Kempt began in 2018, starting out as a casual “what if’ conversation, which over the course of a number of months developed into a really exciting “let’s do it” conversation.

Our objective was simple – begin with a small selection of timeless menswear garments made using superior quality fabrics and fastenings and producing them in small numbers, and to the same high standard we ourselves would expect when choosing or wearing such a garment.

With a small team and a limited budget, we understood we couldn’t do everything at once. Our initial collection is focused on smart casual menswear, consisting of classically elegant casual shirts and trousers, pieces that we thought should form the basis of a man’s wardrobe.  One good casual white shirt rather than four ok ones, one great fitting trouser rather than a selection of different fits.  Versatile clothing that makes it easy for a man to look good without too much fuss.

Deliberately avoiding current menswear trends, all our choices have historic influence and wide appeal – for instance, the Oxford cotton button down shirt, relevant in menswear for so many decades, is something we wanted to put our own handwriting on. The same can be said for the soft denim chambray shirt, or our soft brushed cotton shirts.  By sticking with core colours from these timeless pieces, we played with the fit and silhouette on both our shirts and trousers to give them more relevance for today’s man, while at the same time, holding on to that timeless look.