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Trumper’s was established as a Gentlemen’s Barber Shop by George Francis William Trumper in 1875.

Mr Trumper was not only an excellent barber, but also a master perfumer and soon gained a reputation as such amongst the gentlemen of London’s elite.

Since Trumper’s establishment cultured men of State and fashion, princes and prelates, commerce, law, the armed forces, and other professions came to Mr Trumper’s for hairdressings and fragrances of the highest quality. Trumper’s provided for their needs.

Today many of Trumper’s clients are the sons and grandsons of those men who were first amongst Trumper’s original patrons, and in addition to these is a growing number of actors, writers, broadcasters, journalists, businessmen and other white/blue-collar workers who in these more affluent times can enjoy the services and products that Trumper’s has to offer.

When I first walked through Trumper’s door I was a little awed. It is set in the heart of Mayfair, just a little more that a stone’s cast from the former MI5 head quarters, and opposite the well known Shepherd Market where I believe May Fairs used to be held.

What struck me first was the atmosphere of the place in no small part created by the mixture of fragrances that greets you seemingly before you have crossed the threshold.

With the wonderfully evocative scent of Trumper’s still resounding – can one say? – in my nostrils I then noted with a thrill the walls lined with cherry-wood coloured oak cabinets displaying neatly placed rows of bottles containing all manner of grooming products.

Had I have been ignorant of the nature of the place I would have thought I had walked into an old fashioned apothecary. Behind an oak and glass counter were the traditional rectangular glass bottles holding such famous fragrances as Skye, Bay Rum, Milk of Flowers, and the beautifully designed cylindrical bottles in frosted glass containing such aristocratic sounding colognes as Wellington, Marlborough, and Curzon. Each bottle was topped with the famous Trumper Crown.

Looking up I saw a row of Royal portraits – former and current patrons – and the various Royal Warrants that had been bestowed elevating Trumper’s to the “Degree and Quality of Hairdresser”.

Nevertheless I had done my homework, I had read all that was in the Trumper’s website I knew about Trumper’s Shaving Schools and the West Indian Extract of Limes was one of the most popular fragrances, and yet nothing had prepared me for what was in store for me at my interview.

After introducing myself to the Managing Director Miss Paulette Bersch, I was led through the shop, cabinets to the left of me, cabinets to the right, sparkling clean and displaying all manner of high quality requisites, through a curtain into the upstairs salon.

The cubicles where the waist-coated barbers work are all of panelled oak and antique mirrors. I remember the hum of barber-client repartee, the click of scissors and the glint of hand-powered hair clippers – sights and sounds that pleased me as much on that first occasion as they do now. As I followed behind Miss Paulette I noticed with glee the natural gentility of the place: each barber greeting his employer with a nod, a smile and a “Good Morning, Miss Paulette”. I received similar welcome as her guest there. The barbers knew I was there for an interview and no doubt they sized me up with discreet glances as they winked, nodded, and wished me “good morning” or “good luck”.

It is obvious beyond question that Miss Paulette is in love with her salons and proud of them, it showed in her voice, and the way she walked, the words she chose to speak to me about the place in which I was applying for work.

As we descended the stairs I was very surprised to see another salon, this one containing similarly smart cubicles, and two other areas for beauty treatments and chiropody, and again the same aromatic mixture of perfumes, hairdressings and shampoo wafted around.

There are many ideas about the creation of certain Trumper products; for example an elderly colonel once told me that San Remo – a light oil free hair dressing – was created at the request of King George V who wanted a preparation that would not stain the lining of his headwear. Some things can be verified beyond doubt: Coronis which is a light oil dressing fragranced with Skye was created to celebrate the coronation of one of the kings. Sandalwood our new creation was created to celebrate the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and GFT celebrates 125 years of Trumper’s success.

Before I had even entered the interview proper I felt my responses to the sights, sounds, and, smells were being noted. I had decided I wanted to be a part of the company, and I hoped I would be chosen.

Since becoming an employee of Trumper’s I have learnt a great deal about the company and about the manufacture and quality of the products and accessories Trumper’s offers.
Fascinated with shaving brushes – and a devout wet shaver - I was pleased to visit the place where Trumper’s shaving brushes are made, and met and spoke with the ladies who have for years been making our badger hair shaving brushes by hand. I also managed to pay a visit to our Head Office which in addition houses the factory and was able to see the production of our fragrances: not mass produced products blended in vast vats in a chemical factory, but produced by hand using measuring jugs, pipettes, flasks and very secret, age old formulae. Even the labels are fixed to the bottles by hand, and on some of the rarer hair oils which are produced in very small numbers the labels may even be hand-written.

It was quite obvious to me at the time that the quality of Trumper’s fragrances is somewhat to be found in the Tradition; a tradition that prefers a personal approach to the creation of a perfume, and personal care in its production.

Although in Trumpers 128 year history over 22 fragrances have been produced they have all shared in common something that distinguishes them as Trumper’s scents, a quality which some have described as “that barber-shop quality we all know, but the description of which eludes us”.

As I have worked with these perfumes, wearing them and selling them – virtually living with them – I have had to ask myself the same and similar questions “Out of what processes, what combinations, out of what work of alchemy have the quality of these fragrances arisen that have been loved and recommended for so many years?”.

Having been a customer at a number of establishments similar to Trumper’s I was surprised at how many no longer rely upon the reputation and quality of their own name and products but have begun to sell mass produced products of other companies. There is no conceit to be found in me for writing this, for I am genuinely saddened to see how the forces of the mass market can take over even in places that have at one time also been in the vanguard of British male grooming.

I am happy to say that Trumper’s has not moved in this direction, and one of the reasons is that Trumpers is still very much a family business, and in many respects. Miss Trumper the daughter of Mr Trumper is still fondly remembered by our elder clients.

The current Managing Director, Miss Paulette was brought up in the business by her father the late Mr Ivan who had himself also grown up in the company, and who became something of a father figure in the working lives of many of his barbers, some of whom have grown old in the company – one well known barber, Mr Conway was 86 when he finally hung up his scissors; and so you might by now appreciate that it is not just ties of blood that have kept Trumper’s as alive and vibrant as it is today, but also the long loyal service and respect of many of Trumper’s barbers of yesterday and today.

It is the way of the Big Names in Perfume to conceive of an idea for a perfume, create something close to that idea and then to create a market for it. This is not the way Trumper’s works.

Trumper’s best critics are its clients: day after day in one or other of the branches of Trumpers, hair is cut and dressed, beards are trimmed, and faces shaved and left soft smooth and clear. The products used on those clients are the ones that Trumper’s has produced, those for which Trumper’s is famous.

How do we know that Rose Shaving Cream is the best for sensitive skin? Our long experience tells us, and so do the legions of loyal customers. How do we know of the longevity, the classiness, and of the effect of our fragrances? Our clients tell us, we wear them ourselves, and the formulae that have been around for decades which are followed today make it so.

In a sense, then, the “barber-shop” quality many identify in Trumper’s fragrances is a fusion of Tradition, Family Business Values, and Barber-Client interaction.

The tradition is what gives to our fragrances a homogeneity of character; that the business is Family run protects it from many of the pressures to create a market that befall other such firms; and the constant dialogue and feedback between clients and employees ensures that quality is never compromised, and that the valued opinions of our patrons can go directly to those who need to hear them.

As the sole author of this article Mr Bowtell has sought to deal with his subject in the fairest manner possible and by not including anything that he knows to be untrue; apologies are made in advance should any part of this article be found to be untrue or inaccurate.

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