Reiss

Reiss was founded in 1971 when David Reiss took over his father’s gentlemen’s outfitters on the corner of Bishopsgate and Petticoat Lane in the City of London. The first store sold men’s suits to a clientele of nearby financial workers, and the proposition was straightforward, well-cut tailoring at prices below Savile Row.

Since its foundation in 1971, David Reiss recognized a niche in the market for affordable premium quality tailoring, a descriptor that followed the brand for decades and shaped how the British press positioned it against both the heritage tailors of Mayfair and the mass high street.

Menswear remained the sole focus for nearly thirty years, with the brand associated with only men’s clothing from its founding until 2000. The output centered on two-piece wool suits, fine-gauge knitwear, overcoats and dress shirts, sitting in a category alongside Ted Baker, Paul Smith and Hugo Boss on the British high street, though closer to the tailored end.

The business grew through the 2000s and 2010s, pushing into the United States, with the first US stores opening in New York’s West Broadway in 2005. Ownership then shifted in stages. In April 2016, a 51% majority stake was sold to the American private equity firm Warburg Pincus for £230 million.

David Reiss remained chairman until 2021, when he resigned at the age of 78 and was replaced by former Next CEO Simon Wolfson. In September 2023, Next plc agreed to acquire the entirety of Warburg Pincus’s 34% interest in the Reiss Group for total consideration of £128m.

Today, the brand dresses a professional customer who wants tailoring for work and weekend separates from the same wardrobe, sitting between the British high street and designer pricing.