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Good old London Town. Home to jellied eels, the Queen, numerous fictional detectives and, as any seasoned shopper will agree, a bountiful selection of menswear stores.
The UK capital has so much to offer when it comes to refreshing your wardrobe. It’s the worldwide epicentre of tailoring, many top-tier designers have opened flagship stores along its historic streets, and in recent years it has become the bustling hub for a thriving European streetwear scene.
The trouble is, with so much on offer, sorting the wheat from the chaff is no easy task. The Big Smoke isn’t exactly a small city. A simple stroll around the shops can quickly escalate into a shin-splintering, day-long hike. The trick is to know where you’re going. So from Savile Row suiting to Soho streetwear, here we present the FashionBeans edit of the best menswear stores in London.
London’s Best Streetwear Stores
Supreme
Ineffable New York skate label Supreme’s English outpost has long been an institution for London’s cool kids. The unassuming shopfront occupies a modest space down a trendy Soho backstreet and regularly sees queues of hype-hungry shoppers snaking around the block.
A cavernous, yet sparsely stocked interior extends below street level, treating visitors to the latest must-have collaborations, exclusive skate decks and box-logo-branded odds and ends.
2/3 Peter St, Soho, W1F 0AA
END.
Stocking a mix of high-end designer goods and cutting-edge streetwear, Geordie powerhouse End has taken the online market by storm. Now, alongside locations in Newcastle and Glasgow, its sparkling London flagship has brought the same premium experience into a suitably large and luxurious physical space.
Expect grail pieces from the likes of Off-White, Heron Preston and Stone Island, alongside top-shelf fashion courtesy of
59 Broadwick St, Soho, W1F 9QS
Palace
Palace quickly established itself as one of the most prominent names in skateboarding, while also serving as a linchpin for the high-fashion/streetwear crossover. A quick look inside the London brand’s bricks-and-mortar outpost reveals combinations as unlikely as retro football shirts alongside suede loafers, and manicured Instagram models shopping next to bong-eyed, hoodie-wearing skaters.
Come for the weekly drops, stay for the early-’90s hip-hop playlist. And who knows, if you’re lucky you may even bump into Jonah Hill.
26 Brewer St, Soho, W1F 0SW
Stussy
Had it not been for surfer Shawn Stussy’s eponymous label, streetwear as we know it today simply would not exist. The California surf/skate/whoevenknowsanymore label has outposts in all the world’s coolest cities, but we like to think the London store is one of the best.
Here you’ll find a tightly curated selection of seasonal garb, including the usual logo hoodies and tees, alongside more trend-led pieces like tie-dye tops and cross-body bags.
115 Wardour St, Soho, W1F 0UN
Patta
Every streetwear aficionado loves a good Patta hookup. Getting a piece of the action used to mean a trip to Amsterdam or a speedy internet connection and trigger finger on drop day, but these days a quick stroll down to Soho will suffice.
The store is small but perfectly formed and carries staples like logo tees, as well as frequent hook-ups with the likes of Carhartt WIP, Air Jordan and C.P. Company.
6 Silver Pl, Soho, W1F 0JS
London’s Best Tailoring Shops
Drake’s
Drake’s‘ laid-back tailoring and jazzy accessories are stocked at its stores in New York, South Korea, Japan and beyond, but its Mayfair space serves as the mothership. Eccentric and gentlemanly in equal measures, a hardwood floor is peppered with Harris Tweed chairs and bordered by cabinetry from the Natural History Museum.
In among it all can be found elegant yet easy-going suiting, refined casualwear and enough patterned ties and pocket squares to keep even the pickiest of peacocks happy.
3 Clifford St, Mayfair, W1S 2LF
Turnbull & Asser
On a sartorial CV, “dressed 007,” is about as impressive an achievement as it gets. A stalwart store of Jermyn Street, London’s historic shirtmaking hub, Turnbull & Asser has decked out everyone from royalty to James Bond himself.
A step through the door is a step back in time to an era where shopping was personal, clothes were made to measure and service was second to none. You’ll leave with the finest shirt you’ve ever owned, and most likely a broad grin to accompany it.
71-72 Jermyn St, St. James’s, SW1Y 6PF
Emma Willis
Another Jermyn Street mainstay, Emma Willis is a relatively new name on the London shirting scene. However, in just over two decades, her shop has been able to give established names 10 times its age a run for their money.
Willis and her highly skilled team offer a fully bespoke service, as well as high-quality, English-made shirts and accessories straight off the hanger.
66 Jermyn St, St. James’s, SW1Y 6NY
Gieves & Hawkes
Located at No.1 Savile Row, Gieves & Hawkes occupies the world’s most exclusive slice of sartorial real estate. Impressive, yes, but nothing less would be fitting for such a storied label as this. A London menswear originator, the centuries-old company holds all three main Royal Warrants.
Its bespoke suits take 12 painstaking weeks to craft, all of which are seen through in the atelier below the shop. Prices are steep, but as is often the case in menswear, you get what you pay for.
1 Savile Row, Mayfair, W1S 3JR
Thom Sweeney
Situated in London’s lavish Mayfair neighbourhood, Thom Sweeney is a one-stop-shop for bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear tailoring.
Known for its use of texture and a modern take on classic London suiting, the store’s highly skilled team of cutters and coatmakers have dressed the likes of Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Michael Fassbender. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
33a Bruton Place, Mayfair, W1J 6NP
London’s Best Independent Menswear Shops
Blackhorse Lane Ateliers
Japan and America have always dominated the denim market, but since 2016, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers has been putting Britain on the map for high-grade jeans.
The company’s Coal Drops Yard shop serves as a sort of denim haberdashery, as opposed to simply a jean store, where customers can have repairs carried out, alterations performed and even get their denim made-to-measure.
Unit 32, Lower Stable Street, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DQ
Goodhood
One of the most successful independent concept stores in London, Goodhood has been decking out the city’s most discerning shoppers for well over a decade.
A cleverly curated selection of menswear, womenswear and homeware occupies a space that feels somewhere closer to a gallery than a clothing shop thanks to some stellar visual merchandising. Expect to find goods from cult indie labels like Norse Projects, Engineered Garments and Tres Bien.
151 Curtain Rd, Hackney, EC2A 3QE
Wavey Garms
What began life as a buying and selling page on Facebook for vintage designer goods is now a fully-fledged fashion phenomenon. Wavey Garms has taken the internet and now London by storm with its eclectic mix of, well, wavey garms. Look for jazzy garb courtesy of the likes of Moschino, Versace, Stone Island and Ralph Lauren Polo Sport.
Stock is constantly changing so you can never be sure exactly what you’ll find from day to day, but rest assured, whatever it is, it probably wouldn’t look out of place at a UK-garage club night circa 1995. 15,
Holdrons Arcade, 135a Rye Ln, Peckham, SE15 4ST
Clutch Cafe
The first retail space from respected Japanese menswear mag Clutch, Clutch Cafe delivers excellent coffee and exquisite clothing in equal parts.
Stocking a mix of Japanese and American workwear brands, and with a focus on denim, this is the sort of place you’ll pop into for a cup of joe and a chat, and leave with a £2,000 Navajo blanket coat. A potentially dangerous game, but one we’re always more than happy to play.
78 Great Portland St, Fitzrovia, W1W 7NT
Oi Polloi
Manchester has its own unique sense of style and getting a taste of it is as simple as stepping through the door at Oi Polloi.
This Soho side-street dwelling store is a smaller, more tightly curated version of the original Lancashire powerhouse, proudly offering up Manc wardrobe mainstays like cagoules, desert boots, trainers and shirts courtesy of globally sourced labels including Arpenteur, Universal Works, Beams Plus, Battenwear, Adidas and more.
1 Marshall St, Carnaby, W1F 9BA
London’s Best Department Stores
Flannels
Luxury retailer Flannels has achieved the impressive feat of opening one of the most impressive looking stores on a road full of impressive stores: Oxford Street. The chain’s new London flagship is set over four floors with statement interiors and a tight edit of high-end brands, including
It also the first UK concession of Flight Club, the rare sneaker specialist, and customised kicks from The Shoe Surgeon. So expect to fight off competition from sneakerheads charging through the doors.
Oxford Street, W1D 2JL
Selfridges
There are few department stores prestigious enough to have been made the subject of a TV period drama. Selfridges is one of them. Since 1908, this colossal retail space has been situated along London’s bustling Oxford Street, offering up everything from state-of-the-art electronics to the highest of high-end men’s fashion.
Clothing is organised by designer, and everything from tailoring to streetwear has a home here. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the Offspring sneaker concession on the second floor.
400 Oxford St, Marylebone, W1A 1AB
Dover Street Market
The brainchild of Comme des Garcons’ leading lady and avant-garde fashion heavyweight Rei Kawakubo, Dover Street Market is like John Lewis reimagined by Hieronymus Bosch.
Located in the 31,000sq ft former Burberry HQ, this five-story madhouse is packed to the rafters (very decoratively, mind you) with cooler-than-cool streetwear, high-end fashion and more weird art installations than you can shake a lobster telephone at. Just make sure to set a few hours aside to fully immerse yourself in the weirdness.
18-22 Haymarket, SW1Y 4DG
Liberty
You know it as the source of that jazzy, floral “going-out shirt” you hopefully binned not long after you started reading FashionBeans. To Londoners, however, it’s so much more. We defy anyone to walk past that beautiful Tudor-revival building without curiosity getting the better of them.
Inside, shoppers can expect to be hit by an olfactory wall of perfume, before a swirling wooden staircase leads them downstairs into menswear heaven. Expect cult labels like A.P.C., Acne Studios and Norse Projects as well as high-end pieces by everyone from
Regent St, Soho, W1B 5AH
Harrods
In a city teeming with very big shops, being the biggest is no small achievement. At the moment, it’s luxury department store Harrods that holds the title. Not only that, it’s actually the largest department store in Europe and even has its own postcode.
Unsurprisingly, the menswear department is well worth a visit for the usual mix of high-end fashion, premium casualwear and suiting, albeit on a much more epic scale. Don’t forget to take a compass.
87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XL
Harvey Nichols
Founded in 1831, Harvey Nichols’ flagship is pretty old for a department store, even by London’s standards. It’s long been a favourite haunt of the terminally fashionable and remains so to this day.
Shop luxurious menswear designed by anyone who’s anyone and reward yourself with a slap-up meal and a cocktail in the restaurant afterwards. You know, just to make sure you bankrupt yourself properly.
109-125 Knightsbridge, Belgravia, SW1X 7RJ
London’s Best Designer Stores
Stone Island
Sitting at the crossroads between Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street, the Stone Island London store’s grey-area location serves as a perfect metaphor for what the label is all about. The Italian luxury brand’s garb inhabits the middle portion of an imaginary Venn diagram containing sportswear, casualwear and streetwear, and has a pretty diverse fanbase as a result.
The interior of the shop is decked out in a minimalist fashion, with seasonal collections arranged by colour as opposed to style.
79 Brewer St, Soho, W1F 9ZN
The Army Gym by Nigel Cabourn
Legendary British designer Nigel Cabourn is known for his love of all things vintage, military and athletic. It all comes together at his London store, aptly named The Army Gym. Situated along one of the picturesque, but very touristy, main streets in Covent Garden, the small, intricately furnished store inhabits two floors and stocks select items from a number of Nigel Cabourn lines.
Here you’ll find everything from brightly coloured military smocks to loose-fitting Lybro overalls. Who knows, you might even get lucky and bump into Cabourn himself if you manage to visit on one of the rare days he’s not hurling a vintage medicine ball around by the beach in Tynemouth.
28 Henrietta St, Covent Garden, WC2E 8NA
Burberry
Opened in 2018, Burberry’s new flagship is everything you would expect from the most high-profile fashion house in England and then some. The inspiration for the store was to bring the Burberry website to life, offering consumers all the perks of online shopping in a physical space.
The result is straight out of James Bond, with cutting-edge technology like radio-frequency identification, which presents information about a piece when it’s brought near an interactive screen, sat against a palatial backdrop in one of Regent Street’s most magnificent buildings.
121 Regent St, Mayfair, W1B 4TB
Browns
Brown’s began as a small, designer boutique in 1970 but quickly expanded through five connecting Georgian townhouses on South Molton Street in Mayfair. The store is credited with discovering design talents such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Christopher Kane and continues to stock goods from both established names and emerging designers.
It’s a chance to get up close and personal with creations from fashion’s leading names in surroundings that helped shape the stylish city we know today.
24-27 S Molton St, Mayfair, W1K 5RD
Gucci
Italian fashion house
The decor is typically opulent with red, quilted velvet dressing room walls, leather seats and vintage Persian rugs all adding to the atmosphere.
34 Old Bond St, Mayfair, W1S 4QL
18 Sloane St, Knightsbridge, SW1X 9NE
London’s Best Sneaker Stores
Footpatrol
With a reputation as one of the premier sneaker hubs in Europe, and a freshly pimped interior to match, it’s no wonder Soho’s Footpatrol is such a hit with the city’s trainer aficionados. A minimalist, grey interior, complemented by giant mirrors, serves as the perfect backdrop to rare and colourful creations from the likes of NikeLab, New Balance, Adidas and more.
If you’re into your music, too, be sure to check out the neighbouring record shops – they’re some of the best in the city.
80 Berwick St, Soho, W1F 8TU
Sneakersnstuff
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, sneakerhead’s favourite Sneakersnstuff now boasts outposts in New York City, LA, Paris, Berlin and, of course, London. The retailer’s Shoreditch branch offers up rare and limited-release footwear in the middle of one of the city’s hippest neighbourhoods.
It’s not uncommon to see shoppers queuing around the block for drops, but if you plan to do the same, we’d recommend nipping over to Brick Lane to stock up on bagels before you set up camp.
107-108 Shoreditch High St, Shoreditch, E1 6JN
Presented By
Created in conjunction with shoe care brand Crep Protect, Presented By is London’s first and only large-scale sneaker consignment store. A wooden magic-eye puzzle of a shelving system plays host to some of the most highly prized (and highly priced) sneakers ever to walk the Earth.
In addition to copping grails, customers also have the chance to get their existing kicks pampered and cleaned up, meaning you can leave with a fresh pair whether you’ve got the money to pay resale prices or not.
15 Percy St, Fitzrovia, W1T 1DS
The Other Side Of The Pillow
Welcome to Claptonfornia, home to the largest collection of vintage Vans sneakers anywhere in the world. Shoppers prone to headaches are advised to proceed with caution as The Other Side Of The Pillow isn’t exactly known for its conservative colour scheme.
If you love Vintage Vans and Cali skate culture, however, it’ll be your new favourite hangout. A sneaker-store experience like no other and one of London’s true hidden gems.
161b Lower Clapton Rd, Clapton, E5 8EQ
Sneaker Ltd
Venturing further east and well off the beaten track for London’s sneaker connoisseurs, a small shop by the name of Sneakers Ltd can be found nestled away in the Essex town of Ilford.
Visits are by appointment only so be sure to call in advance of making the trip out of the city centre and brace yourself for some of the rarest kicks to be found anywhere in the UK.
404 Cranbrook Rd, Ilford, IG2 6HW
London’s Best Vintage Stores
Mero Retro
Run by a group of friends from Bhutan and Nepal, Mero Retro offers vintage menswear, womenswear and accessories with an eastern twist. Here you’re just as likely to find an antique souvenir jacket or Japanese kimono as you are a retro T-shirt.
All stock is handpicked, and don’t worry if you find the perfect addition to your wardrobe in the wrong size, there’s an in-house alterations service on offer, too.
2 Bradbury St, Dalston, N16 8JN
Beyond Retro
London’s Brick Lane has enough vintage shops to deck every resident of the city out like characters from Starsky and Hutch, but Beyond Retro is still the main attraction. Since 2002, this East London institution has been offering bargain-hungry locals and tourists alike a chance to get their hands on one of the largest collections of vintage and ethical clothing anywhere in Europe.
Don’t even bother if you’re not partial to a spot of rail digging, the good stuff takes time to find, but if you persevere there’s no limit to the treasures on offer here.
110-112 Cheshire St, Shoreditch, E2 6EJ
The Vintage Showroom
Vintage shopping isn’t all moth-bitten Coogi jumpers and faded varsity sweaters. This Covent Garden goldmine is the shopfront for one of the biggest archives of vintage menswear anywhere in the world and stocks only the most unique and historic pieces to be found.
Here you’ll find super-rare items from aeons ago, including Soviet army surplus, flight suits and sailor’s smocks. There’s also a separate showroom where the main collection is housed.
Seven Dials, 14 Earlham St, Covent Garden, WC2H 9LN
Atika
Atika, London. One of precious few establishments in which a man can thumb through a dog-eared copy of Hunky Dory magazine and have his nails pampered while wearing his new second-hand kimono and vintage Carhartt chore jacket.
This place is a full, immersive, retro experience, offering a trip back in time from the moment you set foot through the door. Expect vintage gems from the 1970s onwards, from a diverse selection of designers including the likes of Burberry, Barbour and Champion.
55-59 Hanbury St, Spitalfields, E1 5JP
Hornets
To step through the door at vintage menswear emporium Hornets is to step directly into Rich Uncle Pennybags’ walk-in wardrobe. Filled with English gentlemanly attire like long-tailed coats, tweed jackets, top hats and beyond, this Victorian timewarp of a shop is one of London’s true sartorial curiosities.
Well worth a visit, even if morning suits and cricket boots aren’t your bag.
2 & 4 Kensington Church Walk, Kensington, W8 4NB
