LONDON — Bill Nighy has been wearing John Smedley since the age of 17.
The British actor, now 75, has collaborated with the brand on a unisex collection for a considered and elegant wardrobe of staples, including sweaters, jackets, waistcoats, cardigans, and a set of cashmere and merino long johns.
He’s added in large collars, prominent rips and elements borrowed from tailoring.
“If you’d told me when I was 17 that I’d be working with John Smedley to design a collection, I’d have arranged to be more cheerful in my early life. I wore John Smedley polos in the ‘60s and ‘70s in frontline defiance of the silk shirt open to the third button or the tie-dye T-shirts doused in patchouli oil. We were pioneers,” Nighy said.
“As I got older, and Mod became Modernism they remained an essential