Pepe Jeans

Pepe Jeans began in London’s Portobello Road market in 1973, founded by brothers Nitin Shah, Arun Shah, and Milan Shah. Selling denim from a market stall placed the business close to the people wearing it. The brand developed around jeans as a form of everyday self-expression, shaped by the mix of cultures and styles in the city.

Its expansion turned a local denim venture into an international casualwear label. Jeans remained the starting point, with jackets and other separates building a complete wardrobe around them. Washes and fits changed with the times, while denim supplied a consistent connection between the collections.

London has remained an important reference in the brand’s imagery, even as its business grew across Europe and beyond. Music and youth culture gave the campaigns their attitude, presenting jeans as clothes to live in. The appeal lies in how easily a wearer can make them personal, from a close-fitting pair to a wider silhouette or a matching denim jacket.

Now part of AWWG and based in Sant Feliu de Llobregat near Barcelona, Pepe Jeans retains London in its name and design vocabulary. Its menswear balances straightforward casual clothes with new interpretations of denim, keeping the material’s texture and wear at the center of the wardrobe. The brand’s history remains tied to that original market-stall exchange between a useful garment and an individual sense of style.