DAKS

founded by

Simeon Simpson

belongs to

Sankyo Seiko Group

about

Today the brand is one of the UK's quintessential British luxury labels, specialising in fine tailoring and accessories for men and women.

The story of DAKS Simpson began in 1894, when Simeon Simpson established a bespoke tailoring

factory in Whitechapel in the City of London supplying top quality men�s clothing shops. The business continued to grow and in 1929 it was transferred to a large factory in Stoke Newington.

Simeon Simpson died in 1932 but by the time of his death, Simpson was the largest manufacturer of top quality men�s clothes in Britain and exported to most parts of the world. Alec Simpson took over the business after his father�s death and decided to take the company into a new and revolutionary direction, by producing ready to wear collections alongside the made to measure. The trademark DAKS was also registered, which is thought to originate from a combination of the words dad and slacks.

Simpson continued to make advances in British tailoring and in 1934 launched the first self-supporting trouser with a patented waistband. The first Womenswear collection was also introduced, with skirts made along the same lines as the self supporting trouser.

Alec Simpson bought the old Geological Museum building in Piccadelly and in 1936 Simpson (Piccadilly), the revolutionary department store, was opened.

Simpson rapidly outgrew the Stoke Newington factory and so a much larger factory was designed and built in Larkhall, Scotland. It was opened in 1948 by Harold Wilson the then President of the Board of Trade.

DAKS is recognised worldwide for its House Check, which was introduced in 1976 by the Group Managing Director, Johnny Mengers, and has become the international symbol of the brand, featuring throughout the clothing and accessory ranges.

In the 1980s the first range of DAKS accessories was introduced.

Sankyo Seiko Co. Limited, DAKS licensees in Japan acquired the issued share capital of DAKS Simpson Group Plc in 1991. Johnny Mengers retired as Chairman in the same year and Mr. Jeremy Franks was appointed Chief Executive in his place.

On 27th September 2000 DAKS opened a prestigious new flagship store at 10 Old Bond Street with approximately 10,000 square feet of retail and showroom space. A brand new DKS Menswear store was opened in Jermyn Street at No. 101 in September 2003. In February 2005 a luxurious 3,200 sq ft store was opened in Edinburgh offering Menswear, Womenswear and Accessories.

DAKS launched a Womenswear Luxury range for Autumn/Winter 2005 which was shown on the Milan catwalk for the first time. A Menswear Luxury range, designed by Bruce Montgomery was also launched for Spring/Summer 2006 on the catwalk in Milan.

Giles Deacon, who was named British Designer of the Year in 2006, was appointed to design the Womenswear Luxury Collection for three seasons.

DAKS clothing is exported to 30 countries and is sold in over 2,000 fine speciality shops, major stores and concessions throughout the world. DAKS has a well established and ever expanding presence in the Far East, where stores in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China sell a mix of the DAKS UK range and Japanese licensed garments. DAKS has been sold under license in Japan for over 30 years and in Korea it is the number one non-domestic brand.

It is estimated that worldwide retail sales of DAKS are approximately �500 million, the bulk of which are made in its largest market of the Far East.

DAKS are delighted to announce the appointment of Filippo Scuffi as Creative Director. Filippo will be responsible for designing the DAKS Ready-to-Wear menswear and womenswear collections, accessories, and the direction of the brand image.

Filippo brings with him a wealth of experience having previously worked for brands including Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren. He has also designed DAKS golfing and childrenswear ranges.

Filippo's first range for DAKS was the Autumn Winter 2009 women's collection, which celebrates iconic British style. Spring Summer 2010 will see the launch of his first menswear collection for DAKS.