A non-Jewish millionaire in rural England is dictating the yeshivah dress code from Lakewood to Gateshead to Israel

Photos: Mendel Photography

Once upon a simple yeshivah world, the Brits shopped at Marks and Spencer, the Americans favored Brooks Brothers, and the Israelis wore Bagir.

But that was the age of simplicity. Any contemporary bochur will tell you that a white shirt is much more complicated than it looks. There are so many variables: the fit (regular, tailored, slim, and super slim); the collar (cutaway, classic, semi-cutaway); the weave (Oxford, twill, poplin); and the cuff (button cuffs or French). It’s a sugya all its own.

A brochure produced recently for a Gateshead Yeshiva fundraising event shows a series of images of the beis medrash going back to the 1950s. The photos show a world where wearing a tie was the norm, suit styles were markedly different from today’s, and yarmulkes featured gold edging (gasp).

But among all the variation there’s one constant — the iconic uniform of the “yeshivishe velt”: white shirt and dark trousers.

With the white shirt such a ubiquitous feature of the yeshivah world, you wouldn’t expect a non-Jewish millionaire living in rural England to be dictating the yeshivah dress code from Lakewood to Gateshead to Israel. But that’s whose men’s fashion brand is regarded across the yeshivah world as the mark of a well-dressed bochur. We went to meet the man behind the brand — Nick Wheeler, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, the accidental fashion king of the yeshivah world.

A Very British Brand

Not far from Buckingham Palace and the halls of political power on Whitehall and Downing Street, Charles Tyrwhitt’s flagship store sits on Jermyn Street in London’s West End. Situated in one of the global epicenters of luxury clothing, this is the beating heart of the Charles Tyrwhitt chain, selling thousands of shirts and suits every month online and in stores spread across the UK, France, and the United States.

In the store, a suave City of London aura fills the air. Enthusiastic sales reps usher customers into a veritable shirt paradise where specimens of every size, color, and weave lie perfectly folded on shelves and display tables. In an oak-paneled room nearby, an impeccably dressed businessman gets measured for his next sartorial fling, while a smattering of Japanese tourists toting sophisticated Nikons and Canons inquire about prices of the selection of ties.

Behind this epic clothing success story sits its founder, millionaire British businessman Mr. Nick Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler.