Aquascutum has a long history in British fashion circles, dating way back to 1851. It was in this year that tailor and budding entrepreneur John Emary opened an exclusive for the era menswear shop called Box and Co. In 1853 he managed to invent and patent the waterproof wool that would become known as Aquascutum; in fact, that was when he renamed his shop Aquascutum. Aquascutum is actually the Latin word for “water shield”.

The designs really took off when officers serving in the army came into his shop and purchased some, which they then proceeded to take to the Crimean War with them. The coats stood up well to the feared Russian winter and were well thought of by the soldiers that wore them. Because of this, the Aquascutum “trenchcoats” were used by soldiers in both World Wars who, when they returned from duty still wore them in their daily lives, making the Aquascutum a civilian favourite as well.

Emery had his first royal visitor in the late nineteenth century when King Edward VII ordered an Aquascutum coat in Prince of Wales check, which later became known as King Edward VII check and later still, Club Check. The British royal family’s long association with Aquascutum begin with the granting of a royal warrant in 1897. In 1900, Aquascutum opened a women’s department offering waterproof coats and capes, which then became very popular with the British suffragette movement.

Just after the turn of the century, in 1901 in fact, Emary moved his shop to 100 Regent Street, where it remains Aquascutum’s flagship shop to this very day.
Down the years Aquascutum became very popular with politicians, film stars and anyone else that wanted to look trendy at the time. This list included Prince Rainier of Monaco, three Princes of Wales, Sir Winston Churchill, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Michael Caine, Sophia Loren and more recently, Baroness Thatcher. Aquascutum was even worn by Hillary and Tenzing when they conquered Everest in 1953.

Aquascutum was still family-owned right up until 1990, after which it was sold to Japanese textile firm Renown Incorporated. Despite this, all of the Aquascutum are still made in England at their Northamptonshire factory.
 

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