Leon Legallais founded a spinning mill in the Normandy village of Saint James in 1850, and the sailor's sweater his mill wove in 1889 became the garment the brand is still named for. We stock Saint James at Shirley Allum in Shaftesbury, across the classic Breton stripe top, knitwear and cotton blouses.
The tight-knit wool of the original chandail came from salt-marsh sheep grazing the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, water-resistant and warm enough for fishermen working the Channel.
Coco Chanel put the stripe into her own collections in 1913, and the design has stayed a genuine wardrobe staple in the century since rather than a passing trend.
A Saint James Breton top works with almost anything, which is exactly why it has outlasted so many fashion cycles.
See the current range at the Shaftesbury boutique, or shop Saint James online.
