Heritage hatmaker Christy & Co. falls into liquidation

Christy & Co., the parent company of heritage hatmaker Christys, has been placed into voluntary liquidation and is winding down after 253 years in business.

According to filings with Companies House, insolvency specialists Yiannis Koumettou and Amie Helen Johnson of BTF Begbies Traynoy LLP have been appointed to oversee the process.

Documents show that the “company be wound up voluntarily”.

Laird Hatters has reportedly stepped up to buy Christys, however, meaning the brand itself will remain in business.

Speaking to Oxford Mail, Laird’s owner, Alex Torun-Shaw, said he was contacted about the possibility of rescuing the Christys brand in October late last year, when the company was already being insolvent.

Torun-Shaw continued: “As we understand it, Christys had been available for sale for some time, but we were only approached very late in the process.

“When the opportunity was presented to us, it felt like both a privilege and a responsibility to step in.”

In a post on social media, Christys confirmed the change of hands which it said would usher in its “next phase of British hat making”.

It added that production will return to London, where it will “begin the next chapter of its history, re-establishing British hat and cap making at its source”.

Christys was founded in 1773 and was known for its high craftsmanship of a variety of hat styles.

It was the brand behind the first headwear for the British police, and also created pieces for notable films, including Indiana Jones.