts maintain consistent quality standards and distinctive styling.
Formal suits and blazers, despite attractive designs, suffer from mass-production compromises that undermine value at full retail prices.
Knitwear quality varies dramatically, with lambswool pieces showing better durability than cotton variants.
Recent collaborations demonstrate specialised quality features.
Aston Martin pieces use premium Italian performance fabrics with automotive-grade construction, while Carl Friedrik accessories feature full-grain Vachetta leather and military-grade hardware.
However, these enhanced materials and construction methods command prices significantly above Hackett’s mainline.
Where and When to Buy
For business executives and city professionals requiring impeccable service and first access to new collections, Hackett’s Sloane Street and Regent Street flagship stores offer the full mainline selection with expert alterations – though you’ll pay full retail prices for these privileges.
However, if you are on a budget, you should target Hackett’s frequent sales, where discounts of 50-70% significantly improve value propositions.
Outlet locations in Portsmouth and Bicester Village offer particularly compelling opportunities for quality pieces at reduced prices.
House of Fraser and other authorised retailers often stock diffusion lines at lower price points, though quality typically reflects the reduced cost.
Is It Worth Your Investment? Here’s Our Expert Verdict
Hackett’s value proposition varies by product category; while casual trousers and rugby shirts justify their premium pricing through superior construction, other categories like sports jackets and suits face stiff competition from similarly-priced Ralph Lauren Blue Label and comparable British heritage brands.
Quality control issues and mass-production techniques undermine the brand’s heritage aspirations.
However, during significant sales events, select pieces – particularly casual wear and accessories – can represent solid value for style-conscious professionals.
For men seeking to project success through clothing choices, Hackett serves best as a supplementary rather than primary brand, ideal for casual pieces that complement investment garments from more prestigious houses.
The brand’s strength lies in its accessible interpretation of British style rather than true luxury quality, making it most suitable for building a professional wardrobe’s foundation rather than its pinnacle pieces.
Style Like a True Gentleman
Before we say goodbye, here’s one of the best-kept secrets in men’s styling circles, a secret that only a few expert image consultants know or are willing to share.
First and foremost, professional styling requires knowing your unique body shape and seasonal colour palette – paramount factors in choosing perfectly fitting clothes in colours that complement your skin, eyes, and hair.
Only then can a stylist engage in styling by occasion, location, season, and time of day, with garments, footwear, and accessories from stylistically relevant heritage fashion brands to depict high confidence and success.
Best part? You can find your body shape, seasonal colour palette, and ideal fashion style in less than 5 minutes by yourself, for free, thanks to our four simple steps:
1. Find Your Body Shape
Different garments flatter different silhouettes, so knowing your body shape is the first step in dressing like a confident man.
Take our free body shape quiz for men to find out your unique body shape.
Once you know your unique body shape, take the second free quiz to discover your unique colour palette.
2. Find Your Unique Colour Palette
Remember, the garments that compose your outfits come in various colours and you have to make sure that each hue complements your natural colour.
For that, you have to find out your seasonal colour palette, and you can do it by taking our free seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Find Your Ideal Fashion Style
By now, you should already know your body shape and unique colour palette; the next step is to discover your ideal personal fashion style.
The fastest and simplest way is to take our free fashion style quiz for men; it includes your ideal style, outfit ideas, relevant fashion brands, and much more.
4. Professional Image Consultancy with The VOU
And if you want to style like a professional, by occasion, location, season, and time of the day, you can always ask our expert image consultants and fashion stylists for help.
Our styling services for men are the most comprehensive and detailed on the market, backed up by leading stylists who will guide you step by step in creating looks that communicate affluence, elegance, and endless accomplishments.
Remember, wearing luxury brands isn’t enough; to look stylish, confident, and successful, you must first know your body shape, colour palette, and ideal personal style, and only then style by occasion, location, season, and time of day.
Contact us today to save headaches, time, and money – it’s time to dress like a confident, successful gentleman of exquisite fashion taste – the first styling assessment is on us!