Purveyors of premium menswear don’t come more British than Thom Sweeney. The house’s roster of celebrity clients includes Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, and Davids Gandy (of D&G ad fame) and Beckham. Walk into its London flagship – a four-story townhouse on Mayfair’s Old Burlington Street – and you’re likely to hear The Rolling Stones or Britpop blasting through the speakers. Even the house cut – high armhole, slim sleeve, silhouette softened a little – is characteristically British.
So it’s perhaps inevitable that America has embraced Thom Sweeney with such gusto. The brand, founded by Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney in 2007, opened its first physical retail space (also its first international boutique) at 362 West Broadway in SoHo in 2017, complete with a lounge to replicate the elegantly decadent atmosphere of its London premises.
The Thom Sweeney Loft – a private, by-appointment showroom located at Melrose Place, West Hollywood – followed in 2024; next came a boutique, conceived by highly decorated interior design firm Billy Cotton, in Miami’s Design District in 2025. Back east, the brand’s relocation earlier this year from SoHo to 761 Madison Avenue – to a space spanning roughly 4,100 sq ft over two floors, including bespoke workshops, private fitting rooms, and a dedicated bar and clubroom, Sol’s – was its boldest statement this side of the pond to date.
Customers in the US had already enjoyed access to Thom Sweeney’s ready-to-wear offering through Mr. Porter, as well as retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman. Whiddett, though, attributes much of the pair’s success here to a Savile Row tradition that predates Thom Sweeney’s Stateside exploits by several decades, of sartorial craftsmen taking their workshop on the road and building a loyal made-to-measure clientele – something which Whiddett and Sweeney had been doing since 2013.
‘The new Madison Avenue store feels very much in tune with its location: super elevated and grand’
“British tailoring has a great reputation throughout the US, and we saw a real hunger from guys to buy into it during our trunk shows,” says Whiddett. “A lot of the Italian houses have traditionally dominated the market, so it’s a nice proposition to buy into British style but with our more updated Thom Sweeney cut. We pride ourselves on making beautiful products but also giving a great in-store experience, so once they’ve come by and tried, they usually come back.”
Another key ingredient in Thom Sweeney’s success here is its refusal to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach across its American outposts. “These cities all have such a different vibe, so it made sense to approach them differently,” says Whiddett. “There’s definitely a familiarity once you’re in any of our spaces – the interior finishes, the fragrance, the warm welcome – but they’re served up a little differently.
“In LA we wanted to focus on a more private, by-appointment experience. We call it The Loft and it’s pretty special when you’re inside: a real hidden gem where you can park outside and walk up, which is handy in LA. In New York, to be Upper East Side on Madison Avenue was always a dream for us. We benefit from great-quality footfall, so we wanted a presence on the outside, but when you come in, we’ve carved it up into many different areas so you can have that private, elevated experience with the tailors.”
Sweeney adds: “LA is very private and discreet, which our clients there love, with a touch of Art Deco glamor in the design. Our Miami space is airy and light, with a beautiful tropical garden. And the new Madison Avenue store feels very much in tune with its location: super elevated and grand. They all share a strong Thom Sweeney DNA though, especially with each one having a Sol’s bar for clients and friends to hang out in.”
Ultimately, though, these deftly conceived spaces are simply the setting for what customers are really buying into: a distinctly British vision of tailoring that feels entirely contemporary. “I think the Thom Sweeney brand appeals to US men because of our craft and heritage,” concludes Sweeney. “Our style is simple and timeless, yet distinctly modern.”
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