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The radical Englishman abroad is personified by perhaps dunhill’s most famous customer. First he was the Prince of Wales then Edward VIII then the Duke of Windsor, but always loyal to the brand. Inspired by his aristocratic insouciance and rule breaking in terms of men’s dress codes, the modern dunhill man goes from sharp to elegantly dishevelled then back to sharp again, in a mixing of the day to night moods. There are nods in the gradations of blue in the collection to the Duke’s introduction of ‘midnight blue’ as opposed to black as a colour in formal suiting. And the midnight blue dunhill tuxedo that is reproduced in this collection happens to have belonged to another rule-breaker and dunhill fan, Truman Capote. Another of the Duke’s innovations appears in the form of the backless dress waistcoat, here updated and made even more casual by being produced in everyday shirting fabric and heavier weight silk tie material. Art Deco prints are reproduced from the archive and are translated onto ties and shirting. Clashing prints nod to the make-do-and-mend attitude of the British aristocracy and a reminder that dunhill clothes are for life and are passed down to successive generations. Variously washed materials, ‘worn-in’ Brogues as well as such precious items as signature sterling silver buttons should reinforce this point. However there is never too much dwelling in the past as the fabric research and technical innovations always emphasise dunhill’s commitment to innovation.

Keeping true to the history and wit of the archive, there is Winston Churchill’s silver envelope cigarette case stamped with his address and strange female nom de plume, so after a heavy night out at his club the case could be posted back home if he left it behind. It will now be available to order and engraved accordingly. There are new additions to the famous dunhill pen collection, using such materials as a ‘space age’ lacquer made from meteorite and black diamonds as well as a limited edition Art Deco-inspired ‘Skeleton’ Revolette pen. Similarly constructed cuff links also feature. Aluminium flight cases, referencing those found in the archive from the 1920s, have been stripped back to their metal fabrication and updated to make them incredibly light and practical for use today. Scratch resistant carbon fibre print leather characterises the new Chassis bags. And that’s not to mention the signature ‘wood leather’ and shagreen accessories that lift the collection and the new sunglasses handcrafted in polished English flint.

The blazer - deemed the male equivalent of the little black dress - is a pivotal link between the worlds of formal and casual menswear attire. It is all the more essential at a time when a man's wardrobe needs to be flexible and when staples are key, the current economic climate insists that men must invest in pieces that will last and be worn for years.

The dunhill Blazer can genuinely lay claim to offering the ultimate blazer. Timeless and elegant, the blazer looks as good with jeans and a sweater as it does with flannel trousers, shirt and tie - the consummate weekend wardrobe piece. By using exclusive mohair from the Camdeboo region of South Africa, the dunhill blazer benefits from a number of performance qualities:

Elasticity - Camdeboo mohair can be stretched by up to 30% and will spring back into shape whilst resisting wrinkling, stretching and sagging. Also provides for optimum drape. This makes it a PERFECT travel companion as can be literally rolled into a ball in your luggage and within seconds of being hung, will be back to its perfect shape, crease free and ready to wear

Strength - Camdeboo mohair is stronger than steel of the same diameter

Durability - Camdeboo mohair can be twisted and bent without damaging the fibre

Moisture Transfer - Camdeboo mohair easily absorbs and releases moisture, moving perspiration from the skin. Ideal for both hot and cold climates.

dunhill use only the Summer kid Camdeboo mohair, which is the first clip taken from the young goats giving the finest and softest yarn.

The dunhill Blazer can also be personalised to add further details of sartorial enjoyment. A dunhill customer can choose from four styles - single breasted one button peak lapel/ two button notch lapel/ three button notch lapel and a double breasted six button notch lapel - offering him the opportunity to be advised on the perfect shape for his style and size. In addition upon purchasing a ready to wear blazer, he can then choose from a selection of buttons - whether they be gold, silver or horn - for an extra touch of idiosyncrasy!

The result is a piece of clothing that will be a well travelled and firm favourite for generations.

25/03/09

Travel is fundamental to the dunhill brand, a brand which has presented luggage that is always functional yet wholly luxurious for over 100 years. For Summer 2009, dunhill have worked with Andrew Harper – the acclaimed member’s only travel guru - to create the ultimate luxury travel collaboration. Andrew Harper’s inimitable reputation is built upon unbiased, credible travel advice given generously with great integrity. To celebrate this meeting of luxury travel minds, dunhill have created a concise range of luggage called ‘Traveller’ designed with and endorsed by Andrew Harper himself. Comprising of three pieces – a holdall, document case and rucksack – each piece is made with the intrepid traveller in mind who demands both form and function on any continent. Perfectly sized and practically proportioned, each piece is realised in a natural oatmeal canvas with tan leather trim detailing. dunhill will also retail a limited edition Andrew Harper membership presented in an exclusive dunhill bespoke Traveller leather folder and accompanied by a dunhill Sidecar Rollerball pen for scribbling down memories, recommendations or next year’s expedition plans.

25/03/09

Limited edition to two hundred and fifty, the Fighter Provenance Cufflinks are impressively crafted from the original aluminium engine casing taken from a British World War II fighter plane. Depicting the aircraft from which they originated, the Fighters continue the successful Alfred Dunhill Provenance collection of rare designs constructed from components of iconic machinery. Presented in a lacquered Alfred Dunhill box with limited edition certificate and Provenance leaflet, these historic pieces are a celebration of great British design and zeal and are sure to become a treasured possession to pass on throughout generations.

20/03/09

Alfred Dunhill was proud to sponsor the eleventh annual British GQ Men Of The Year awards, held on Tuesday 2nd September 2008 at the Royal Opera House, London.

Alfred Dunhill was proud to sponsor the eleventh annual British GQ Men Of The Year awards, held on Tuesday 2nd September 2008 at the Royal Opera House, London.

In addition to other award categories, dunhill presented its own award - the Alfred Dunhill Maverick Award which is defined by a gentleman of independent or non-conformist views or actions, inspired by the spirit of Alfred Dunhill himself.

This year, Alfred Dunhill's Maverick is Mark Ronson. This three-times Grammy award winning music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records was chosen because of his innate style, talent and charisma.

Mark Ronson comments: "A GQ Award is kind of ...insane. It's a huge thing. I've always looked at those Men Of The Year covers and thought...it seemed such a huge mantle."

Sweden's Robert Karlsson birdied the first extra hole of a sudden death play-off against England's Ross Fisher and Germany's Martin Kaymer to win a thrilling Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews.

Karlsson celebrated his second vitory in successive tournaments after hitting his wedge to three feet on the 1st hole of the Old Course and rolling in the putt, whilst Kaymer missed his eight food birdie chance and Fisher hit an enormous drive straight into the Swilken Burn.

Karlsson, Fisher and Kaymer all finished on a ten-under-par total of 278 on a day of stunning scoring on the Old Course as the wind of the previous three days dropped and a bright sun encouraged a plethora of birdies. Karlsson produced one of the biggest improvements, trading a 76 at Carnoustie on Saturday for his brilliant 65 in the final round at St Andrews.

The victory with this first prize of US$800,000 (£432,000) takes Karlsson to the top of the European Orbit of Merit. He said: ""I was very emotional sitting on the steps there for the prize-giving. It's the sort of course you learn to fall in love with. The more you play it, the more you understand it.

It was a funny week coming from four shots behind and with so many guys up there ahead of me. You should have seen me at Carnoustie on Saturday, I played some bad holes. I just went out there today and tried to do my best. I got off to a really good start and all of a sudden I was up there on the leader board and I just tried to keep it going. It's amazing that I have won it. I don't know how I've done it.""

The tournament, conceived as a celebration of links golf, is played over three of the world's best known and respected links courses - the Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship Course at Carnoustie and the highly regarded Kingsbarns Golf Links.

Joining the professionals were an enthusiastic group of talented amateur golfers. From the world of entertainment were film and television stars Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, John O'Hurley, Dougray Scott and Luke Wilson, and music legends Don Felder from the Eagles, Ronan Keating, Huey Lewis and Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres. Many of the world's great sports stars were also taking part including football's Sir Bobby Charlton, Johan Cruyff, Roberto Donadoni, Ruud Gullit and Jamie Redknapp.

The team championship provided a thrilling climax. England's John Bickerton and South African Bruce Watson had taken a five shot lead into the final round, but they had to fend off a determined challenge by Robert Karlsoon & Dermot Desmond, the highlight of which was a two by the Irish businessman at the short 11th hole for a net one. Eventually, however, Bickerton & Watson held on for a betterball 66, compared to Karlsson & Desmond's 60 to win by one shot to 27-under-par.

South African businessman Watson, who lives in Johannesburg and is a member of the River Club at Leopard Creek, only knew for sure he had a place in the championship last Thursday. He said: ""I was in London on business so cancelled all my appointments this week and jumped on a plane to Scotland. So I've gone from not knowing I was in it to winning it.

""It's quite unbelievable and I want to pay tribute to my partner, John Bickerton, who was absolutely the best partner I could have hoped for. He is a true gentleman and he has helped me to get through the event with his advice. He has even been lining up putts for me. When he comes to play in South Africa, in December, we will definitely meet up and I will have the chance to entertain John and his new wife, who he married last Saturday. The gross 75 I shot at Carnoustie on the first day, was the round of my life.'

10/08/2008

Donny Deutsch wins the Alfred Dunhill Debate proving the superiority of the U.S. (at least for one night).
Piers Morgan and Donny Deutsch fiercely debated the merits of the United States versus the United Kingdom at the new Alfred Dunhill flagship store on 545 Madison Avenue and 5th St. in New York on 18th September, 2008. In the end, Deutsch beat out his cross-Atlantic foe in a tiebreaker with memorable one-liners.

Deutsch's prize was a $10,000 cheque made out by Alfred Dunhill to the Michael J. Fox Foudation for Parkinson's Research in Deutsch's name. In a show of great sportsmanship and humanitarianism, Deutsch agreed to split the donation between his and Morgan's charity, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. But Julian Diment, Marketing Director of Alfred Dunhill, allowed dunhill to have the final word in the inaugural debate by going one step further and doubling the prize money to ensure each charity recieve $10,000 each.

The two man debated on six topics, including New York vs London; Football vs Football; American Dress Down vs British Sartorial Elegance; The Power of Advertising vs The Power of Editorial, The President vs The Queen, Yellow Taxi vs Black Cab.

The Alfred Dunhill debate, attended by more than 100 high-profile New Yorkers and British expatriates, was fiery from the start with Morgan, who has worked for some of the world's biggest media establishments, defending the honesty of those in London saying 'no one says "Welcome to London, have a nice day" because we don't say things we don't mean in London.'

In his rebuttal, Deutsch, chairman of one of the nation's top 10 advertising agencies, Deutsch Inc. and host of CNBC's The Big Idea, went on the offensive against London's cooking: 'We have the best chefs, the best food in the world. You've got such delicacies as black pudding and toad in a hole,' said Deutsch.

The line of the night came during the discussion of The Yellow Taxi vs The Black Cab, where Morgan extolled the virtues of the black cab saying, 'you can fit five people in a black cab; you can fit three in a yellow cab once you've had your legs cut off.' That argument won the topic for Morgan.

Whilst Morgan and Deutsch both won three topics each, Deutsch won the debate based on total votes.

Commenting on his win, Deutsch graciously said, 'The nice thing is that we both won money for our charities. It was almost a tie. We are very similar, he and I. dunhill is a company with a heart today, which is where you have to be in this world, so it's great to be a part of it.'

At the end of the night, Morgan, tongue in cheek, contested the results. 'In true American election fashion, "I am demanding a recount,"' he quipped.'I'm only kidding,' Morgan added.'It was great fun. dunhill is giving loads of money to our charities, and while I don't like losing to anybody, I'm okay losing to Donny Deutsch.'

17/09/2009

Alfred Dunhill hosted an event to celebrate the opening of Bourdon House, the London Home of Alfred Dunhill, on Tuesday 16th September, from 7pm till midnight. Located at 2 Davies Street in Mayfair, Bourdon House presents the ultimate Alfred Dunhill brand experience over three floors of a beautifully restored Georgian residence.

Jude Law, the face of dunhill, attended the event wearing a black dunhill single-breasted suit and described the Home as 'more than he expected, somewhere I'd like to live.' Lily Allen arrived at Bourdon House on the arm of dunhill's creative director, Kim Jones. Dougray Scott, face of dunhill LINKS golfwear, also attended along with Danny Cipriani (pictured right), Sir Peter Blake, Jamelia, Henry Cavill and Tom Avery. Tom Hardy was accompanied by British actress Charlotte Riley having recently met on the set of 'Wuthering Heights'.

After drinks and canapés touring the building, at 9pm the guests enjoyed music by the pianist and jazz virtuoso Gonzales who played the piano live in the courtyard of the Home. This performance was followed by live link from the Homes of Alfred Dunhill in Tokyo and then Shanghai, as a local DJ from each city played for the guests in London.

09/17/2008