Member Article

Yorkshire businessman set to start black-tie revolution

A high-profile Yorkshire businessman will be launching a new tuxedo brand which is already being tipped to start a black-tie revolution with its impeccable cut, British heritage and daring style.

Aimed squarely at 16 to 25-year-olds, Johnny Tuxedo (www.johnnytuxedo.com) promises to show style-starved men that a tuxedo can be worn in countless different ways without paying through the nose. The suit, shirt and bow tie will retail for just £120 all in.

Brand founder and creator Austen Pickles, who runs £10m tailoring company Buxton Pickles from a headquarters in Ilkley, said Johnny Tuxedo was born thanks to the soaring demand from teenagers and young men to make an impression with a sharp and savvy approach.

And he’s using his 25 years’ experience in the Yorkshire textiles industry to ensure it competes with the best.

Austen said: “Cool young men need dinner suits or tuxedos for their university ball, school prom, graduation dinner, Christmas party or wedding reception, yet the suit market is full of ill-fitting cheap suits that will wear out, or well-known brands which don’t make small sizes, or whose styles are too boring or expensive.

“Johnny Tuxedo has been designed to tear up the rule book. Not only can you have a suit that looks great and gives you countless ways to create your own style but the price is great too.”

Working from offices and a design studio in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, the heart of British textiles and tailoring, Johnny Tuxedo is a unique collaboration of friends, all of whom have an equity stake in the business.

The group of fellow investors includes a celebrity photographer, a graphic designer, a public relations expert and a Leeds-based digital agency.

Austen said: “We all have our own areas of expertise but together we’ve formed a pretty impressive partnership. As a result we have created something vibrant, exciting and with room for huge growth.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .