British luxury knitwear brand John Smedley has appointed Jess McGuire Dudley as its new managing director, succeeding Ian Maclean, who will step into a new role with the company. McGuire Dudley, who joined the Derbyshire-based manufacturer in 2014 as head of marketing, was most recently the brand’s deputy managing director and global brand...
2 Apr 2025
British luxury knitwear brand John Smedley has launched its first diffusion line as it looks to take its 240-year history in British manufacturing and contemporary take on knitwear to a wider audience. The new ‘JS by John Smedley’ diffusion line is stocked exclusively at British department store John Lewis and offers 13 styles made in the brand’...
4 Mar 2025
British heritage brands Daks and John Smedley have unveiled a capsule knitwear collection for spring/summer 2025 as they look to champion ‘Made in England’ manufacturing. The collaboration marks the first collection between the two British luxury brands that are both steeped in history and design and follows John Smedley reopening its production...
3 Mar 2025
Since its inception in 2007, the Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture house has balanced growing production with a loyal clientele. Beyond Haute Couture, however, the brand's two directors, Pierre Martinez and Stéphane Rolland, have also been developing other collections, expanding its reach through bridal, jewellery and evening ready-to-wear. This...
24 Jan 2025
Johnstons of Elgin has received a Royal Warrant by King Charles for their exceptional work in Manufacturing Estate Tweeds, Knitwear, and Woven Accessories. This recognition places them among approximately 800 Royal Warrant Holders, ranging from individual craftsmen to global corporations, supplying goods and services to the Royal Household. The...
14 May 2024
Seasoned menswear designer Zachary Prell has returned with the launch of a new brand under the name Orchard & Broome. The succession to Prell's established eponymous menswear brand, Orchard & Broome is a next-generation knitwear brand firmly wedged at the intersection of streetwear and luxury. Designed in response to an ever-evolving menswear...
14 Feb 2024
British heritage knitwear brand Peregrine has announced that it is planning to transition to 100 percent regeneratively sourced wool by 2026, working exclusively with UK farms. Peregrine, which has been manufacturing knitwear in England for more than 220 years, sourcing wool from British farmers for over eight generations, is committing to...
13 Oct 2022
Family-run British knitwear maker John Smedley, which holds two Royal Warrants, has unveiled a limited-edition Cornwall sweater made exclusively in the UK using British wool. The unisex jumper has been created in partnership with The Campaign for Wool and utilises wool sourced from farming tenants of the Duchy of Cornwall Estate and the sheep...
4 Oct 2022
Gigi Hadid has launched a direct to consumer (DTC) cashmere brand, with a popup at New York Fashion Week. The model-cum-designer is the creative director behind the new label, which is called Guest in Residence, and is designed “with time in mind, to create future heirlooms made to last.” The collection features everyday cashmere basics, such as...
7 Sept 2022
Budapest-based womenswear brand Aeron, founded by Eszter Áron and part of the Vanguards Group, is repositioning itself as a responsible luxury knitwear label launching with its pre-fall 2022 collection. The relaunch follows a strategic realignment and will feature a new brand identity across all touchpoints, including a new A-shaped logo,...
11 Jul 2022
Knitwear brand John Smedley is launching a suite of digital activities in mainland China to drive the brand forward in what it calls “the world’s largest market”. The move will see the brand launching an e-commerce mini programme shop on WeChat, making the brand’s luxury merino wool and cotton knitwear more accessible to Chinese consumers. John...
22 Jun 2022
Italian fashion brand Loro Piana has named two students from the Institut Français de la Mode, Paris as winners of its Knit Design Award 2022. The international competition challenged students from six schools of fashion and design including North Carolina State University, the Institut Français de la Mode, Heriot Watt University of Edinburgh,...