Meet the Expert: Gloves
An interview with the team from Cornelia James, Glovemakers to the late Queen Elizabeth II
Reader, meet Cornelia James.
Cornelia James, meet Reader.
Cornelia James is a storied British glovemaker, and, lucky you,
’s Expert for Glove Week.To put this coup into perspective, Cornelia James has been the official glovemaker to the late Queen Elizabeth II since before she retained the title of Queen…Yes, they crush it that much.
Cornelia James’ beautiful, hand crafted gloves are also seen around the world on an incredibly diverse and zinger of a list of actors, singers, artists, legends, and royals - there will always be royals. Need a bit of social evidence to get you salivating? Thumb through my gallery below.
For Part IV and the finale of Glove Week, 21st & 18th chatted with Zoe Moderski, Manager of Customer Outreach and Engagement at Cornelia James, to learn more about the company’s founding story, favorite gloves and inspirational glove icons.
LLW: How long has Cornelia James been crafting gloves?
CORNELIA JAMES: Cornelia had studied art and design in Vienna and arrived in England as a refugee in 1939. After the war, in a world made drab by rationing, the leather gloves that she made in a huge range of colours became fashion essentials.
LLW: At the time of the company’s founding, where were gloves seen in society? How often were gloves used?
CORNELIA JAMES: The 1950s were golden years for the glove industry and Cornelia employed dozens of machinists, many of them working from home, making gloves that filled the shelves of department stores and fashionable boutiques the world over
But gloves were always Cornelia’s true love and, in recent years, the business has refocused on the Cornelia legacy to renew its identity as a specialist glovemaker.
LLW: Cornelia James holds a coveted Royal Warrant, how does a Royal Warrant come to be? When did Cornelia James receive its Royal Warrant?
CORNELIA JAMES: In November 1947 the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten provided a vivid splash of colour against a background of unremitting post war austerity. Norman Hartnell made the Princess’ wedding gown and ‘going-away’ outfit and he turned to Cornelia James to provide the gloves. It marked the beginning of a long association with the Royal Household marked, in 1979, by the granting of a Royal Warrant.
[Today] Genevieve James, Cornelia’s daughter, now holds the Warrant as glove manufacturer ‘by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen’. Cornelia James products feature consistently in the fashion shoots of the world’s top magazines and fashion editorial. The company's identity is underscored by the very close relationship that the brand enjoys with the fashion press.
Queen Elizabeth II in Cornelia James with Anna Wintour - Bingo
LLW: Today, where does Cornelia James craft its products?
CORNELIA JAMES: [Cornelia James is] based just outside the village of Ripe in East Sussex, England, [we] hand-make bespoke gloves here which are sold in every corner of the world.
Ripe is approximately 75 mi from London and is an alarmingly charming village
LLW: For ladies keen to introduce gloves into their wardrobe, where would you recommend they begin?
CORNELIA JAMES: [Skip to the bits below]
LLW: What’s your favorite glove to wear?
CORNELIA JAMES: Our company favourite is the Cornelia - Named after our founder. A classic and simple glove with a button cuff link
LLW: A glove icon that comes to mind? Past or present!
CORNELIA JAMES: A glove icon that comes to mind has to be Lady Gaga. Gaga has worn our gloves on many occasions and always makes them work. We love that she can take a traditional accessory and make it look fun and quirky - Just as they should!
Thank you Zoe & Cornelia James for sharing your story, talent and the elegance and fun of gloves. I have my eye on a pair of Regina gloves for the upcoming Racing season - in Camel as I’ve been drawn to all colors that help me to appear looking like a Danish royal.
Dear friends, that is a wrap on Glove Week. I’m sorry to see it go - but we can write our own rules here at
, if you would like to see Glove Week return? Write me.Subscribe to
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Until then - Cheers,
LLW