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Former advertising photographer Phil James launched his own brand under the &Sons name in 2016, following a Kickstarter fundraiser. Ten years on, the brand will soon be launching a new ‘Decade’ collection in celebration of the milestone, but James is also looking ahead to where future growth lies internationally, and potentially through more retail stores, with direct-to-consumer remaining the main focus. He tells TheIndustry.fashion all about it.
How, where and when did you launch &Sons and what were your original products?
We officially launched the brand on Kickstarter in 2016. Our first products were based on a layered outfit, affectionately called ‘Cap to Boot’. It consisted of our base layer ‘Elder Henley’ in raw cotton, our ‘Yard’ shirt in soft blue chambray, our ‘Frontier’ raw selvedge denim jeans, a pair of handmade leather ‘Drover’ work boots, our herringbone tweed ‘Thompson’ baker boy cap and the first version of our ‘Boardwalk’ peacoat.
What did you do before launching &Sons and when did it fully take over your work life?
I was an advertising photographer and ran a production company called Shadowplay that produced stills, film, animation and CGI for ad agencies. I don’t think we could have launched the brand without the support of Shadowplay, producing all our content for the first five years until we all merged into &Sons. I still shoot the campaign images for the brand and still enjoy creating assets for advertising.
The point at which &Sons grew from a side project into the main focus of our working lives was a major turning point. Reaching customers internationally and seeing the brand resonate well beyond the UK gave us confidence that the idea had much wider potential.
Have you stayed true to the original concept, much of which was based around what Steve McQueen wore in The Great Escape and other films, as well as in his private life?
I like to think we have, we still sell the core range that we started with and now we are working with the Steve McQueen Estate and his grandson, Chase. We’ve been able to build on that collection, making even more of the iconic garments that Steve wore.
Are you launching a 10-year anniversary collection?
We are launching the ‘Decade’ collection, which really made me look at where we started and where we are. It’s a collection of 10 limited-edition garments and accessories that have been favourite designs of mine in the past and represent the past decade of the &Sons brand, but with a bit of an edge added to each one. The first products will launch in October, with further pieces available to pre-order.
What have been the standout moments in those 10 years?
I think reaching our Kickstarter target of £50K was the first time I realised that it could be bigger than just the UK, because it’s a global platform and we had orders from all over the world. I’d say when we saw things rocket online four years in, that was a real standout moment as that was the reason we decided to jack in our day jobs and go full time with &Sons.
The most recent one would be working with the Steve McQueen Estate on a new collection, pushing his Porsche out of a garage in Palm Desert and meeting his grandson, Chase. Personally, that was a real goosebump moment.
There have also been individual cultural moments, such as seeing the clothing worn by people including Tom Hardy and Jason Momoa, which introduced &Sons to new audiences without the brand having to change what it stood for.
How has the brand – and product – developed since the early days?
As we grew, we inevitably widened our collections and styles of clothing, which in turn opened us to new audiences and demographics. We have moved into technical outerwear, footwear, luggage and widened our accessories range with jewellery and aftershave. I think we have become even more detailed on some clothing really paring down our most simple designs, but hopefully all with that with our original &Sons DNA.
Who is your real &Sons target market?
Our core customer is typically men aged between 40 and 65, although the appeal of the brand extends well beyond that. Our ‘Pioneers’ are guys who values quality, provenance and clothes that feel authentic. They are less interested in fast moving fashion and more interested in building a wardrobe of dependable pieces that improve with age and can be worn for years.
Our customers often have a strong connection to music, motorcycles, classic cars, craftsmanship, travel and the outdoors. They appreciate the references behind the clothing, but they do not want to feel as though they are wearing costume or heritage reproduction.
The customer has also evolved as the brand has grown. We now speak to a broader international audience, but the shared mindset remains more important than a specific age or demographic. It is about curiosity, individuality and buying fewer, better things.
What is the Pioneer’s Club?
The Pioneer’s Club is &Sons’ loyalty programme which was introduced in 2025. It rewards customers for their purchases and loyalty. Members can earn points forevery pound spent and redeem them for rewards.
When did you launch the &Sons Preloved marketplace and how does it work?
Our Preloved site was launched last year. We refuse to waste any of our clothing and encourage people to use our Preloved marketplace to continue the life of &Sons clothes as much as possible. It has been an amazing success due to the uptake from our customers. It is not just about getting preloved clothes cheaper, but also about customers having the opportunity to finally get part of a previous collection they missed out on.
The customer uploads the usual information that they would for any resale platform, as well as clear photos of the product. Then, &Sons supplements the posting with old campaign imagery of the style, the original product description and RRP.
There are no sellers’ fees. Sellers get the full amount as store credit. They can set their own prices, though a 10% buyer protection fee is added on top. Sellers receive 100% of the price they have set, not including the buyer protection fee.
Is that a growing part of the business?
Yes, it seems to be growing month by month and we currently have over 300 items listed on there. We have also now added an ‘alteration and repairs’ service to help keep our clothes in circulation even more.
Are there any specifications regarding condition of the piece?
As with any resale platform, it relies on the seller being truthful when listing the condition. Options range from ’new with tags’, to ‘poor’ or ‘broken’. Most on there are listed at ‘very good’, and sellers must include a short description. Buyers are protected if the item is not as described.
What are your best-selling products?
Our strongest products have consistently been the pieces that customers can return to and wear regularly. The top five would broadly include, the aforementioned ‘Elder Henley’, the ‘Sunday Shirt’, the ‘Carver Jacket’, the ‘Brandon Jean’ and the ‘Broadwalk Peacoat’. There are variations by colour, season and market, but these products have become important foundations of the brand. They are also some of our strongest products for introducing new customers to &Sons.
What is the idea behind your ‘Rogue’ limited-edition line?
‘Rogue’ was an idea that emerged from a garment meeting where someone said ‘Phil has gone rogue’ about one of the designs! I like the idea of designing products that are non-commercial and let me feel unconstrained when designing That’s a lovely place to be. I have aimed the style at men who like to dress a little more edgy and flamboyant than most. It has actually been a great success. It was purely a creative outlet for me at the start, so it has been a surprise for all of us.
We have so far launched 15 Rogue ‘Artefacts’ with another five in development currently. I am always researching and sketching ideas, so we always have way more designs on the go than needed. I have a rhythm for what comes next, so essentially a top, a jacket, trousers or an accessory, as well as the odd strange one like our new Rogue aftershave.
When did you launch the Damsons womenswear line and how is that growing?
I started Damsons quietly and slowly, but I guess we launched it about four years ago. It was a personal project for me really as I loved the challenge of designing for women. It’s growing slowly and organically. It is a very small collection and has a tiny budget for marketing. Obviously, our focus is always on &Sons, but I have plans to spend more time nurturing Damsons as it’s very important to me personally.
What are the key pieces?
Similar to &Sons it is based on an interchangeable set of clothes that all work together. It has that workwear DNA but with a feminine edge and silhouette. The ‘Hanten’ jacket is a Japanese inspired quilted jacket that is reversible. One side is quite understated while the other is a larger brighter pattern, so you can swap the look depending on how you are feeling that day.
How much of your business is direct-to-consumer these days, compared to wholesale?
&Sons remains predominantly a direct-to-consumer business. The brand was built online, and our own website, stores and app continue to account for the significant majority of revenue. This gives us a direct relationship with the customer and allows us to control how the products, campaigns and stories are presented.
We have dipped our toe into wholesale with a small number of key accounts around the country, but it is not an area of the business we are looking to grow at scale. Going forward, we will work directly with a very select number of stockists who understand the brand and can represent it properly. We also see an opportunity to expand international wholesale in territories where we do not have our own physical stores.
Is the UK still your biggest market?
Yes, the UK remains our largest individual market and the heart of the customer community. However, international sales have become an increasingly important part of the business. The influences behind the brand translate well overseas, and customers in a number of markets share the same appreciation for British style, vintage workwear and clothing with a strong story behind it.
What other markets are you strong in and where are you looking to grow?
Historically, the United States has been one of our largest international markets. We have also developed meaningful customer bases in territories including Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, France and Switzerland.
International growth remains a significant opportunity for &Sons. Following changes to the US tariff system last year, we began exploring other territories to replace some of the revenue affected by the increased cost and complexity of trading in the US. The US remains an important market, but we are continuing to assess the most effective long-term approach following the tariff changes.
Australia and Canada had already been growing organically for a number of years, and we have now started to push harder through our performance marketing channels. We are seeing strong returns and encouraging customer growth in both markets.
We will continue to invest in territories where there is already clear demand rather than entering markets without evidence of an existing customer base. That could include a combination of localised digital marketing, improved international customer experiences and selective wholesale partnerships.
We have also tried to move beyond traditional retail by bringing customers together through events, walks, camping trips and retreats. Those experiences allow us to spend meaningful time with customers, hear their stories and build a genuine community around shared interests.
That community has become one of the most important parts of the brand. The relationship does not simply end when someone purchases a garment. Customers attend events, form friendships and help shape the future direction of &Sons.
What &Sons community events have you held so far?
We had our first ‘Gentleman’s Walk’ in June, followed by our first ‘Outpost’ camping weekend in July. Our most recent Soho store event was an evening Q&A session with TV presenter, adventurer and travel writer, Charley Boorman. We also had our first ‘Customer Day’ at our new HQ factory in Cheltenham with live music, outdoor food and a ‘lost property’ sale of one-off samples and unique pieces.
Most recently, we just had our first stand at the Big Feastival held at Alex James’ Farm in Oxfordshire over the August bank holiday weekend. It featured our vintage Airstream Overlander store and a large, decked stand with clothing and other products for sale.
We also have a Steve McQueen photography print exhibition and launch evening at our Soho store in September, featuring archival prints of Steve – some of which have not been seen before.
Are there plans to open any more stores this year or in 2027?
Yes, we are currently looking at another store in London and have plans for more in both the UK and abroad in the near future. We have a growing market in Australia and Canada, so we have trips planned to view some pop-up spaces with a view to opening a permanent store at some point.