Wilkes Bashford
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 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (January 2016) |
| Industry | clothing retailer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founder | Wilkes Bashford |
| Successor | Mitchells Stores |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
Area served | California |
Key people | Jack Guillaume |
Wilkes Bashford is a pair of men's and women's specialty stores in California. In November 2009, Wilkes Bashford was acquired by Mitchells Stores.
The store was opened in 1966 by Wilkes Bashford, its namesake, and has long catered to the elite, including former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. The original store is in the Union Square Shopping District in San Francisco, California. Later the company expanded with an additional location in the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California.
The store was one of the first in the United States to carry Ermenegildo Zegna.[citation needed] It is sold alongside other brands such as: Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Kiton, Missoni, Pucci, Oxxford Clothes, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, and more. The store has a shoe department featuring Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Bontoni, John Lobb and Gravati.
The store's namesake Wilkes Bashford died of prostate cancer on January 16, 2016 at the age of 82.[1]
Controversies[]
In 1985, founder Wilkes Bashford and partner Jack Guillaume were charged with cheating the City of San Francisco out of $1 million in rent. [2]
In popular culture[]
Wilkes Bashford merchandise is an "addiction" for a wealthy closeted gay character, Beauchamp Day, in Armistead Maupin's eponymous first book from the Tales of the City series, which is mostly set in San Francisco.
References[]
- ^ Carolyne Zinko (2016-01-16). "Luxury clothier Wilkes Bashford dies after battle with cancer - SFGate". M.sfgate.com. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ Carolyne Zinko (2010-12-19). "Wilkes Bashford had rent trouble in 1985 - SFGate". M.sfgate.com. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
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- Clothing retailers of the United States
- Union Square, San Francisco
- Companies based in San Francisco
- American company founders
- American fashion businesspeople
- California people in fashion
- Businesspeople from San Francisco
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