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Article: Ten Questions, Ten Years On.

Ten Questions, Ten Years On.


A quiet conversation with the CEO of Berk Cashmere


0. Anthony, why did you start Berk, and why do people buy it?
I did not start it. I continued it. My sister wore Berk in the 1970s and 80s. I remembered the quality. She was a connoisseur of fabrics, books, and people. We had that in common. Then the industry forgot how real cashmere should feel. Dense, dry, and structured, made to soften with time, not softened by chemicals. So I acquired Berk to restore that standard. People buy it because they recognise what it is. Not fashion. Not waffle. Just the best cashmere, quietly made and properly priced.

1. What are you wearing today?
A navy 1-ply Pullman crew neck with a Richard James cutaway white shirt and Prince of Wales flannel trousers. George Cleverly loafer and a Speedmaster. I like complamentary brands and clothes that do not need to prove anything. Good materials. Good cut. That is enough.

2. Describe your office.
Ercol desk. Philippe Starck chair. Smythson notebook. Montblanc fountain pen. iPad. iMac. A clock that ticks. And light, lots of light and my library. Everything else orbits around those things.

3. Where did Berk online begin?
With the idea that proper cashmere had quietly vanished. Replaced by softness without substance. I missed the real thing. My journeys took me to Scotland and the genius of Dawson International, who created the bare finish process which is still the benchmark for the best cashmere. Dawson invented the carding process used to grade cashmere in 1890. Then to Ballantyne Berk's most important customer. Then to Berk the most fantastic little shop in Burlington Arcade. So I went looking for it, found it, and we made it for Berk. I just could not stand losing Berk as a brand. So I bought it.

4. What is Bare Finish® Cashmere?
It is what happens when you leave the fibre alone. We knit under tension. Wash in pH-neutral water. No softeners. No fakery. It feels firm, like the skin of a perfect peach, and wears in, not out. Once you have touched it, you know. And when you know, you know.

5. Why do you not do sales?
Because the price is already correct. We make a better sweater than Piana and Cucinelli at half the price. We do not use third parties who require a retail margin mark-up to sell. We do not inflate to discount. We do not push stock. We make what is needed, 'just in time' and price it with respect for the work involved and the person buying it.

6. You talk a lot about standards. What is yours?
The McQueen. An 8-ply, fully-fashioned sweater that took years to get right. Every other garment descends from that benchmark. it is never diluted; only adapted. One piece made  to perfection and then those first principles are applied across the range to Lorne, Pullman and the vintage, and heritage collections. This trickle-down effect gives us our standards.

7. Why do you not use logos?
Because our customers already know us. They do not need a lifestyle; they have one.

8. What has changed in ten years?
The polarisation between the cheapest and the best. The pandemic accelerated everything. The mid-ground disapeared. We have never wanted to be the cheapest. We leave that to Uniqlo. Customers now want authenticity and integrity.

9. What is next?
Fewer pieces. Higher ply. Slower output. We are not here to expand. We are here to refine. Small batch production is the goal.

10. How do you want people to feel when they wear Berk?
Just right. As if they have bought something that quietly improves their life without asking for attention. That is all good clothing is meant to do.

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