You are here: Homepage » History – the Origins of Cane
Henry Cane was born in 1899 in Cable Street, Stepney in the East end of London. He spent his early years in the Merchant Navy and upon his return worked as a self employed tailor. He lived by his wits through the dark and dusty days of the Second World War until his retirement in the late fifties.
His grandson Michael Hayward (at the time not knowing of his grandfathers profession), started off in the rag trade when he left school in 1975, and spent the next twenty five years involved with mainstream women's wear brands and working closely with the large high street retailers. As the years went by Mike became increasingly disillusioned and frustrated by the increasing bureaucracy of corporate life and the banal nature of the products, and the aggressive messages used by the big brands and retailers to sell their products.
In 2003 Mike finally made the break and set up his own business named after his grandfather Henry Cane. This was genuinely a family business with close involvement from Mike’s wife Trish and his son Michael and daughter Grace. Trish remembers fondly how every aspect was discussed at great length, with styles designed and colour swatches laid out all over the kitchen table: “When DHL turned up with deliveries of samples it was a time of great excitement to see the finished product which would then be fitted and checked on myself or my daughter”. Mike was very passionate about the brand and felt there was a real niche in the market for Henry Cane, which became increasingly apparent as the sales figures began to increase beyond all expectation. He felt quality and reasonable prices would be the brands signature.
His son Michael summed up his dad as a man driven by his energy and passion for Henry Cane but also a perfectionist who would not give up until it was 100% right, which he felt would make this brand stand out as something different in the marketplace.
The business was beginning to blossom – blossom in fact being one of the very few logos which had begun to appear on the Cane products, when in 2005 Mike was tragically killed in a car accident on the way back from a successful photo shoot. Trish and Michael’s close friend Andrew Mclean tried hard to keep the business together, but in the middle of 2006 decided without Mike’s drive, it was best for all the loyal customers to find a like minded partner to help take the business forward in the right direction.
That partner is a group of individuals who equally dislike the corporate world and large brands, and want to stay true to the vision that Mike had for the future of Henry Cane.