Original, independent and unwavering, John Simons is one of the most influential figures in British menswear. For over 70 years he has championed the styles that inspired him as a young man – jazz, modernism and Ivy League clothing – shaping the way generations of men dress.

This guide maps John Simons’ London, tracing his journey from Dalston to Marylebone. It follows the sequence of shops that defined his vision, from his earliest ventures in the 1950s to the celebrated J. Simons store in Covent Garden. Along the way, it charts the coffee bars, jazz clubs and shops that formed the backdrop to his life and the modernist culture that shaped his approach to clothes.

Drawn from interviews with John Simons, Clothesville captures the world he created and sustained, one that continues today in the shop run by his son, Paul.

Part map, part history and part tribute, Clothesville is a guide for anyone interested in London style, Ivy League menswear and the enduring influence of one of Britain’s most original shopkeepers.

The guide comes in a beautifully designed, fold-out format with 10 A5 panels, litho-printed on sturdy 300gsm stock. 

Design by Grey Haas