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John Smedley
Founded in 1784, John Smedley is one of Britain's oldest luxury clothing brands. Renowned for its fine knitwear, the brand has built a global reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, timeless design, and understated luxury, with every garment still made in England today.
Partners
- Centra
- Voyado
- GlobalE
- Dato CMS
Challenge
The aim of the redesign was to bring John Smedley into a contemporary e-commerce landscape while preserving its heritage and quiet luxury positioning. Known for its understated aesthetic and absence of visible logos, the brand has built a loyal following among customers who value exceptional quality and discretion.
The challenge was to express this value more clearly online, creating a digital experience that reflects the craftsmanship and refinement of the product without becoming overt or overstated. The site needed to feel modern and relevant while remaining true to the principles that have defined the brand for over two centuries.
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Our Approach
We took a slow and considered approach, spending time researching the brand, visiting the archives, and touring the mill in Derbyshire where John Smedley is still manufactured today. Understanding both the product quality and the customer was crucial in deciding what to bring into the digital experience and what to leave behind.
A key concern was that drawing too heavily from the brand's history could make the website feel dated rather than contemporary. We explored different creative directions, architectures, and art direction approaches, carefully balancing heritage and modernity to find the right expression of the brand online.The Result
The visual language of the site reflects the codes of quiet luxury through restraint, balance, and materiality. While representing a significant evolution in both aesthetic and art direction, the experience remains true to the brand's values.
The design avoids unnecessary ornamentation, instead placing emphasis on product quality, craftsmanship, colour, and texture. Subtle references to the brand's heritage create a warm and welcoming experience, allowing John Smedley to avoid the clichés of modern e-commerce while remaining timeless rather than trend-driven.
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The homepage sets this tone immediately. Designed to be visually impactful yet restrained, it uses full-screen video to immerse visitors in the world of the brand, with attention naturally drawn towards key signifiers of heritage, including the Royal Warrant. Navigation remains minimal, allowing the storytelling and product to lead the experience rather than competing interface elements.
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Product discovery was approached with a similar mindset of clarity and ease. Research showed that customers, particularly those new to the brand, often struggled to understand the different fits across the range. In response, educational elements were introduced throughout the experience, from illustrated guidance within navigation to visual filters on listing pages and more detailed, fit-focused product pages.
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A minimal palette of warm beige tones paired with a dusty dark grey creates a softer, more refined alternative to high-contrast black and white, evoking a sense of timelessness. This neutral foundation allows the product itself, particularly colour, to take centre stage.
Colour plays a defining role in the browsing experience. While the product range is concise, variation in colour is central to how customers engage with the brand, often returning season after season for new shades of familiar styles. This behaviour is reflected in the interface through the use of colour groupings that echo traditional thread cards, subtly referencing the brand’s manufacturing heritage while creating a distinctive and intuitive way to explore products across PLPs and PDPs.
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With a relatively focused product range, the structure of the site was deliberately simplified. Navigation was reduced to a more compact, mobile-inspired menu, allowing more space to be given to content, product, and campaign imagery. This approach ensures that the interface recedes into the background, giving prominence to the materials, colours, and craftsmanship that define the brand.
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