Guide London

GUIDE LONDON

Guide London, famous for shirts, tailoring and polos, was established in 1988 in London's East End, but the story begins a little bit earlier than that. In 1973, Isaac Benson, like many people at the time was struggling to find a job. His uncle had a shop on Toynbee Street, London, close to Petticoat Lane Market. Isaac decided to borrow £70 from his sisted and invested it in some fashionable knitwear from a local wholesaler. His uncle allowed Isaac to hang the knits in the front of his shop and sales prooved sucessful.

Expanding over the next few years, Isaac opened his own shop in 1979, trading as 'Brute', though he also kept trading at the market. In 1985 Isaac decided to move into production and with a business partner, began to make his own clothing - starting out with a small collection of cardigans and jackets.

In 1988 he founded Guide London - a menswear range focusing on shirting but also incorporating sharply style jersey wear and tailored jackets. In 1996 Guide London was awarded the BKCEC British Apparel Export Award, presented to them by Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne who personally visited the Guide London office. Then in 2005, Isaac bought his partner out of the business and brought in his two sons, Jack and Richard, to mold and design the brand as we know it today - smart mod and retro inspired shirts, supported by feature pieces each season including suiting, jackets, jersey polos and knitwear.