Okay, hands up: we’re biased. But it’s no exaggeration to say that British menswear has been a standard-bearer in men’s fashion for centuries. Its influence is everywhere, from the way clothes are made to how they look and what they’re worn with.
For serious suiting, the well-heeled make the pilgrimage to London’s Savile Row. In footwear, many of men’s staple styles were first designed by the famous Northamptonshire shoe industry. Chinos, cardigans, desert boots and trench coats all started life as British military threads. And seminal trends like punk took over the world after emerging on this small, well-dressed island.
Leading the way are the following 50 British men’s clothing brands. From historic trendsetters to recent disruptors, these labels are responsible for the best of British menswear, across every style, budget and dress code.
Gieves & Hawkes
No.1 Savile Row isn’t too shabby an address; Hawkes & Co’s move there in 1913 paved the way for the street to become a suiting thoroughfare. Hawkes was founded in 1771, Gieves in 1784; they merged in 1974: Gieves & Hawkes is thus one of the world’s oldest tailoring houses with an extensive military history that includes the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and Michael Jackson. Because of that, it’s also rubbed epaulettes with royalty, holding warrants from the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales.
Cheaney
Confusingly, Cheaney is owned by two cousins from the Church family, that other Northamptonshire shoemaking dynasty. Church & Co bought Cheaney in 1966, which was then itself bought by Prada in 1999 before Jonathan and William Church bought Cheaney back a decade later. Unlike other manufacturers who trade on Britishness but outsource some or all of the process to the cheaper Far East, Cheaney shoes are still ‘closed and cut’ in Desborough, Northamptonshire – in the same factory where they have been made since 1896.
Marks & Spencer
A British brand as beloved as fish & chips, Marks & Spencer dates back to a Penny Bazaar opened in 1884 by Michael Marks, a Polish Jew, on Leeds’ Kirkgate Market. Any connotations of fustiness are dispersed by its fresh Autograph range, fronted by model-of-the-moment Oliver Cheshire, and suiting, repped by David Gandy, who has also designed underwear, loungewear and tailored swimwear for the stalwart retailer. Fun fact: the £5bn business is one of the biggest fabric buyers, so you get more quality for your money.
Burberry
Innovation has been part of Burberry’s brand DNA ever since Thomas Burberry’s 1879 invention of gabardine: a weatherproof cotton worn by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen when he reached the South Pole in 1911. The fabric would go on to form Burberry’s Tielocken belted coat, which became known as the now-iconic ‘trench’ during WWI. Over 160-years-old, Burberry continues to precipitate progress: streaming catwalk shows live, cutting from four seasons a year to two and making the clothes available to buy immediately. It’s the reigning – or raining – British label.
Ted Baker
Despite sounding like the work of an eponymous designer, Ted Baker was founded in 1987 by spotlight-averse Ray Kelvin, who has been awarded a CBE for services to the fashion industry. From a single store in Glasgow selling shirts for which it provided a laundry service, Ted has grown without big-money ad campaigns, relying on the with-a-twist eccentricity of its products and marketing; it’s since moved into washing of a different kind with dedicated Grooming Rooms covering haircut and wet shave experiences.
Universal Works
Every fresher and his dog can start an at-home fashion brand on the kitchen table. But few are as successful – or as experienced – as Universal Works. David Keyte first brought the label to life as a DIY venture following stints at Paul Smith and Maharishi, steadily growing Universal Works into a cult label that celebrates the working class dress-wellers of the seventies. Fast-forward to today, and the brand still retains its fierce independence, with a growing customer base committed to its homegrown, rough-and-ready gear.
Grenson
Shortened from William Green & Sons in 1913, Grenson has always been a bit nimbler than some of its fellow Northamptonshire shoemakers when it comes to branding and design. While its G:Two range is made in India to keep the price relatively accessible, G:One and G:Zero are manufactured ‘skin-to-box’ at its factory in Rushden – only the third location it has occupied since 1866. Long credited as one of the first shoemakers in the world to use Goodyear welting, recently the firm came full circle by pioneering a new Triple Welt technique.
Pringle Of Scotland
With the aim of putting Hawick, Scotland on the map as the home of British knitwear, Robert Pringle established his then-underwear company in 1815, 140 years before it would be awarded a royal warrant. One of the world’s oldest luxury fashion brands and associated with golf – hence its fond use of the argyle pattern on everything from jumpers to socks – Pringle still has its HQ in the Southern Uplands and makes some limited editions there, but most of its production is now in Italy.
Pringle Of Scotland @ Farfetch
Dunhill
In 1893, when Alfred Dunhill took over his father’s business selling tarpaulins, blinds and equine goods, he noticed that horsepower was in the ascendancy. Offering “everything for the car but the motor”, including a wind-proof pipe, Dunhill Motorities eventually diverted into non-automotive apparel and accessories such as Sean Connery’s cigarette lighter in Dr No. Bourdon House, the Duke of Westminster’s former Mayfair residence in London and Dunhill’s ‘spiritual home’, today accommodates the luxury brand’s bespoke tailoring service, a barbershop, spa and even a screening room.
Clarks
Cyrus Clark made sheepskin rugs in Street, Somerset until his younger brother and apprentice James fashioned the offcuts into slippers in 1825. However, it’s the brand’s desert boots, designed by James’ great-grandson Nathan, that it’s best known for. A Royal Army Service Corp officer stationed in Cairo, Nathan Clark was inspired by the crepe sole suede ankle boots sold in bazaars and so brought the design home with him. They rubbed mods, rude boys and rappers up the right way; Drake’s OVO even collaborated on versions suitable for smart-casual events and cutting rugs alike.
Turnbull & Asser
Supplier of shirts to the greatest Gatsby (Robert Redford) and James Bond (Connery), Turnbull & Asser also received Prince Charles’ first royal warrant in 1980. Founded in 1885 by hosier Reginald Turnbull and salesman Ernest Asser, the ‘peacock of Jermyn Street’ as it is known makes ties and suits but is best known for its button-ups. The fabrics are woven in Italy, British mills having dwindled, but the shirts are cut and sewn together in Gloucester, by hand on machines with miniature Union Jacks sticking out of the top.
Barbour
Over its 123 year history, Barbour has transformed from a waxed jacket company into a world-renowned name, but remains firmly in the hands of the Barbour family. A beacon of British manufacturing: although other products come from overseas, its wax jackets are still made by hand in its Simonside factory in South Shields at the mouth of the Tyne. Daniel Craig opted to wear Barbour on screen in Skyfall, and Alex Turner waxed lyrical on stage at Glastonbury, while his royally stylish highness Steve McQueen saddled up in the International motorcycling jacket.
Reebok
With its predator-sight logo and tie-ins with CrossFit, UFC and Spartan Race, Reebok has come a long way from the Union-Jacked Classic. A subsidiary of Adidas since 2005, its HQ moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 2016, but it was founded in Bolton in 1958 as an offshoot of JW Foster & Sons, a running shoe company that led the field with spikes. (The name is Afrikaans for a type of antelope.) The 1986 introduction of the vector logo symbolised a focus on performance, but the Classics and Pumps keep one foot in heritage.
Thom Sweeney
Traditional but disruptive, timeless but modern, British but with more than a whiff of Italian tailoring about it, Thom Sweeney revels in its own contradictions. Founders Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney joined forces in 2006. A relative upstart in the world of British tailoring, it took them less than a decade to establish the brand as one of the most influential in high-end UK menswear brands. They design clothes “to last years, not seasons”, the aesthetic defined by that British-Italian axis: soft, continental shoulders with a structured slimline waist. The brand offers bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear collections. It’s all great.
Dr. Martens
While recovering from a broken foot in 1945, German army medic Dr Klaus Maertens devised an air-cushioned sole more comfortable than the standard-issue boots. In 1960 Bill Griggs, a shoemaker in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, saw an ad for the sole in a trade magazine and acquired the licence. The eight-holed 1460 boots (a reference to the date, 1 April 1960) were merely affordable, functional workwear until they were adopted by skinheads and the Who’s Pete Townshend; at which point they became an icon for a generation and many more since.
Reiss
Beginning in 1971 with a single menswear store on London’s Bishopsgate, the business founded by David
Private White V.C.
When Jack White’s great-grandson James Eden bought his Manchester factory in 1997, it employed 30 people, down from a height of 450. Today, 75 are engaged in an enterprise almost as heroic as the WWI Victoria Cross recipient, using British fabrics, trims and linings that, where possible, are locally sourced from mills that have traded with the factory since Jack’s day. Designed by Laura Ashley’s son Nick, a veteran of Dunhill, Tod’s and Kenzo, the brand is necessarily luxury in price, but utilitarian in feel.
Private White V.C. @ Mr Porter
Oliver Spencer
A self-taught tailor who has always railed against constriction, Oliver Spencer started his career by sacking off art school to work on a second-hand clothes stall on London’s Portobello Market. After a decade constructing his Favourbrook suiting brand, Spencer wanted something a little more relaxed. High-quality and low-fuss, his own label – which is 40 per cent made in England – has found favour with men who chafe at suit straitjackets, skinny jeans and generally trying too hard.
Hackett
The quintessential British men’s outfitters, Hackett was co-founded by Jeremy Hackett and Ashley Lloyd-Jennings in 1979 after the pair bonded over second-hand British clothing, before selling it from their first store at what the bank manager said was the “wrong end” of London’s King’s Road. Despite now being Lebanese-owned, style arbiter Jeremy remains involved, and the brand has a long history of supporting British sport, from Formula 1 to British Polo Day.
Mulberry
The idea for a leather-goods brand germinated in the head of 21-year-old Roger Saul at his kitchen table in Somerset. To get it off the ground, his sister designed the logo and his mum lent him £500: enough to start a business in 1971, but not even enough to buy a signature scotchgrain holdall now. Although its men’s bags and small accessories are made overseas, Mulberry’s roots are still in Somerset, where it employs 600 craftspeople across two factories, turning out excellent weekenders like the Clipper model.
Belstaff
Legend has it that Steve McQueen, who wore Belstaff in The Great Escape, cancelled a date with the actress and model Ali McGraw because he was waxing his Trialmaster jacket. Having supplied the military with capes, tents and groundsheets during WWI, Staffordshire businessman Eli Belovitch (‘Bel- and “Staff-‘) allied with son-in-law Harry Grosberg in 1924, majoring in waterproof clothing for motorcyclists. Adding to its long list of fans, Che Guevara wore a Trialmaster on his eight-month, 8,000km tour of South America, David Beckham designed his own line for the brand in 2014 and even the former pope, Benedict XVI, wore a bespoke jacket during winter walks in the Vatican gardens.
Paul Smith
Only the second fashion designer after Sir Hardy Amies to be knighted, Sir Paul Smith originally wanted to be a professional cyclist. The Nottingham native dropped out of school at 15 with no qualifications and worked in a clothing warehouse as an errand boy. After an accident ended his sporting dreams at 17, he graduated to the warehouse’s menswear buyer, took evening tailoring classes and opened his own shop. Reflecting his eclecticism and down-to-earthiness, Paul Smith’s ‘classic with a twist’ formula isn’t out of place on the Paris catwalk or in the pub.
Alexander McQueen
Avante-garde Alexander McQueen is at home on Savile Row: the fashion house’s late, great namesake trained for two years at Anderson & Sheppard before going it alone. The rumour that he wrote a rude message in Prince Charles’ jacket lining though is untrue – it was checked when the story gained traction after McQueen’s death in 2010. And under Sarah Burton, who has followed a hard act faultlessly, tailoring is still a signature, underpinning the gothic drama. “Menswear is about subtlety,” said the renowned showman himself. “It’s about good style and good taste.” And we’re inclined to agree.
John Smedley
Claiming to be the oldest manufacturing factory anywhere in the world, Lea Mills on the outskirts of Matlock, Derbyshire was co-founded in 1784 by Peter Nightingale and the first of four men called John Smedley to run the company in a row. By the end of the 18th century, the firm had expanded from muslin and spinning cotton to knitting and hosiery – hence ‘long johns’. But it was the introduction of exceptionally soft handle sweaters (now made from a blend of sea island cotton and cashmere) in the 1960s that gained Smedley the international reputation it holds to this day.
Topman
With 250 stores in the UK and a further 154 across 31 countries worldwide, Topman performs the branding dark art of being at once mainstream and bleeding edge, high street and high fashion. That’s thanks chiefly to its presence at London Fashion Week Men’s, where it shows its own trendsetting Topman Design collection, and its financial support of the Newgen Men scheme for fledgeling designers, which ensures a steady stream of future collaborators – and the kind of cred denied to cut-price copycats.
Kilgour
Tracing its history back to 1882, Kilgour has the heritage and expertise to match anyone in high-end British tailoring. But walk into No.5 Savile Row and you’d mistake it for an architectural design firm, not some stuffy outpost of the menswear establishment. The granite floors and minimalist styling should give you a clue that this brand is not exactly about traditional suiting, either. In recent years, its aesthetic has become modern and daring with notch-less lapels (or no lapels at all), a lack of breast pockets and silhouettes inspired by traditional Japanese funeralwear. It’s still the company that dressed Cary Grant, so you can expect the finest wools and 4,000 stitches made by hand on its bespoke suits. Don’t have £5,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Don’t worry – the brand is also creating a ready-to-wear collection.
Sunspel
Everyone should own a Sunspel T-shirt. And if you don’t, buy one. But there is more to the brand than just a few well-fitting staples. Since being founded in Nottingham in 1860, Sunspel has developed from a mere textiles manufacturer and underwear supplier to a fully-functional fashion brand, responsible for the iconic white boxer shorts in the 1985 Levi’s launderette ad, to bespoke clobber for Daniel Craig’s Bond in Casino Royale. These days, the Long Eaton-based brand caters to the well-dressed everyman, relying on unrivalled fit and quality over gimmicks.
Ben Sherman
In the 1960s, no skinhead starter pack was complete without a Ben Sherman button-down, making the iconic shirtmaker a dyed-in-the-fabric part of British style. Having existed for five decades now, the brand founded during the golden age of mens’ fashion and recognisable by its use of the Royal Air Force roundel has, well, rounded out its repertoire to include sharply-cut suits and everyday casuals but remains a symbol of rebellious youth culture.
YMC
You Must Create – otherwise known as YMC – has been a rising menswear star since its 1995 inception. Founded by designers Fraser Moss and Jimmy Collins, the label focuses on the core essentials of a man’s wardrobe: your classic jackets, plain tees, minimalist kicks and casual shirts. That doesn’t mean it runs boring, though. YMC melds a workwear element with typical British design, resulting in a line that’s solid, impactful but sure to weather the ever-changing trend wheel. Plus, it sits on the more affordable end of the designer spectrum.
Emma Willis
Emma Willis may be one of the more recent – and to date the only female – ‘shirteliers’ to set up shop on London’s Jermyn Street, but she has quickly established herself as a force in the menswear world. Every year since opening in 1999, Willis has produced around 7,000 shirts for a wide range of clients, from those that lead the world (Barack Obama) to those that save it (Daniel Craig) while also running her Style for Soldiers charity, which provides bespoke shirts for injured servicemen.
John Lewis
Never knowingly undersold, John Lewis is the department store equivalent of what you might call idealised ‘British values’ if forced to put pen to paper. Think fair play (its price matching manifesto) and modesty (its clothing offering is anti-bling, favouring solid, unshowy classics). It’s a formula that clearly works, with the department store having a track record of selling garments to the nation for over 150 years.
Hardy Amies
The often quoted style rulemaker Sir Hardy Amies served in military intelligence in Belgium during WWII, organising sabotage missions wearing nothing less than a Savile Row-tailored uniform. He died in 2003, having sold his brand, but the name and premises at No.14, which house the company’s HQ and bespoke workshop, remain, while the store at No.8 sells ready-to-wear and stylish essentials – like Sir Hardy’s ABC of Men’s Fashion, a must-read menswear tome that is still followed to the letter by sticklers.
Orlebar Brown
Few would think to consult a Brit when it comes to anything related to warmer climes, but Orlebar Brown, the sophisticated swimwear label launched by former photographer Adam Brown, has been helping guys look cool around the pool for more than a decade. Prized for its tailored approach to holiday staples, the brand’s iconic Bulldog swim shorts look just as good in the sand as they do out and about in the city.
Loake
Another Northamptonshire British shoemaking stalwart, Loake is still run by the same family who kickstarted the business with brothers William and Thomas in 1880. Indeed, the brand’s premium Goodyear-welted shoes are made in the same Kettering factory that the brothers built in 1894, although it also produces some styles abroad. In 2007, Loake was presented with a royal warrant by appointment to HM the Queen as a manufacturer of men’s shoes. If it’s good enough for Liz…
Henry Poole
Though some have tried to snatch credit away and apply it to a tail-less jacket spotted in New York’s Tuxedo Park, it’s a widely accepted truth that esteemed Savile Row tailor Henry Poole created the first modern-style dinner jacket based on specifications from the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). Now under the stewardship of Simon Cundey (the great-grandson of Poole’s cousin and business partner), the 211-year-old firm is every bit as innovative, recently collaborating with Adidas on a pair of sneakers.
AllSaints
From its humble beginnings in 1994 as a wholesale menswear brand, AllSaints has grown dramatically to establish itself as one of the biggest names on the high street. Today the firm headquartered in East London has more than 200 stores worldwide, each stocking its selection of signature distressed clothing and quality leather jackets, all finished with the instantly identifiable ramskull logo.
Aquascutum
The outerwear of choice for Hollywood icons such as Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart, for more than 160 years Aquascutum has set a high watermark for stylish coats. The brand adopted its name – a mix of the Latin words aqua (water) and scutum (shield) – in the 1950s after the firm’s founder, Mayfair tailor John Emary, patented a method of producing a water-repellent textile still used on its famed tan-outside-check-inside rain macs today.
Jaeger
It’s hard to imagine a space on the British high street for ‘Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System Co’, but as the simply ‘Jaeger’, the 130-year-old business is nothing short of an institution. Named after a German zoologist who promoted the use of animal hair in clothing, its woollen long johns were worn by famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Today, it’s more widely known for its line of contemporary staples.
Fred Perry
Long before anyone had heard of Tiger Tim, Fred Perry embodied a golden era of both tennis and menswear. The 55-time career title winner launched his eponymous label in 1952, peddling a now-iconic knitted cotton pique polo shirt that has subsequently grown into a full collection. The famous Laurel Wreath logo isn’t solely limited to centre court, either. Repurposed by multiple subcultures (mods, skinheads, NME indie cindies), Fred Perry has also produced various collaborations which catapulted Wimbledon threads into street style worthy of Milan.
Smythson
Leather goods are something of a rite of passage. Any man north of 27 knows that a decent wallet, notepad and briefcase are the hallmarks of a ‘proper’ gent, and British label Smythson knows it too. Founded in 1887 by Frank Smythson, the manufacturer became popular for classic products that catered to a notable clientele from Indian maharajas to British prime ministers. Plus, the brand’s sheer consistency resulted in three royal warrants from the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself. Long may it reign.
Folk
By industry standards, Folk is but a teenager. Unlike most adolescents, however, the London-based label has never experienced an awkward phase or a propensity for questionable trends. No, Folk is mature beyond its years in more ways than one. Instead of relying on theme or novelty, founder Cathal McAteer does the opposite: simple, well-cut staples in colours that’ll pop. Which, all things considered, hits that elusive statement sweet spot without looking like you’re trying to dress all ‘Fashion’.
Kent & Curwen
A David Beckham endorsement doesn’t come easily (or cheap), but Kent & Curwen has got the world’s best-dressed footballer on lockdown. Established in 1926, the British label was responsible for creating the iconic cricket sweater as well as the iconic three Lions logo that appears on the England football kit before eventually branching out into other sports-tinged separates. Kent & Curwen is far from tally-ho fare, though. Rose-embroidered shirts sit alongside rugged denims and New England-inspired workwear, resulting in a collection that can hit every cornerstone of a modern man’s wardrobe.
Lock & Co
The term ‘Mayfair milliner’ conjures images of top-hatted dandies dining out on members’ club fees that cost more than your house. Sure, Lock and Co. caters to that group. But, thankfully, it turns out they do casual pieces just as well. The London-based outfit crafts a range of hats, from bowlers to baker boys to baseball caps, and is said to be the world’s oldest hat shop. A doff of the cap indeed.
Huntsman
Established in 1849, Huntsman started out as a bespoke tailor on London’s Savile Row (where else?) and has secured itself a handful of royal warrants along the way thanks to its reputation as a bastion of British tailoring. It’s not just royals who love this tailoring institution either: David Bowie was a fan – ergo, that’s the ultimate seal of approval. While the world outside the doors of this suit specialist has changed, Hunstman has retained its signature obsessive attention to detail and love of craftsmanship.
Drake’s
Drake’s may seem like one of those brands which has been around forever, but surprisingly, this quintessentially British clothing company sprung to life in the late seventies. It’s made up for lost time however, growing from an accessories label to today’s fully-fledged menswear powerhouse. The concept is simple: season on season it offers up high-quality new takes on some of these small isles’ greatest hits.
Thomas Pink
We’re not just fans of Thomas Pink for its solid range of shirting and ties – it’s a lifeline when coffee and ink jump ship and land on your shirt and you need a boardroom-friendly replacement on the double. Founded in 1984 by three brothers who wanted to shake up stuffy shirt making, the brand has handily branched out from its original home on Savile Row to appear on street corners and in train stations up and down the country. We’re all for it because there a few tasks less fruitful than trying to cover an unintentionally patterned shirt.
Palace
Yes, Supreme may have the kiss of approval from super-brand Louis Vuitton, but (call us biased) we prefer the rough and ready charm of homegrown skate brand Palace. Founded in 2010 by Lev Tanju, Palace has gone from niche start-up to cult hit to fashion heavyweight with celebrity wearers reading like a who’s who of cool AF. All that at the age of seven suddenly makes us feel woefully under-accomplished.
Mackintosh
Such is Scottish brand Mackintosh’s rock-solid status as the OG of raincoats, those that mimic the original still carry their forebear’s name. It’s no great shock to learn that it was a rain-sodden corner of the planet that led to Charles Macintosh creating the world’s first rainproof coat in 1823. Nowadays, the brand still has classic style and field-leading tech on their side but – as its recent collaboration with Vetements shows – dusty, this heritage label is not.
Richard James
Crashing onto Savile Row in the midst of the Britpop nineties, Richard James and his eponymous tailoring label broke with tradition by offering up fresh slim cuts and suit fabrics in unconventional colours. Today, Richard James is a firm fixture of London’s menswear scene with a ready-to-wear collection as well as a bespoke suit service, both of which retain that name-making ability to fuse trend with tradition and creativity with craft.
Hunter
Proving that good things come to those who wait, Hunter Boots began life as the less appealingly titled North British Rubber Company in 1856. It was roughly 150 years before the brand became a full-on festival apparel phenomenon. Best known for producing Wellington boots that are actually stylish, the brand now uses its extensive heritage to create functional clothing that’s nice to look at too.