In 465 BC, two Sicilian tyrants - Gelon and Hieron - expropriated and deported the inhabitants of Syracuse. To defend themselves, the people called upon three great orators to support their cause: Empedocles of Agrigento, Corax and Tisias. The people triumphed, the art of persuasion was born. The Roman philosopher Cicero set up this technique in true oratory art and declared “eloquence as reason is the virtue of man”.

In his oratory essay, De oratore, Cicero particularly emphasized the importance of body language, “the elegance of the body”. The personification of persuasion in History of Art is that of a young woman, crowned with flowers, pearls or gems and always dressed in white. The garment precisely. An essential piece of this puzzle: if one is a better dresser, does this person have a stronger power of persuasion? The art of persuasion seems to answer this question negatively: if one is wearing plain or whites clothes, this will not distract the audience from one’s speech, permitting them to solely focus on the spoken words.

But an array of questions can be raised in the present day. In the same vein, can one wear a workwear jacket when one is not at work? It seems quite normal to us to wear that sort of jacket on the weekend for instance. Additively, can one wear sportswear when one is not playing sports? The answer can only be positive. Proof with this cricket sweater we discovered from the English brand N.E.Blake & Co.

Let’s have a closer look.

A cricket brand for cricketers

It was in 1926 that Nicholas "Paddy" Padwick established his brand "N.E.Blake&Co" in Minster Street in Reading, England. His goal was to offer the highest quality sportswear. Paddy was quite a sportsman himself: golf, field hockey, boxing and cricket.

The business flourished, even during the Blitz bombings, Paddy managed to return to the store after his military service. Upon his death, the brand was taken over by his wife Anne. When she passed away in 2017, her grandson, Henry Lloyd-Hughes took over and revitalized the brand. Being a successful young actor himself, his goal was to make this almost century-old brand, current. The gamble paid off.

When Henry took over the brand in 2019, he had access to the brands’ archives and thought it was time to resurrect its’ vintage soul. He knows something about this himself. Both a lover of sartorial art and an avid collector of vintage clothing – notably from the 1940s and 1950s – he has amassed an impressive collection during the years, "rooms full of vintage clothes" he says! Henry has said what pleases him most is to see, for instance, a Japanese teenager wearing his brand but also cricket players themselves. Making his clothes wearable on and off the field.

All of the brands’ clothes are named after great cricket sportsmen, like the "Peter May" shirt, the "Len Hutton" trousers or the "Jack Russell”. Each piece offered on the site is the embodiment of the best details of vintage pieces in existence – this is where N.E.Blake&Co thrives. An example is the "Peter May" jersey cricket shirt with a long 1950s collar we just love.

A cricket sweater for the city, the countryside or any sport

The versatility of the garment is something that is very important to us at Les Indispensables. Being able to wear clothes that are initially intended for another purpose is a richness. This sweater is a perfect example. It is woven in England from English wool and adopts a twisted pattern with a large, characteristically slit "V" collar with sky blue trim.

The sweater is warm, the wool is soft, the style is timeless.

After having tried a size “M” which was too big, we asked Henry for a size “S” and he kindly sent us the correct sizing. We advise you to take your usual size, but for any questions you may have, the brand has a size guide on their site and are very responsive on Instagram.

This is where N.E.Blake’s strength lies: being a pure clothing brand for cricket clubs – customized jumpers are possible for them – and at the same time offering beautiful functional clothing that can be worn by everyone, every day.

If you don't have a cricket sweater yet, you know where you can get one.