Jaeger was established by British businessman Lewis Tomalin as 'Dr Jaeger's Sanitary Woollen System Co Ltd' in 1884, capitalising on a craze for
wool-jersey long johns inspired by the theories of German scientist
Dr Gustav Jaeger. Jaeger's writings about the value of wearing animal fibres next to the skin rather than cotton had attracted fans including
George Bernard Shaw. The woollen undergarments were worn by many explorers, including
Ernest Shackleton. It had received its first
Royal Warrant by 1910. The clothing was modelled by both
Audrey Hepburn and
Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s.
1960s direction Jaeger began attracting a younger client base in the 1960s, partly due to a revival in British fashion but also because of the influence of
Jean Muir, who joined the company in 1956 and was put in charge of its more fashionable Young Jaeger brand, staying for six years before branching out on her own. During the 1960s Jaeger clothes were modelled by
Jean Shrimpton and photographed by
David Bailey, giving it credibility with a younger audience. The company was bought by Coats Paton, later
Coats Viyella, in 1967.
1990s on By the 1990s, Jaeger was struggling, possibly because its customer base was ageing with the brand and with no younger audience to replace it. There was a refocusing of the brand under the direction of design director Jeanette Todd and with some success, including picking up a British Fashion Award in 1996, but this was followed by a period of management turmoil. The company hired
Bella Freud to update its image and she introduced designs inspired by its 1930s and '40s styles, along with a mini skirt, bomber jacket and Jaeger little black dress. Coats sold Jaeger for a nominal fee to entrepreneur and former
Queens Park Rangers F.C. chair Richard Thompson in 2003, by this stage it was a chain with almost 250 shops. It was swiftly re-sold by Thompson to retail entrepreneur and then
British Fashion Council chair
Harold Tillman. At this stage, the company was described as: "on its knees". In 2004,
Belinda Earl, formerly of
Debenhams, was employed as CEO. For a time, it was tipped as the next
Burberry and the appointment of
Stuart Stockdale as design director garnered positive publicity. Its appearance at 2008 London Fashion Week, for the first time in its history also appeared to mark a stronger brand image. ==Current operation==