The Famous of Cheltenham is something of an institution! The company was established over 120 years ago by a A. N. Cole who’s motto was, “Always look after the man who wants to buy a collar stud; he may want a
shirt some day”. Well, Mr Cole and his descendants must have looked after a lot of collar stud customers since 1886 because The Famous is now one of the oldest firms in Gloucestershire and is still owned by the
Cole family.

The demands of the customer have changed
considerably since the nineteen century and The Famous have moved with the times. Fashions have become less formal, at the office three piece suits, a hat and overcoat are no longer de rigeur and for leisure
time jeans have become ubiquitous.
Yes you can still buy a collar stud at The Famous but also a lot more besides and the wide range is summed up with the slogan, ‘for the office… for the weekend’. Across the three floors at the High Street
store in Cheltenham you will find business suits, off the peg or made to measure, formal shirts from leading brands or made to your specification as well as casual shirts, jeans, jackets and knitwear. There’s also wedding and evening wear either to buy or for hire and there’s a fantastic selection of accessories including waistcoats, cummerbunds, braces, cufflinks and bow ties, both proper ‘self tie’ ones and the pre tied variety.

The Famous is also… er, famous for its schoolwear department stocking good value generic items such as shirts and trousers, blouses and skirts all year round, as well as the ties and badged blazers for over 50 schools in the area.

In 2004 the company expanded down the High Street and opened Intersport Cheltenham to provide an authentic sports store with well trained and enthusiastic sales staff offering a wide range of equipment, footwear and clothing for all sports.

The next development for this raditional but progressive company is the launch of The Famous Collection, Richard Cole, Director, says:

“With the launch of this collection we can offer our customers something exclusive and affordable. The Famous Collection will
initially comprise suits, jackets and shirts. The suits will be more contemporary than a traditional business suit, they are a great fit and can be worn dressed up for business
or formal occasions or equally dressed down with an open neck shirt”.

The company have taken great care in choosing quality fabrics for the whole range and have paid particular attention to detail as Richard Cole explains,“We wanted The Famous Collection to make a tasteful statement so we sourced fabrics that look good, feel good and hang really well, then we added some subtle touches like
luxurious linings and contrasting stitching on the button holes, that just add that certain something”.