Fashion trends come and go but some brands will always be in style. If you’re looking for some classic pieces to add to your wardrobe, you can’t go wrong with one of these menswear brands that have stood the test of time.
1. John Smedley
John Smedley is a British knitwear company that boasts the title of being the oldest manufacturing company in the world. Founded in 1784, they still produce garments out of their factory in Derbyshire.
The creator of the original knitted “Long Johns”, John Smedley soon branched out into other clothing and became a favourite of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and The Beatles. In more recent times they’ve worked with designers including Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith and presented at the first Men’s Fashion Week in 2012.
The menswear collection includes their best-selling polo shirt that still uses the original 1932 design, jumpers, cardigans, waistcoats, jackets, socks, and scarves.
Price range: £180 for a crew neck pullover, £250 for a polo shirt,
2. Sunspel
Sunspel is another heritage British manufacturer that was founded in 1860. Its popularity really took off in the 1940s when it made a name for itself by introducing boxer shorts to the UK.
The brand uses luxury fabrics such as Sea Island and Pima cotton, cashmere, lambswool, and merino wool. Sunspel is most famous for its range of luxury T-shirt, polo shirts, and boxer shorts. They also stock shirts, trousers, jackets, knitwear, loungewear, shoes, socks, and more recently, cotton face masks.
Price range: £70 for a T-shirt, £90 for a polo shirt, £35 for a pair of boxer shorts
3. Saint James
French knitwear company Saint James is named after the city where it was founded. The sheep bred in the local salt marshes provided the perfect wool for knitting fisherman sweaters and other nautical gear.
Later, the Breton striped jersey became the official uniform of the French Navy – a style that is still popular in both men’s and womenswear today.
Price range: €150 for a fisherman sweater, €79 for a striped sailor T-shirt.
5. Barbour
Barbour, founded in 1894, is best known for its waxed cotton jackets, which are still made by hand in the family factory in Simonside, South Shields.
The brand is still the clothing of choice for countryside pursuits, but has branched out and found popularity with a younger, city-based audience and has been seen on celebrities including the Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, and Rufus Wainwright.
Barbour showed at London Fashion Week Men’s for the first time in 2015 and has since launched a contemporary Barbour Beacon collection and a womenswear collection in collaboration with ALEXACHUNG.
Price range: £240 for a classic waxed jacket, £30 for a T-shirt, £90 for a pair of cord trousers.
6. Baracuta
Baracuta is the brand behind the iconic Harrington jacket, which became a style icon in the 1930s and was seen on celebrities including James Dean, Steve McQueen, and Frank Sinatra.
The Harrington jacket’s popularity continued through the ‘60s with mods and skinheads, the ‘70s with punks, and through the ‘90s and 2000s with Brit Pop artists and Mod style icons.
Baracuta also sells T-shirts, knitwear, and accessories
Price range: £300 for a classic G9 Harrington jacket
7. Tricker’s
British footwear company Tricker’s was established in 1829 in Northampton, and has had a shop on London’s Jermyn Street since 1938. It holds the title of the longest established shoemaker in England.
Tricker’s first produced their classic waterproof country boot in 1926, and it’s still in production today.
The brand also produces a range of leather accessories including bags, belts, and wallets.
Price range: £450 for leather country boots
8. Drake’s
Drake’s was founded in 1977 as a haberdasher in East London. The company earned a reputation as being a purveyor of high quality scarves, shawls, and plaids as far as Paris, Milan, and Tokyo.
Today, Drake’s is known for its immaculate tailoring and premium fabrics and has earned itself a place on Savile Row. The brand’s suits are tailored in Italy, knitwear is manufactured in Scotland, and shirts are still made in the company’s factory in Somerset.
Price range: £595 for a blazer, £175 for an Oxford cloth button down shirt, and £295 for a linen jumper.
9. Levi’s
Everyone’s heard of Levis, the original denim jeans company was founded in 1853 in San Francisco, California. In 1873 the company received a patent for adding metal rivets to work pants and creating what we know as blue jeans.
As well as jeans for men and women, Levis now also sells denim jackets, T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, and cargo trousers.
Price range: £90 for a pair of 501 Levis original jeans, £95 for a denim trucker jacket, £25 for a t-shirt.
10. Vans
American skateboarding shoe brand Vans was founded in 1966 in California. Many of its designs are still based on original models of the early ‘70s including the Authentic, the Era, and the Old Skool.
As well as shoes, Vans now sells a wide range of clothing including T-shirts, hoodies, trousers and shorts, and an extensive selection of accessories.
Price range: £52 for classic slip-on shoes, £28 for a t-shirt, £52 for a pullover hoodie.
