John Smedley – Jermyn Street
Proudly Showcasing ‘Brand Story’
Established in 1784, fine knitwear brand John Smedley has the oldest manufacturing factory in the world. 230 years since opening, they create high quality, beautiful garments that are made in Britain and distributed world over. Famous faces to advocate the brand include Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, the Beatles, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith – to name but a few.
We were delighted to work with John Smedley on their second stand-alone store. Located on Jermyn Street (an iconic spot for menswear) our brief was to tell the story of the brand, showcasing their impressive design roots as references.
AMD was given access to the Mill in Derbyshire to learn about the brands fascinating heritage and process of manufacturing. As a result, we built our approach: keep a feeling of simplicity, modernity and purity whilst incorporating honest materials and a sense of craft.
“Words which inspired this project were; honesty, simple, traditional, understated and effortless…”
Andrew Martin – Founder, AMD
Much of the interiors are based on original details from the Mill, including the use of maple flooring and T&G wall panelling.
To finish the store, we commissioned British weaver Tara Osborough to make fabric for the fitting room curtains. We also worked with Corin Mellor, the son of famed industrial designer David Mellor, to create feature pendants made from maple to echo the factory originals.
Finally, AMD designed a series of fixtures and fittings which were all manufactured by independent crafters.