In the Spring of 2008, Paul Trible and Paul Watson received their graduate degrees from Oxford University. Trible was headed to Hong Kong to work for a venture capital firm and Watson had just come off a successful internship with a hedge fund. Then Lehman Brothers collapsed the following day. Jobs once promised were no longer and plans quickly changed.
Both men decided to put their finance careers on hold and bring fine shirting back to the States. They spent the next year studying with one of London’s premier shirtmakers and meeting at a pub on Ledbury Road to put together a business plan.
Back in the States one year later, they opened their store, Ledbury, for business on Cary Street in Shockoe Slip. Watson took on the role as the brand’s COO and Trible became the company’s CEO and designer.
Ledbury is a brand that epitomizes European quality, English fit and American style. The brand only uses italian-woven fabrics and mother of pearl buttons to represent European quality. Shirt cuts emphasize an English fit. Trible uses forms and patterns based around classic American style to appeal to local taste.
Trible says, “On a personal level, I’m from Virginia and wanted to get back. On a business level, Richmond is an ideal location. There are over a million people in the Greater Richmond area and surprisingly few options for men’s clothing. We wanted to fill the gap, while building a Virginia brand.”
The two chose to be in Shockoe Slip because they wanted to be part of the Downtown revival and wanted the metropolitan feel of London that is hard to find in much of the Southeast. They hope their second floor showroom and office on East Cary will encourage men that work at neighboring businesses to stop by to see their shirts.
