I was in J. Simons a few weeks ago for no very good reason apart from wanting to look around. The National Gallery is always the same, but there are always new works of art in J.S. to feed the soul...

Anyway, as a part of his ever expanding vintage range J.S. had an old, checked,  Brooks Summer jacket ("Made in the U.S.A"!.) hanging up by the door. Lovely shoulders, clean, smooth lines, understated and easy on the eye... A nice item I thought, but sadly to large for me... I bought a slim knit tie after having a good nose around just so I wouldn't look like a tourist up in London for the day (which I was) and for fun asked J.S. about the jacket...

And so our story begins...

The jacket (Brooks from the 90's) was brought in by one of J.'s regulars - a geezer from the House of Lords who'd put on weight & wondered if J. would be interested in the jacket & a couple of Ivy Wash & Wear Summer suits. The jacket was still on display but the Wash & Wears had gone straight back out the door as soon as another regular had seen them.
'Were they Haspel?' I asked for no other reason than to show off that I knew the name. Because how many other people know the name Haspel in England?
'Brooks', replied J., 'but made by Haspel.'
'Haspel made for Brooks?' I asked, because this was new information to me. I thought that 'Brooks Makers' were 'Brooks Makers', I'd no idea that they Haspel knock stuff up for them. It made me wonder if Haspel had made for Press as well. And just as I was about to ask further the shop started to fill up with other Weejun fans so J. just had time to say  'Yes, lovely stuff' & had to move on.

Any input from anyone else on this?

Brooks/Haspel? Haspel/Brooks?

Maybe you all knew this already?

J.