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Music, particularly, has had a profound impact on me. I’m forever hungry for information, so I spend my downtime reading, listening to music and watching films, all of which serve as a key source of inspiration for my work. The commute into London is an opportunity for me to prepare for the day ahead. I don’t have any neighbours it’s just me and my family. I live in Kent, quite literally in the middle of the woods. We had a mutual agreement on a dreamy aspirational aesthetic for women’s and men’s clothing. He had his feet on the ground and I admired his entrepreneurial spirit. When I first met David, I saw a freight train of passion in him. The role of a designer isn’t complete until the consumer wants our product and that cycle is always changing for us. We’re behaving like a premium designer brand, but ultimately keeping the price reasonable. Reiss designs real clothes for real people. Describe Reiss and your relationship with the brand. He asked me to join the business permanently and I’ve been here now for some 15 years. It was around this time, after taking on a freelance role at Reiss, that I met David. I was looking for a vehicle for my creativity and a way to inspire a new generation of men to dress well. Back then, menswear wasn’t on the grid as it is today. After being in Italy for a few years, though, I decided I wanted to return to London with what I had learned. I had the opportunity to work at Ermenegildo Zegna, which was a serious, fabric-run business. While I was studying at the Royal College of Art I won a competition, which led to me working in tailoring for six years in Italy. He speaks to me about the brand’s origins, its future and his vision for Reiss.

At the centre of the Reiss story and philosophy is its Creative Director, James Spreckley. As it approaches its 50th anniversary, Reiss has expanded exponentially with touch points across more than 208 locations in 17 countries around the world, operating across multiple channels including owned stores, online, wholesale, licensing, franchises and concessions. Having taken over his father’s small tailoring business at the corner of Bishopsgate and Petticoat Lane Market, David purchased the neighbouring store and transformed it into a contemporary outfitter, forging the beginnings of the brand as we know it today.

A highly respected and prominent business in the global fashion industry, London-based womenswear and menswear brand Reiss was established in 1971 by founder David Reiss.
