By Manish Puri

Bel y Cia opened in 1842 as a camiseria (shirt maker) on Passatge de Bacardí – a narrow walkway that connects Barcelona’s Las Rambla to Plaça Reial.

Following the demolition of the city walls (1854-1866) and the end of the Spanish Civil War (1939), Barcelona grew rapidly, and its locus changed. So, in the early 1940s, Bel y Cia took up new premises at the southern end of the grand shopping boulevard, Passeig de Gràcia, where it has remained ever since - a flag bearer for quality, luxury clothing surrounded by outlets of the Spanish fashion monolith, Inditex.

Over the years, the business has grown to become a full-wardrobe menswear retailer, and in 1989 a womenswear department opened in the same building. However, my recent visit to the shop was concentrated on the garment that has become synonymous with Bel over the past 80 years: the Teba.

Tales of the jacket’s origins vary, but it’s widely accepted that the first Teba was created as a shooting cardigan for King Alfonso XIII (above in Palma del Río in 1929).

Many believe the garment was commissioned on Savile Row at an unknown house – we know the King ordered suits from Henry Poole (since he was a boy of 10), Huntsman and Davies & Son.

There are, however, some that claim the jacket was the creation of María Sorreluz Múgica, a dressmaker from San Sebastián.

The King was a keen hunter and, at that time, the Count of Teba, Carlos Alfonso de Mitjans (nickname ‘Bunting’), was considered one of the finest shots in the world; naturally, the two aristocrats and bon vivants became good friends (both above on the right).

On a particular hunt, presumably after some envious glances and gentle enquiries (something I’m sure all PS readers can relate to when they’re out with a stylish friend), the King gifted his jacket to the Count - from whom it eventually took its name.

(Again, recollections differ here, and some insist it was the Count that offered his jacket to the King).

Some years later, in 1943, in an all too familiar scenario of menswear-enabling, Bunting (above in a signed photograph addressed to Bel y Cia) along with two sartorially minded friends - the Count of Caralt and Enrique Maier (a Wimbledon mixed-doubles champion in 1932) - decided to commission new Teba jackets. (I can virtually hear the glugging of vino tinto being poured and the crescendo in determination: “Shall we get some?”, “I think we should get some”, “I’ve ordered them, lads!”)

As the three gentlemen were existing customers of Bel y Cia, and therefore their measurements were already on file, they turned to the Barcelona shop, who proceeded to refine the jacket that has remained a classic to this day.

Unsurprisingly, given its hunting origins, many of the Teba’s characteristics are functional elements that suit a day spent roaming the estate.

Bel’s Classic Teba is fashioned from a knitted wool or wool/cashmere mix – a light, smooth and malleable fabric that follows the shooter’s form as they raise their arms to take aim – more so than a denser, stiffer weave like cotton or linen at any rate.

While the slightly relaxed and square silhouette helps further reduce any strain on the shooter's stance, it also allows the jacket to sit away from the body in warm weather and permits layering up on a cooler day.

Indeed, keeping the elements out is the key driver of the Teba’s style choices. The four buttons that run the length of the front of the jacket, the straight hems, the ventless back, and the button fastening on the cuffs all co-operate to shield its wearer from the wind and rain.

Even the Teba’s signature notch-less lapel (which I previously described as “a shawl collar sketched by a cubist”) can be buttoned to keep the neck covered on the Bel model. The lapel is also the area that has seen the biggest change from the traditional models sported in the 1930s and 1940s, having been slimmed down.

The finishing is akin to a shirt – shirt-sleeve shoulder, no padding, no canvas, no lining. What impressed me most was the roll of the lapels - which I don’t think is entirely obvious from Bel y Cia’s webstore images but is hopefully more apparent from the selfies above and the mannequin image at the end of this article.

I’ve tried other RTW Tebas and the lapels are often pressed flat above the top button, so the lapel line appears quite squashed relative to the long drop below. When I asked Xavier Cañadas (the shop’s manager for the past decade) how the Bel y Cia roll is achieved without any internal structure he proceeded to lead me toward the back of the shop.

Here in the centre of Barcelona, behind their retail space, spread across two floors, is where every Bel y Cia Teba and bespoke shirt is made. It’s an operation akin to a large bespoke house.

Under the watchful eye of the workshop head Ignasi (a textile engineer by training), the shirt cutter Ferran (who has been with the business for 30 years) and the Teba cutter Jordi (above) were busy preparing bundles to be stitched together by the team of tailors.

Each Teba (bespoke or RTW) is made and finished entirely by hand, save for the buttonholes which are machine finished – although Bel can hand sew them if requested.

In one corner, a lady armed with an industrial iron, suffused the garments with heat and steam to impart shape and animation – the critical step towards creating the lapel roll that caught my eye.

The workshop produces a range of RTW Tebas – the aforementioned classic knitted as well as similar alternatives made from cashmere, cashmere/silk, high twist wools, and suede.

They have also developed a more sartorial Teba-Sports Coat hybrid (the Stanley, above) which retains the notch-less lapel and button cuffs but incorporates rear vents, a central seam in the back, three buttons on the front, curved quarters, patch pockets (instead of the standard patch flap pockets), pick stitching, and a more tailored fit.

The amount of RTW available instore and online is relatively small – there’s no auxiliary production capacity in a local factory that stands ready to rattle off 50 navy jackets at a moment’s notice. However, not everything available is shown online, so if there’s a particular size or fabric that you’re looking for it’s worth emailing Xavi to enquire about what’s in stock.

Customers can make minor adjustments to the RTW model - sleeve length, jacket length, waist - at no additional cost. Similarly, MTO Tebas - where the customer can make alterations and select from bunches including Loro Piana, Lanificio di Pray and a variety of hardy British tweeds - are available with no surcharge to the RTW price. Altered RTW and MTO Tebas take 3-4 days – another advantage of the flexible on-site production.

Bel’s bespoke offering involves Ferran taking a series of torso measurements which are stored, as they have always been, on paper in a handsome wooden cabinet behind the shop counter. (I’m chuffed to say that my measurements are happily secured there, ready for future orders - although Xavi and Ferran think a small RTW jacket which has been let out in the waist would serve me well) The information is then translated to a paper pattern, and a fitting jacket prepared.

As you’d expect from bespoke, there are more options: some older customers add padding to the shoulders to compensate for postural changes. A bespoke order will typically take 3-5 weeks.

The Stanley jacket is not available in bespoke.

As I was finishing my tour with Xavier (above), the camera-shy proprietor of Bel y Cia, Señor Jordi Ballbé, came out from his office to thank me for visiting. Neatly attired in a navy blazer and paisley tie, Sr Ballbé spoke passionately about the business (which he’s owned since the late 1970s) and the importance of continuity and consistency - he employs staff that have been with the shop for 40 years serving customers that span three generations.

He regaled me with tales of when he had an office at 13 Savile Row and developed an enduring affection for Edward Green shoes. Consequently, Bel y Cia are the British shoemaker’s only stockist in Spain and have declined opportunities to create a house line of shoes because, as Sr. Ballbé puts it, “we can’t do any better”.

We discussed the history of the Catalan cotton industry, its status cemented by production of the fashionable chintz cloth that was in short supply across Europe following English and French bans on calico imports from Asia in the 1700s. (The painting below depicts a Spanish chintz (indianes) shop in 1824).

Every now and then, Sr. Ballbé would graciously break off our conversation and greet old customers with a kiss on each cheek. The whole experience seemed less like retail management and more like being welcomed by the host of an intimate soirée.

Our final conversation centred on opportunities to franchise the business – of which there have been many. Sr. Ballbé has resisted this lure for years – the only other physical space where one can buy a Bel y Cia Teba is at their Geneva store, run by his son Daniel – his rationale encapsulated by a mantra I know will resonate with many PS readers:

“I tell my staff every day, it’s more important to last than to grow.”

Manish is @the_daily_mirror on Instagram

Photos by Manish and courtesy of Bel y Cia.

Bel y Cia’s prices (at the time of writing)

• The Classic Tebas retail from €1560 to €2550 – depending on cloth
• The Stanley jacket is €2180
• The bespoke Teba ranges from €1870 to €2990