These brands take inspiration from the forms of classic menswear — suits and ties, knitwear, shirts and jeans — without the stiffness and affectation associated with it. “[We have] have taken some degree of pomposity out of the sartorial side and made it more accessible,” says Riley. “People are less certain about what they’re meant to be wearing, and [these] brands are able to explain.”
A less serious in-store experience is what sets P. Johnson and its contemporaries apart from more traditional neighbors on Savile Row. “People who visit the store have all these pressures in their lives, when they step in that door, they should have an escape. We’ve got a saying in our business, which is to take the job seriously, don’t take yourself seriously. I think that’s a lovely bit of the Australian attitude. We’re serious about what we’re doing, we love this and we really care about it, but we’re going to have fun while we’re doing it.”
P. Johnson’s Aussie attitude has also helped the founders carve out a brand identity separate to those founded out of London, New York, Paris, or Milan. “We can go and cherry pick all the best elements from North America, from Europe, from Asia, from wherever, and formulate our own perspective,” Riley says. “We get to go and collect all this excitement, all the best parts, and then mash it altogether.” He draws a parallel between P. Johnson’s tailoring and classic Italian styles, both designed for hotter climates than London or New York’s tailoring houses. In the past, the brand has worked with London-based photographer James Harvey-Kelly, shooting campaigns on Italian beaches and London terraced streets.
That said, in a nod to its roots, P. Johnson sells belts plaited from kangaroo leather, a tribute to an Australian bushcraft tradition that almost died out. Each belt is hand-plaited, a process that takes eight hours and a huge amount of skill and experience. “These things are beautiful, and they’re part of our vernacular,” says Riley.
The brand’s arrival in Mayfair is the culmination of its journey from Sydney to tailoring’s traditional heart. The store is 17 years in the making, and more than a decade after P. Johnson first opened a store in the British capital. It’s a testament to the P. Johnson approach: sticking to their guns and growing gradually over time. “We’ve never been in a rush,” says Riley. “Whatever we do, we just want to do it well, do it slowly and do it strongly.”
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