Universal Works

Universal Works is a Soho clothing shop built around fit and good design rather than fuss. The label grew out of the founder's working-class Midlands background, and that plain, practical streak still runs through the clothes.

The company keeps things small. It works with factories in the UK and abroad that take the same care over skill and quality, and it leans towards small-scale production over mass output. Collaborations with artists and writers feed into the collections and give them a bit more range.

Despite a growing international following, Universal Works has stayed an independent, small company, and it has earned a reputation for its designs, its sense of humour, and the honesty behind them.