British-Made Men's Gloves in Somerset — Voted by the Community

Glove making has a long history in Britain, with formalised craft and trade structures recorded as early as the medieval period. The Worshipful Company of Glovers was established in London in the fourteenth century, marking gloves as a recognised leathercraft trade distinct from broader cordwainers and leatherworkers. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, glove manufacture had grown into an important industry in regions such as Somerset, West Oxfordshire, and Worcestershire, where access to hides and tannery skills supported local production. Towns like Yeovil became well known for glove making by the 1720s, employing skilled workers in cutting, sewing, and finishing leather gloves traditionally by hand. One of Britain’s most iconic glove makers is Dents, founded in 1777 in Worcester, which went on to become one of the world’s foremost producers of fine leather gloves. Dents’ patterns and techniques from the nineteenth century — including hand cutting and stitching — remain part of its heritage production today. Other historic UK makers such as Southcombe have operated since the mid-nineteenth century, contributing both to fashion gloves and functional gloves for protective use. Throughout this history, British glove makers combined material quality and skilled construction to produce gloves suited to both practical needs (warmth and protection) and sartorial standards (fit and elegance). Contemporary British-made men’s gloves continue this tradition, with many makers balancing traditional craftsmanship with modern design and performance features.