[2] The company describes its clothes as being British-inspired and influenced by British casual wear, sporting and yachting traditions.

In the early 1990s, he spent the summer months running a windsurfing school in Salcombe in Devon.

During the summer of 1993 he created some navy and white rugby shirts, sourcing the materials from a local supplier.

Later he sold clothing at Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, a regatta event, and then opened a store.

As of 2014, the company's chief executive was Louise Barnes, and major shareholders included founder Alistair Parker-Swift and private equity group Livingbridge.