78 YEARS IN BUSINESS

A Tradition of Quality & Style

Since the reign of King George III, Dents has been crafting and creating the world's finest gloves, establishing a heritage of skill, craftsmanship and timeless styling which has been nurtured for over 200 years. The company was founded in 1777, in the beautiful Cathedral city of Worcester, England. Here, in an old timber house, John Dent

cut his first pair of gloves to sell under his company's name. Nearby, also in they year 1777, John Dent's first son John Junior was born, and later, in the same timbered cottage, another son, William was born in 1784. John Dent had begun his business at a very favourable time, and it thus enjoyed many years of rapid growth, which led him moving his residence to 34 Foregate Street, Worcester, in 1784. John Junior and William served a seven year apprenticeship which they began at the age of fifteen. John Dent senior was now considered a wealthy man and with his sons was prominent in the social life of Worcester. In later years, it was the partnership of John Junior and William which founded the dynasty of craftspeople who were to make the name of Dents famous throughout the world.

Glovemaking has always required the skilled hand and eye of the true craftsperson. The glovemaker's craft did not undergo the mechanisation of the manufacturing process as did so many other industries in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the important elements of glovemaking remain today almost completely dependent on the judgement and dexterity of the true artisan. Throughout the company's history, generations of Dents craftspeople have faithfully embodied John Dent's tradition of skill and care, creating beautiful gloves with that very fine stitch which is the hallmark of Dents, and which is still practiced by Dents craftspeople as we approach the twenty first century.

Dents was a major exporter of fine gloves throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The company, through its subsidiaries in New York, Paris, Grenoble, Brussels, Leipzig, Prague, Sydney and Naples, crafted and sold gloves of the highest quality to most of the developed world. During this period it became increasingly important for fashionable ladies and gentlemen to wear gloves for all social occasions, and Dents' fortunes prospered accordingly. Today, the Dents factory is located in the beautiful country town of Warminster, Wiltshire, and here you will find the Dents Museum. The museum's extensive collection includes many examples of eighteenth and early nineteenth century gloves, an exhibit of special interest being the Coronation Glove of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which Dents was proud to be chosen to create for Her Majesty's Coronation in 1953.

The history of gloves gives a fascinating insight into social developments over the past two centuries. The 'Dictionary of Etiquette' published at the end of the nineteenth century, says: 'Gloves should be worn by a lady when out walking or driving, at tea, dances, balls, dinner parties, the opera or theatre. Men should wear gloves in the street or at a ball, when playing a call, driving, riding, and in the church.'

Today, as in the past, the company is still crafting fine leather gloves in the traditional manner. Dents is proud of its heritage and its longstanding commitment to quality and craftsmanship - the enduring legacy of its founder, John Dent, Master Cutter.

A skilled glove cutter normally serves a seven year apprenticeship under the tuition of a Master Cutter. Today the apprenticeship is shorter, but it still requires great proficiency born of years of experience and a long training period to become a qualified cutter. A keen eye and dexterous hands are essential talents in the practice of an art which has hardly changed over the past two hundred years. The process of creating a pair of gloves is a long one, involving thirty-two different operations, most of which are required to be performed by hand.

Crafted with skill and pride.

Today, each pair of Dents gloves is crafted with loving care by craftspeople whose attention to the smallest detail creates a glove which is unique and timeless in styling. The tradition of craftsmanship is embodied in Dents' commitment to preserving the revered skills of its founder.

The finest leathers.

The natural qualities of leather, with its subtle variation and nuances of shading and occasional marking, tests the skill of Dents leather buyers and selectors, because no two pieces of leather are ever the same. To select the perfect leather for each style of glove, every individual piece must be carefully sorted, inspected and graded, and no machine can match the selector's skill and knowledge. The experienced eye of the leather selector recognises the wide variety of different leathers, with variation in grain, texture, thickness and strength. All of these qualities must be assessed before selecting that one special piece which is uniquely suitable for the particular glove being created. It is this constant search for perfection, and commitment to quality, which gives a Dents glove that 'secret fit' and comfort which is its hallmark.

Cutting the leather-the 'secret fit'.

When selecting a pair of gloves, the most important consideration, apart from the beauty of the leather, is the fit. One of the best loved features of any Dents glove is its special fit, and this is owed entirely to the skill and experience of the master cutter. The cutter's keen eye, born of years of experience, together with the careful shaping and stretching of the leather, will influence the final fit of the glove. The style and design of the glove will be determined by the 'Pattern'. This is a flat piece of thick card in the shape of the glove. A different Pattern is required for each individual size and will vary according to the type of leather being used. All high quality gloving leathers have a natural stretch, and the Pattern must be adjusted according to the stretch required, to ensure a perfect fitting glove. The Patterns used today date back to 1839 and are available in 20 different sizes. Prior to around 1845, all gloves were sewn by hand because there was no machinery available to help the craftspeople. Today, at Dents many gloves are still sewn by hand, but the wooden 'donkey' is no longer used as a guide for the stitching, and the skilled hand-sewer stitches freehand. It was not until after 1845, with the invention of the Elias Howe machine that mechanical sewing was introduced into glovemaking.

Finishing touches.

It is now time for the back of the glove to be decorated. Today, the traditional classic three rows of stitching, known as 'points', are most
common, although in the past it was not unusual to decorate the backs of gloves or cuffs with embroidery. Nowadays it is more likely to be a fancy stitch, button, brass or metal detail trimming, which decorates the back of the glove.

The lining of any glove is very important, and the care with which the lining is made and inserted will affect the glove's final appearance and appeal. A glove may be lined with a variety of materials, silk and cashmere being the most popular linings used today. A Dents glove lining is actually made as a separate glove and when inserted into the glove it becomes effectively a glove within another glove. This gives an improved fit, and makes the gloves comfortable to wear.

The different parts of the glove are now ready to be assembled and stitched together by machine or by hand. Gloves can be stitched in a variety of ways, depending on the weight of the leather, and the lining being used. Every method of stitching has its own special name. The 'Prickseam' method, whereby the two edges of the glove are exposed, is used for heavier weight leathers, whereas 'Inseam' is, as the name suggests, a method by which the gloves are stitched inside out, so when they are finally turned the right way out, the inseam stitch becomes invisible, leaving a neat seam. The glove is now ready for the separate glove lining to be inserted by hand using a Lining Former, which is the traditional method used by Dents. The gloves are now nearly complete, except that they must be carefully ironed. This process was originally known as 'Laying-Out', and was done entirely by hand with the aid of 'Dolly sticks', which were inserted into the gloves with a damp cloth. Today, gloves are ironed on an electrically heated brass hand to give them their special finished appearance. This process is still known as 'Laying-Out'.

It takes 32 different operations to make a pair of Dents gloves, and as each operation is complete, they are carefully examined for any imperfection which, if found, will result in their immediate rejection. Only then will the gloves be deemed worthy to carry the famous Dents label, and to be finally passed for shipment to a Dents appointed retailer.

Glove care tips.

Today, gloves are a stylish and practical accessory, to complement your busy lifestyle. Like any other high quality accessory, your gloves need to be treated with care if they are to retain their naturally pleasing appearance. We hope the following pointers will prove useful and helpful in keeping your fine gloves looking their best.

1. When putting on a glove, please try to avoid pulling by the cuff, as it pulls the glove out of shape and can strain the fine stitching. One should fold back the top of the glove cuff and carefully insert the fingers, smoothing each one gently downwards towards the base of the finger, ensuring each finger fits smoothly inside the glove.
2. To remove a glove, one should gently pull the glove from the top of each finger and thumb, sliding it off gently, a little at a time.
3. Unfortunately for practical reasons, gloves are often rolled or squashed inside pockets, and as a result, they can lose their shape and good appearance. Any article of clothing needs to be cared for. Accordingly, we recommend that after use, you should always gently pull your gloves back into shape and, where practical, store them laid flat. This will retain their good appearance.
4. If by chance your gloves do become damp or rain spotted, carefully smooth them into shape and lie them flat on a towel to dry naturally. Never dry your gloves in direct sunlight or on or near a radiator or attempt to use any form of artificial heat. this will most certainly cause variations of hardening, discolouration and loss of shape.
5. Gloves may be dry-cleaned by an experienced specialist leather dry cleaner.

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