The Best Independent Menswear Shops In London & The UK
LONDON
Clutch Café
Americana is an enduring menswear style that’s ended up in a slightly odd place. A lot of the most authentic gear – the stuff that stays truest to the old ways of quality workmanship – is now made by Japanese devotees of the original American brands. In a listed building just north of Oxford Street, Clutch Café is the place to discover the best of these east-meets-wild-west labels. Making good on the name, you can get a coffee while checking out Full Count for denim, Buzz Rickson’s for militaria and Sun Surf for aloha shirts.
80 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, W1W 7NW
Visit Clutch-Cafe.com
Couverture & The Garbstore
In the basement of a converted townhouse, this Notting Hill style haven’s menswear edits are eclectic yet always on point. Cult Cali labels like Stüssy and Brain Dead vie for attention with emerging European names such as Mfpen and Howlin’. Occupying the middle ground are Garbstore’s own well-turned lines – Home Party for laid-back trousers and Garbstore itself for well-made workwear.
188 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, W11 2ES
Goodhood
This Shoreditch institution has moved around EC2 over the last 15 years, starting in the backstreets and now sitting more prominently on Curtain Road. Among the well-chosen homewares and womenswear, there’s a strong menswear presence. The emphasis is on streetwear from across the globe, but quality is paramount and you’ll also find more classic pieces from the likes of Beams Plus, Norse Projects and Universal Works.
151 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, EC2A 3QE
Visit GoodhoodStore.com
@clutchcafelondon
John Simons
Chiltern Street is best known these days for the A-list hangout that is its Firehouse. But menswear mavens also know to head down in daylight hours, when John Simons is the star turn. The man himself is the nation’s leading authority on Ivy League style, while his shop is a modernist’s paradise of American shirting, French workwear and timeless leather footwear. Next door, Bryceland’s is great at denim – then there’s Trunk just down the road (more on that below).
46 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U 7QR
Visit JohnSimons.co.uk
Rivet & Hide
Rivet & Hide’s core business is Japanese selvedge denim – the stuff that’s made properly, by skilled weavers using vintage machines. Since it started as an appointment-only service over a decade ago, R&H has expanded to open handsome stores in Fitzrovia and Manchester, giving itself room to add Italian outerwear, Japanese leathers, French knitwear, British footwear and other such desirables into its outstanding mix of hardy menswear perennials.
5 Windmill Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 2JA
Visit RivetAndHide.com
@clutchcafelondon
Son of a Stag
This 90s stalwart was into denim and heritage clothing before you or your dad were – and it can prove it. Lining its store just off Brick Lane is a crowd of vintage Lee ‘buddy’ dolls, gathered by the Son of a Stag CEO during decades of travelling the denim world. Other fruits of his unselfish explorations include ONI jeans, OrSlow fatigues, Filson bags and Merz B. Schwanen basics. Also useful to know: the store offers denim repairs and alterations, all done on its collection of vintage sewing machines.
Truman Brewery, 9 Dray Walk, Spitalfields, E1 6QL
Visit SonOfAStag.com
Trunk Clothiers
Back on Chiltern Street, Trunk embodies the ‘buy well, buy once’ mantra that used to be a niche bit of wisdom, but is now taking hold across the globe. Its worldly range of brands runs from established favourites (Barena for Italian jackets, Gitman Vintage for oxford shirts, Porter Yoshida for luggage) to smaller European labels that could give you a new edge – try De Bonne Facture, A Kind Of Guise or Arpenteur.
8 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, W1U 7PU
Visit TrunkClothiers.com
UK
Kafka Mercantile
Aberdeen
Among the IYKYK crowd, Kafka Mercantile is one of British menswear’s most respected retailers. It’s operated since 1990 with a simple premise – good product and good service – that takes skill to maintain. These days, Italy, Japan and America lead the way in well-made, responsibly sourced gear, so that is where Kafka tends to go for its stock. Alongside more statement pieces from the likes of Kapital, look for ABCL’s timeless button-down shirts, next-level workwear courtesy of Post O’Alls, and Yuketen’s handmade shoes.
5 Alford Place, AB10 1YD
Visit KafkaMercantile.com
The Bureau
Belfast
Local boys Michael Hamilton and Paul Craig founded The Bureau 35 years ago. It’s moved around town and now occupies part of an airy old mill outside the city centre, but the commitment to quality has never wavered. The pair have been bringing the likes of Engineered Garments across the Atlantic for decades, though they’ve got a sharp eye for smaller brands closer to home, too – check out Tender’s English-made workwear. The Bureau also has a nice habit of dropping exclusive collabs with the likes of OrSlow.
B2 Portview, 310 Newtownards Road, BT4 1HE
Visit TheBureauBelfast.com
Peggs & Son
Brighton
Wherever you want to take your wardrobe, Peggs & Son can help you get there. Friendly, clued-up staff can introduce you to rare Japanese brands (Sage de Cret and Ends & Means stood out on our last visit) or remind you how good the best British workwear labels can be (it’s a long-time stockist of YMC and MHL, and does exclusive collabs with Folk). They might also point you in the direction of Sunray for choice tees or Story MFG for something with a little local flavour.
39 Duke Street, BN1 1AG
Visit PeggsAndSon.com
Dick's
Edinburgh
This small, perfectly formed boutique in swanky Stockbridge knows exactly how to handle the Scottish weather. As well as outerwear from Seattle’s Crescent Down Works, it’s got vulcanised all-weather Moonstar boots from Japan. There’s room too for classic British pieces: alongside Baracuta’s original Harrington jackets, look for great knitwear from Harley of Scotland and Jamieson’s of Shetland. If you’re in town, Frontiers Man is good for other local favourites such as Kestin.
3 NW Circus Place, EH3 6ST
Visit Dicks-Edinburgh.co.uk
The Local Merchants
Leigh-on-Sea
It only launched in lockdown, but The Local Merchants has a more traditional feel than many others on this list. It’s glass-fronted corner site in Leigh-on-Sea features armchairs, rugs, wooden fixtures, and glass cabinets filled with woven belts, suede loafers and more. Don’t imagine this is a fusty place, though: TLM has already introduced a host of brands to the UK for the first time, including Italians like Informale and Berwich. Think of this as contemporary classic menswear, with a new-old commitment to quality.
114 Leigh Road, SS9 1BU
Visit TheLocalMerchants.co.uk
Outsiders Store
Liverpool
Outsiders started in Manchester a few years back, but is now in Liverpool and London. Its Merseyside outpost is a bright, clean temple to wholesome outdoorsy lifestyles. From Arc’teryx to And Wander, Goldwin to Gramicci, gorpcore’s best and brightest are all here. And if you’re planning to actually live the life, the store’s also got nice, tight equipment lines covering knives to navigation aids.
2 Slater Studios, 5-11 Slater Street, L1 4BW
Visit OutsidersStore.com
This Thing Of Ours
Manchester
Taking gorpcore to new heights, This Thing Of Ours prides itself on bringing the rarest outdoor brands from Asia and the US to these shores. Korean labels like CAYL share shelf space with legendary names from Japan like Nanamica and American disruptors like District Vision. For sneaker heads, this is the place to check out the latest from ROA and Salomon.
9a Chapel Walks, M2 1AE
Visit ThisThingOfOurs.co.uk
@dicksedinburgh
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