Rod Abroad: Country Classics Goes Straight to the Source

Written by Kaitlin Hill | Photos courtesy of Rodrick Rigden 

“A running joke in the family is, ‘In a world of fast fashion, we are slow fashion,’” shares Rodrick Rigden of Middleburg’s Country Classics. The shop, which was started by Rigden’s mother, Diane, 38 years ago, is well loved for its traditional tweeds, elegant silk ties, seemingly endless selection of cuff links, and socks in almost every color — all the makings for a fashionable Hunt Country man or woman. Though, beyond the aesthetic appeal of the shop’s wardrobe offerings, how they source their inventory and where it comes from prove that preservation of the old ways and an insistence on sustaining long-held relationships is a win-win-win for maker, purveyor, and customer. 

“We started in Edinburgh, Scotland, and made our way south to London,” Rigden remembers of a January trip to visit his suppliers. “The mill that makes our tweed and the knitwear factory are both in Scotland.” He continues, “Then we hit a few of the cities in the … Midlands to visit the people that make our socks, hats, labels, and meet a new manufacturer of men’s and ladies’ clothing. 

“The Midlands,” he explains, “is traditionally the heart of manufacturing in the UK.” He adds, “We then headed further south to our shirtmaker, and finally [we stopped] in London, where we met regarding the silk for all of our scarves, pocket squares, and ties.” 

“A running joke in the family is, ‘In a world of fast fashion, we are slow fashion,’”–Rigden

Rigden and his associates make a trip like this “anywhere from twice a year to once every few years,” to check in with the makers of the Country Classics brand, C&D Rigden & Son. Beyond seeing the factory lines, Rigden explains, “we try to visit everyone at least once every two years just to maintain a face-to-face relationship. It is a symbiotic relationship at the end of the day, so knowing each other personally is extremely important to how we do business.” 

In an age of fast fashion, where clothes are made of science-experiment-sounding fabrics, ship the next day, are suspiciously cheap, and are demonstrably bad for the environment — contributing to landfills and increasing CO2 and microplastics — Rigden’s UK trek is an example of literally going the extra mile for his business and clientele. The result? “The easy answer is quality,” he says. “The truth of the matter is that not only do all of these makers have the machinery to make a specific type of clothing, they have this multigenerational knowledge that can’t be replicated.” He also notes that their products are made of natural fibers.

Rigden talks through the very intricate, nearly yearlong process that goes into producing the perfect tweed. He explains, “[We] decide on color and size of repeat, how heavy it needs to be, and the final texture. Then [we] start looking at color samples and playing with different threads. These can be twisted together to create even more options. Once the design has been finalized, the mill goes to work creating the piece of tweed. They start by spinning all the thread needed… The spindles of thread are taken to either a warping or wefting machine. The warp are the vertical threads, whereas the weft are the horizontal threads that make up a piece of cloth. The warp and weft threads are laid out on massive rollers in a very specific sequence. This dictates the pattern of the cloth. It takes an entire day’s work for a skilled craftsman to set up a warp or a weft for a piece of tweed.” 

“It is a symbiotic relationship at the end of the day, so knowing each other personally is extremely important to how we do business.”
–Rigden

He continues, “The warp and weft are then taken to the loom, where both are woven into one piece of tweed. The modern looms our tweed is currently made on can weave about an inch of tweed a second. If a single thread breaks while weaving, the loom will automatically stop. That thread will need to be rethreaded and attached before weaving continues — a skill that takes years to do proficiently. Once each piece is woven, it goes to a finishing room, where the entire piece will be pulled across a light table and inspected for defects. Finally, the piece is sent off to the finishers, who will wash the entire piece and add a uniform texture if required. That piece of tweed will then be shipped to one of our manufacturers. A piece of tweed makes on average about 25 jackets.” 

Rigden notes that Country Classics has partnered with some of these makers since the very beginning. “My mother … started as a rep for a small hat company that made tweed flat caps. I now deal with that man’s grandson. So, technically, the Rigden family has been doing business with that family for 39 years.” He adds, “I should really send them a cake or something for our 40th anniversary.” 

Beyond quality, these long-term partnerships result in one-of-a-kind pieces. “As a very small label, we need to work with people whom we trust and enjoy working with. Because we have such long-standing relationships with everyone we deal with, they are more than happy to make something unique just for Country Classics.” 

“Some of these people have become genuine friends over the years. Like any good friendship, you want the best for each other. So, we try our best for each other.” –Rigden

More than creating a distinctive product or preserving a traditional process, Country Classics’ partnership with its UK makers sustains families. “These makers are not massive companies that produce the status quo. They’re family businesses that take pride in producing unique clothing at the highest quality. Like the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ it takes an entire village to make a sock, or sweater, or piece of tweed, or jacket, or hat,” Rigden explains. “And there is a whole new generation stepping into the shoes of the generations of craftspeople behind them and, given the chance, will continue the legacy of manufacturing in the UK. Not only does Country Classics provide me with my family’s livelihood, it contributes to the livelihood of families all over the UK, Italy, and Ireland.” 

He finishes, “Some of these people have become genuine friends over the years. Like any good friendship, you want the best for each other. So, we try our best for each other.” 

The best for each other, the product, and the Hunt Country clientele is part of, as Rigden says, the “quiet elegance” that makes Country Classics clothes and accessories so unique. He finishes, “We don’t feel like we have to compete with anyone else or are beholden to fashion trends, because we’re not. Quite the opposite. If we recognize a trend, we do the opposite, because our customer base does not want to look like everyone else.” ML

Published in the April 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.