In James Eden’s office, a large, framed comic strip takes pride of place above his desk. But the vivid illustration is more than just vintage decoration, it’s a reminder of a man whose extraordinary valour and values inspired this global company. The Victor comic strip celebrates the war-time bravery of James’ great-grandfather, Jack White, awarded the Victoria Cross aged just 21, for saving the lives of his comrades in an act of extreme courage.
When James, 42, took over the running of his family’s ailing menswear business 15 years ago, he re-named it Private White VC in his famous great-grampa’s decoration.
Today the company is a worldwide success, famous as a purveyor of luxury, high-quality, British clothing, providing hand-crafted menswear for discerning shoppers, including Royals and celebrities. Only a few weeks ago, Canadian PM Mark Carney was spotted wearing one of their coats and Princes WIlliam and Harry and Princess Anne are fans.
They regularly dress James Bond stars too – everyone from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig. But James’ great-grandfather who remains the stand-out figure in this quintessentially British firm.
Earlier this month, they released a powerful short film celebrating Jack’s achievements and the story behind the clothing brand. “The Victoria Cross is a symbol of the heroism and values of great grandfather Jack,” says James proudly. “We pay tribute to his actions and courage in all of the clothing we create and sell. He left a remarkable legacy and we’ve been working hard to honour that, to build on those values to create a modern business he would have approved of.”
As James says, Jack’s story began during World War One, when he was sent from his Salford home to fight in what was then called Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq, in 1917.
“He was a signalman, in communications and tactics, with the King’s Own Royal Lancasters, 6th Battalion,” explains James. “They were on the river, in a boat full of weapons and supplies, when they came under heavy enemy fire. His comrades were injured, they were all in grave danger. The boat was drifting further towards the enemy so he knew he had to do something.
“He tied copper telephone wire around himself – attached to the vessel – and plunged straight into the water so he could drag the pontoon away and to safety. He survived the war and was awarded the Victoria Cross – so many were awarded posthumously so he was very lucky to make it home. It was an act of exceptional bravery by an exceptional man.”
Like so many of his peers, Salford-born Jack quietly returned to civilian life, finding work as an apprentice in one of Manchester’s many textile mills.
“This was the height of Manchester as Cottonopolis,” James explains. “It wasn’t just the centre of the cotton and textiles industry, it was the centre of everything; Empire and Commonwealth, the world’s first industrial city. It was a melting pot of entrepreneurial spirit, there was so much skill and expertise here. Jack was part of it, helping drive its growth.”
The young hero worked his way up from apprentice to pattern cutter, eventually becoming a factory manager then owner. Like many of his neighbours, the original business fulfilled mass orders for menswear retailers like Burberry, Mulberry and Marks & Spencer. They supplied outerwear for the Ministry of Defence; jackets for RAF airmen, and trenchcoats and other apparel for Allied troops during the Second World War, as well as helping kit out the fledgling SAS. As a boy, James was proud of his great grandfather’s past and the family business.
“I’ve been aware of the story my whole life – as a family we were all very proud of his achievements, in war and then at home,” he says. “My great-grandmother would bring all the stuff down from the attic to show us.”
Among the memorabilia was the Victor comic strip he treasures today, ‘a true story of men at war’ documenting Jack’s actions – now preserved in James’ office. And as a boy James spent school holidays working in the historic four-storey, red brick mill – the only one of its kind still in use – where the business is still based.
When Jack passed away, sadly aged just 52 in November 1949, the family and outside partners took over but, by the early noughties, with so much manufacturing moving out of the UK it was struggling. By now James was working in the City. When he was offered redundancy in 2011, he decided to come home.
“I thought I’d see if I could help turn the tanker around,” he chuckles. “After all, I’d spent my school holidays cutting fabric, sweeping floors, I know every inch of this place. I was totally deluded about the role at first… it was very challenging and in the 15 years I’ve been here of course there have been plenty of ups and downs.
“But with my business partner and mentor Mike Stoll, we’ve created something new. Mike is a legend, here and in the trade. He has worked at the factory for 50 years and shows no signs of slowing down. His father worked with great-grandpa Jack and Mike has dedicated his entire life championing the British-made cause.”
Re-naming the company Private White VC, James and Mike decided to switch to making clothes for individuals, inspired by Jack’s deeds and their own design and tailoring heritage.
Now the company offers a wide range of military-inspired designs, all featuring copper somewhere – in the form of zips or small rivets on coat collars – in reference to the wire Jack used to secure himself to his boat. Clothes are hand-crafted on site using British fabrics sourced from within a 20-mile radius away.
Their signature raincoat, ‘Jack’s Mac’, even features a type of waterproof cotton developed at Winston Churchill’s request. As James says: “Every garment carries Jack’s name and there is an attention to detail. We’re the antithesis of throwaway fashion, we create items that are exceptional and made to last. We’re not Luddites, we blend the best of old and new technologies.
“We still source the majority of our materials within 20 miles of here, we still use many of the same techniques, we’re faithful to the craft and craftsmanship which allows us to create such quality. We say we’re saving Britain one raincoat at a time.”
So what would Jack and his wife have made of his fame?
“He would have absolutely loved it,” says James. “He was a salt-of-the-earth man who dedicated his life to investing in and developing his local community. He was a man of his time, of a certain era and demographic, he lived by and exemplified certain values and these are embedded in the business today. I hope we’re doing him proud.”
