With Father’s Day fast approaching – on June 20 – a newly-opened shop in the region is offering some inspirational and super-stylish ideas for men’s fashion and gifts.

BACK in the day when designer fashion in the North was summed up by Geordie Jeans, three young pioneers saved the region from style oblivion with the launch of a little designer store called Van Mildert, in Durham City.

The rest is history, and now one of the award-winning Van Mildert’s three original founders is breaking new ground again – with a designer shop called Woven.

The store, in The Gates Shopping Centre on Framwelgate Bridge, is the brainchild of Chris Hayes and home to labels such as Fake London, Pretty Green by Liam Gallagher, Dunhill and Lyle & Scott, plus sharp tailoring and made-to-measure suits from the Anglo Italian house Stefano Lucchesi.

And while Lucchesi tailors will be in store every six weeks to measure up the region’s smartest men, the casual ranges from Hackett, Gant and Joules at the store will keep the weekends covered too.

“Durham City hasn’t had this type of store on its doorstep before,” says Chris. “Our pitch is to provide properly tailored clothing and some of the best designer labels at affordable prices. It will be the ideal place for those who wish to go the extra mile with their wardrobe, make their mark and dress the part.”

In addition to names such as Hugo Boss and Aquascutum, Woven offers Savile Row shirts and collections by design houses such as Armani and Scabal – the Brussels-based tailoring label and supplier of fabrics for suits worn in the last two James Bond films.

“It’s fantastic being able to offer Stefano Lucchesi bespoke suits here,” says Chris. “There really is nothing like a hand-made, handmeasured suit. Lucchesi uses the finest natural English fabrics, cut by hand and made in England using traditional Savile Row methods by some of the most skilled and experienced tailors in the country.”

Woven is one of the only stockists outside London of the recently relaunched Fake London – a favourite of Liam Gallagher, Robbie Williams and Madonna – and features lifestyle goods, aftershave, cufflinks, shoes, ties, watches and homeware.

Chris has been working with designer names to offer limited edition clothes and items exclusive to Woven outside London. He has sourced designs from as far afield as Scandinavia and New York, with suppliers including Dr Denim and John Varvatos, a favourite of Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

“We have an eclectic mix of labels to suit all tastes and budgets,” says Chris. “Affordable fashion shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone, least of all our customers.

“We stock designer jeans in premium denim for under £50, and T-shirts, polos and tops with great motifs and slogans. At the executive end, we have made-to-measure tailoring and designer off-the-peg suits, and we also offer special occasion suit hire for balls and weddings.”

Chris’s fashion career began in 1989 when, as a student, he took up a Saturday job at the Psyche fashion store, in Middlesbrough.

He launched the first Van Mildert store on Elvet Bridge, in Durham, in 1995 with two partners. It enjoyed huge success and was followed by stores in York, Darlington, Sunderland and the MetroCentre, plus an online store. Van Mildert won three awards in the fashion industry “Oscars”, the Drapers Awards, last year. Chris is the only one of the three original founders of Van Mildert still in the business, and he now runs its online store and suit hire business.

“Van Mildert was the first to bring Prada, Gucci, Fendi and many more designer names to the region, and Woven will also break new ground,”

says Chris. “Durham is small and lacks really good retail space. I hope that Woven and some of the other new independent retailers which have recently opened at The Gates will bring more retailers to this side of town, where I believe there is real potential for growth.”

The Gates shopping centre manager, Inge Johnson, says: “Woven will be a leading designer boutique in the North-East and will be a key player in our drive to attract firstclass fashion retailers to Durham City. Chris’s reputation as a pioneer in the fashion industry precedes him with the established and highly popular Van Mildert brand, and we look forward to seeing him achieve the same success with Woven.”