Detailed Company History
Originally established as ‘J. Dege’ at Grafton House in Grafton Street, London W1 in 1865, ‘Dege & Skinner’ is a bespoke tailoring house and bespoke shirt-maker located at Number 10 Savile Row.
1865: Company established as ‘J. Dege’ (J stands for ‘Jacob’)
Jacob Dege begat three sons, all educated at Merchant Taylors’ School and then in the City of London. This is where the youngest, ‘Arthur’ Dege met Michael’s grandfather, also William George Skinner, who was known as ‘Bill’. Bill’s father had a complementary bespoke tailoring business at 57 Jermyn St, SW1. Thanks to his Dutch mother, Bill was also an accomplished artist and they became very good friends.
In the early 20th Century, with the Great War beckoning, Jacob’s older sons joined their father’s tailoring business, but there was no room for Arthur. So in 1906, he and the current Chairman’s grandfather Bill formed ‘Arthur Dege & Skinner’ and set up their own tailoring business in competition!
Both businesses thrived until Jacob lost his two elder boys. One was killed in WW1 and the other son died from illness. Michael’s 40 year old grandfather, Bill was killed in a riding accident in Richmond Park, leaving behind a penniless widow and a 12-year-old son to educate. That son was William George Skinner, known as ‘Tim’, the current Chairman’s father.
In recognition of the deep friendship formed between his son, Arthur John Dege and Michael’s grandfather, Bill Skinner, whom Michael sadly never knew, Jacob Dege made the noble gesture of paying for young Tim Skinner to be educated at Ardingly College for two and a half years. This was the school Jacob could see from his West Hill estate at Balcombe and whose reservoir was part of his estate!
1916: William George ‘Tim’ Skinner joins J.Dege & Sons, aged 15 years old
1917: Jacob Dege turned J. Dege & Sons Ltd into the private limited company it remains to this day. Its trading name was changed to “Dege and Skinner“ in March 2000
1928: Tim Skinner, current MD’s grandfather, launched his first Trunk Show to Cheltenham, before successfully expanding to the North of England and into Scotland
1939: Wilkinson & Son was purchased, ceremonial robe maker by Appointment to HM Queen Victoria, and every British monarch until King George VI’s reign in 1950s
1941: outposts of Dege & Skinner were opened in the military garrison towns of Aldershot and Catterick
1953: ‘Michael’ William George Skinner joins the family business, still known as J.Dege & Sons Ltd
1953: Mr John Dege, Tim Skinner, his son Michael and the team attend the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, helping to dress peers of the realm for the State occasion
1953: Tim Skinner becomes Grantee of the Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM Queen Elizabeth II
1955: aged 20 years old, and after two years’ National Service in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) achieving the rank of Sergeant, Michael Skinner started his training at The Tailor & Cutter, studying Tailoring and Cutting Gentlemen’s Garments
1956: Michael Skinner completes his diploma with a First Class Merit Diploma in Tailoring Gentlemen’s Garments, followed by a Diploma in Cutting Gentlemen’s Garments
1956: aged just 21 years old, Michael Skinner undertakes his first UK Trunk Show for Dege & Skinner
1961: a keen rider from his youth and still a passion that continues to this day, Michael Skinner completed the 5 star three-day event at Badminton, riding ‘Quality Street’
1964: Michael Skinner initiates first overseas Trunk Shows in USA
1970, January: Michael Skinner is appointed Managing Director of J.Dege & Sons Ltd
1973: Michael Skinner designs and Dege & Skinner cuts & makes the uniform worn by Captain Mark Phillips for his wedding to HRH Princess Anne
1973: Michael Skinner appointed President of the London & SE Area Federation of Merchant Tailors and attends the World Congress of Master Tailors in London
1974: Michael Skinner is appointed Chairman of the Master Craftsmen’s Association & Retail Export Group
1975: launch of the ‘Delta Line’. Designed by Michael himself, the Delta Line promoted natural shoulders and a tailored waist in the shape of a triangle. Flared at the bottom with angular piped seams and lapels, the silhouette was certainly masculine
1977: first visit to the Sultanate of Oman at the invitation of HM Sultan Qaboos
1977: signed the first design contract in Japan, which successfully continues to this day
1978 – 1979: Michael Skinner was President of the National Federation of Merchant Tailors, having previously served as President of the London & SE Area of the Federation of Merchant Tailors
1981: Granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment by His Majesty, The Sultan of Oman
1984: Michael Skinner becomes Grantee of the Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
1985: Michael Skinner designs uniforms for the world’s first Camel Pipe Band for The Royal Oman police
1988 – 1995: Michael Skinner elected President of the Master Tailors’ Benevolent Association
1989: Micheal Skinner masterminds the company move to 10 Savile Row, London W1
1990: Michael Skinner was a Founding Trustee of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), which was set up in 1990 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Warrant Holders Association and the 90th birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
QEST is an highly respected charity, which has awarded millions of pounds to individuals to further their craft skills in a huge variety of trades. Michael was a trustee for seven years, during which time Sarah Wilkinson (née Goodwin) won a scholarship to study gold and silver wire embroidery at Hampton Court Palace.
Sarah had been Michael’s apprentice in 1982 and remains Dege & Skinner’s number one ceremonial uniform maker. Sarah has since trained and taught Iona Knight and both work full-time for Dege & Skinner.
1992: William Skinner joins J. Dege & Sons Ltd, Michael Skinner’s son
1994: Bespoke shirt service launched at 10 Savile Row, the first and still the only permanent bespoke shirt maker on The Row
1997: William Skinner elected to the Board of Directors
1999: William Skinner appointed Sales Director
2000: In March, William Skinner presided over the company name change to ‘Dege & Skinner’. The suggestion emanated from a discussion Michael Skinner had with the former Lord Chamberlain at the Royal Warrant Holders Association (RWHA) luncheon in 2000
Dege remained first in the company name, in deference to the original founder and out of the current Chairman’s respect and love for John Dege, with whom he was in business for nearly half a century.
When John Dege retired a surprise lunch in his honour was held at the Oriental Club and attracted 35 of his best customers, including Lord Marmaduke Hussey, then chairman of the BBC. Mr Dege was presented with a silver salver, which bore the signatures of 100 customers, Including the Duke of Wellington, each of whom paid £20 towards the cost of our engraving expenses.
2000: Michael Skinner elected President of the Royal Warrant Holders Association
2001: William Skinner appointed Managing Director of Dege & Skinner
2003: William Skinner elected a Liveryman of The Merchant Taylors’ Company
2003: William Skinner initiated the role of taking on the uniform requirements of the Royal Company of Archers’, HM The Queen’s Body Guard for Scotland; to this day we continue to look after the uniform requirements of the Royal Company of Archers’, regularly visiting Edinburgh throughout each year
2004: Michael Skinner elected Master of the Merchant Taylors’ Company, the first practising Master Tailor to be elected as Master for 350 years; Michael’s official portrait hangs in Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Threadneedle Street, London
2004: Michael Skinner becomes one of the six founding members of the Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA)
2008 – 2009: Michael Skinner elected President, Windsor, Eton & District Royal Warrant Holders Association
2009: William Skinner succeeds Michael Skinner as Grantee of the Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM Queen Elizabeth II
2009: Official portrait of TRHs Prince William and Prince Harry wearing The Blues & Royals uniforms made by Dege & Skinner; now in the National Portrait Gallery and national archive
2009: William Skinner appointed Appeal Chairman of The Bespoke Tailors’ Benevolent Association (BTBA)
2009: William Skinner became a Trustee and Board member of the BTBA, of which he is still a Council member
2012: William Skinner oversaw a major refit at number 10 Savile Row, centralising the business activities of the company
2014: The Royal Lancers Mess Kit uniform made by Dege & Skinner featured in Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition titled ‘What Is Luxury’?
2015: William Skinner, Elected Chairman of Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA), held the role for 4 years
2018: made Prince Harry’s Blues & Royals frock coat when he married Meghan Markle; as well as the uniforms for the attending Page Boys, who wore miniature versions of Prince Harry’s Frock Coat
2019: William Skinner initiated inaugural Trunk Show to Hong Kong and Singapore
2023: made HRH Prince Louis’ much admired uniform, which he wore to the televised Coronation of His Majesty The King; as well as the miniature military replica uniforms worn by Her Majesty The Queen’s four Page Boys who attended her at the Coronation.
The Queen wished to have her four Page Boys’ uniforms inspired by the two Regiments of the British Army for whom she is the Colonel in Chief, namely The Grenadier Guards and The Rifles, so she commissioned Dege & Skinner to make said uniforms.
2023: Head Cutter Nicholas De’Ath awarded the Coronation Medal for his work on the uniforms and military-inspired outfits for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023. Queen Camilla presented De’Ath with the medal at Clarence House in London on May 31, 2023.
2024: Managing Director William Skinner Granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM King Charles III for tailoring, specifically the Officer’s uniform, The King’s Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard
2025: 160th anniversary of the founding of bespoke tailoring house, Dege & Skinner and the 90th birthday of Chairman, Michael Skinner