Drake's

Recorded answer text · Google AI Overviews · 16 October 2026

Top British menswear brands span heritage outerwear, fine tailoring, contemporary casualwear, and everyday essentials:

### Heritage & Outerwear

- Barbour: World-famous for iconic waxed cotton jackets and country-to-city lifestyle apparel. - Belstaff: Celebrated for rugged, motorcycling-inspired leather and waxed cotton jackets. - Aubin: British-designed and manufactured collections featuring worker coats, duffles, and classic knitwear. - Hackett London: A staple for refined, quintessentially British tailored and smart-casual menswear.

### Tailoring & Savile Row / Mayfair

- Drake's: Renowned for relaxed-classic tailoring, luxury ties, and elevated everyday layering. - Anderson & Sheppard: A cornerstone of traditional Savile Row soft-shouldered tailoring. - Turnbull & Asser: The premier destination for fine British dress shirts and haberdashery. - Thom Sweeney: Modern, wearable tailoring with a sharp yet relaxed aesthetic.

### Contemporary Casual & Workwear

- Wax London: Known for patterned overshirts, relaxed trousers, and contemporary car coats. - Universal Works: Contemporary utility-inspired wear, relaxed jackets, and comfortable everyday staples. - L'Estrange: Focused on minimalist, modular wardrobe systems (hoodies, signature trousers, and overshirts) designed for simplicity. - Percival: London-based brand blending classic tailoring with playful, textured knitwear and outerwear.

### Knitwear & Essentials

- John Smedley: The world's oldest manufacturing company, famous for fine-gauge merino wool and Sea Island cotton knitwear. - Mr P.: MR PORTER 's in-house label offering elevated, design-forward wardrobe foundations. - David Gandy Wellwear: Comfort-driven loungewear, tees, and hoodies infused with skin-kind care treatments.

Are you looking for a specific category (such as suits, casual jackets, or everyday basics), or do you have a budget in mind?

Recorded answer text · ChatGPT · 16 October 2026

# Best British menswear brands

British menswear has a distinctive mix of heritage tailoring, country clothing, traditional knitwear, workwear and contemporary street style. The brands worth knowing depend on whether you're after timeless investment pieces, understated everyday clothing or a sharper, more fashion-led look.

Here's a curated shortlist of British brands, from established heritage names to modern labels.

## 15 British menswear brands to know

![The Autumn Lookbook - Drakes US](

1\. Drake's

(Best all-round style)

Relaxed tailoring, Oxford shirts, textured knitwear, ties and elegant casualwear. A great choice for a sophisticated wardrobe that doesn't feel formal or stuffy.

Style: modern British gentleman · Premium luxury

Shop Drake's

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!The Field Agent - Olive

2\. Private White V.C.

Specialises in beautifully made coats, field jackets, macs and rugged outerwear, with a strong Manchester manufacturing heritage.

Style: understated, functional, masculine

Shop Private White V.C.

---

![RIVIERA POLO SHIRT / NAVY

- THIS IS FABRIC](

3\. Sunspel

Premium T-shirts, polos, underwear and understated knitwear. Excellent for building a collection of everyday essentials.

Style: clean, minimal, quiet luxury

Shop Sunspel

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!Payton - Extra Fine Merino Wool Polo Shirt | John Smedley

4\. John Smedley

Fine-gauge merino wool and Sea Island cotton knitwear, especially polos, crewnecks and roll-necks that work under tailoring.

Style: refined, timeless knitwear

Shop John Smedley

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!Margaret Howell S/S 25 | SHOWstudio

5\. Margaret Howell

Thoughtful shirts, relaxed tailoring, chore jackets and natural fabrics. Ideal if you prefer subtle design over visible branding.

Style: understated, intellectual, minimalist

Shop Margaret Howell

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![BARBOUR ASHBY WAX JACKET - OLIVE

- Button Down SF](

6\. Barbour

The classic choice for waxed jackets, quilted outerwear, checked shirts and countryside-inspired clothing. Particularly practical in the British climate.

Style: country heritage, practical casualwear

Shop Barbour

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!Kestin | Ormiston Jacket | Wool Herringbone - Dōr.

7\. Kestin

An Edinburgh label blending Scottish influences with workwear, outdoor clothing and contemporary casual tailoring. Look for overshirts, sturdy trousers and textured jackets.

Style: modern Scottish utility

Shop Kestin

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!Men's Chore Jacket - Royal Blue - Community Clothing

8\. Community Clothing

Everyday essentials, sweatshirts, shirts, knitwear and outerwear, with an emphasis on UK manufacturing and accessible pricing.

Style: simple, durable, good-value basics

Shop Community Clothing

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!Men's Navy Linen Buggy-Lined Blazer

9\. Paul Smith

Traditional tailoring with personality: distinctive shirts, colourful details, patterned knitwear and well-cut suits.

Style: classic with a twist

Shop Paul Smith

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!Oliver Spencer - Theobald Slim-Fit Unstructured Linen Suit Jacket - Blue Oliver Spencer

10\. Oliver Spencer

Unstructured blazers, easy trousers, textured shirts and smart-casual pieces that sit between formal and relaxed dressing.

Style: effortless city smart-casual

Shop Oliver Spencer

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!Reiss Half-Zip Textured-Knit Polo Shirt in Taupe Brown - REISS

11\. Reiss

A useful option for contemporary suits, coats, knit polos and streamlined smart-casual clothing without entering the highest luxury price bracket.

Style: polished, modern, versatile

Shop Reiss

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!Men's Mid-Length Monty Duffle Coat Navy | Gloverall

12\. Gloverall

A specialist for traditional wool duffle coats and timeless outerwear. Worth considering if you want one substantial winter coat.

Style: heritage, traditional outerwear

Shop Gloverall

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!Church's Oxford shoes for Men | Online Sale up to 35% off | Lyst UK

13\. Church's

Traditional leather Oxfords, brogues, loafers and boots. A heritage choice for formal shoes and tailored outfits.

Style: classic English footwear

Shop Church's

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!Percival Men's HQ Embroidered Polo Shirt in Green Percival

14\. Percival

Interesting knit polos, printed shirts, textured jackets and modern takes on classic menswear. Good for adding individuality without going too avant-garde.

Style: playful, contemporary, smart-casual

Shop Percival

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!Dunhill F/W 22 Men's Lookbook (Dunhill)

15\. Dunhill

Refined suits, premium coats, leather goods and understated luxury. Suited to someone who wants a more formal, elevated wardrobe.

Style: sophisticated luxury

Shop Dunhill

These selections reflect the range of heritage and contemporary labels covered by recent British menswear guides from OPUMO, FashionBeans and Luxury London\. www.opumo.comwww.fashionbeans.comluxurylondon.co.uk

## Which brands should you start with?

![Navy Linen Games Blazer Mk. III - Drakes US](

For a timeless, well-dressed wardrobe

Drake's, Sunspel, John Smedley and Margaret Howell.

!The Casual Wax Jacket - Olive

For rugged British style

Private White V.C., Barbour, Kestin and Gloverall.

!Reiss Wool Roll-Neck Jumper in Beige - REISS

For everyday smart-casual clothing

Reiss, Oliver Spencer, Percival and Community Clothing.

!British tailoring in the spotlight of DUNHILL's FW24 campaign

For tailoring and luxury

Paul Smith, Dunhill and Church's for shoes.

One important distinction: British brand doesn't always mean British-made. If UK manufacturing is a priority, check the country of origin for the specific garment rather than relying on the brand's heritage.

## Let me narrow it down

What kind of menswear are you most interested in?

1\. Your preferred style

Quiet luxury / understated classics

British heritage / country style

Contemporary designer / fashion-forward

Smart-casual / everyday essentials

Traditional tailoring / formalwear

---

2\. Budget per item

Under £100

£100-£300

£300-£600

£600+

---

3\. What matters most?

Quality and longevity

Style and design

Made in Britain

Value for money

[Find my best brands]

Recorded answer text · Perplexity · 16 October 2026

The genuinely good British menswear labels tend to be strongest in fabric, construction, outerwear, knitwear, and relaxed tailoring-rather than trying to do every category equally well.

## Best bets

- Private White V.C. - Excellent Manchester-made outerwear, knitwear and casual jackets. Expensive, but unusually strong if you want durable, weather-appropriate clothing. - Universal Works - One of the safest choices for relaxed workwear: chore jackets, overshirts, fatigue trousers and textured fabrics, often made in small-scale production. - Sunspel - Particularly good for T-shirts, polos, underwear and understated knitwear. A reliable choice for high-quality basics rather than fashion statements. - Drake's - Outstanding ties, shirts, knitwear, jackets and soft tailoring. The style is luxurious, colourful and relaxed rather than formal Savile Row. - Walker Slater - A strong choice for tweed jackets, trousers and country-influenced tailoring with a modern cut. - William Lockie - Excellent Scottish-made lambswool and cashmere knitwear; less flashy than designer labels and often better value. - Inis Meáin - Superb Irish-made knitwear with substantial, distinctive textures; technically Irish rather than British, but very relevant to British Isles menswear. - Private-label M&S Autograph - Not glamorous, but some of the best value for merino knitwear, wool trousers and simple tailoring when bought selectively. - Oliver Spencer - Good modern casual tailoring, overshirts, trousers and jackets; best for understated city clothing. - Percival - Stronger for characterful shirts, knitwear, jackets and occasion-casual pieces than for wardrobe fundamentals. Its approach mixes traditional menswear with a more playful modern sensibility. - YMC - Dependable casual clothing with good fabrics and relaxed, wearable shapes; especially shirts, knitwear and jackets. - Labour and Wait - Practical, hard-wearing workwear and everyday clothing, with a deliberately unfussy aesthetic. - Norse Projects - Danish, not British, but often confused with British contemporary menswear; worth considering for excellent minimal basics. - Paul Smith - Still worthwhile for distinctive tailoring, shirts, knitwear and accessories, but prices and quality vary considerably by line. - Burberry - Worth considering mainly for trenches, outerwear and scarves; inspect individual pieces carefully because quality is not uniformly exceptional across the range.

## By what you need

| Need | Best labels | |---|---| | T-shirts and polos | Sunspel, John Smedley, Armor-Lux | | Knitwear | William Lockie, John Smedley, Inis Meáin, Walker Slater | | Outerwear | Private White V.C., Grenfell, Burberry, Universal Works | | Relaxed tailoring | Drake's, Oliver Spencer, Walker Slater | | Workwear | Universal Works, YMC, Labour and Wait | | Shirts | Sunspel, Drake's, Turnbull & Asser, Percival | | Value | M&S Autograph, Charles Tyrwhitt, Uniqlo | | Formal tailoring | Anderson & Sheppard, Edward Sexton, Ozwald Boateng | | Shoes | Crockett & Jones, Edward Green, Tricker's, Sanders | | Underwear and loungewear | Sunspel, Hamilton + Hare |

Shortest recommendation: start with Sunspel for basics, Universal Works for everyday clothing, Private White V.C. for outerwear, William Lockie for knitwear, Drake's for elevated casualwear, and Walker Slater for tweed and tailoring. Avoid buying purely on the word “British”: check the garment's actual country of manufacture, fabric composition and construction, since labels often design in Britain while producing elsewhere.