Style -- 1 day ago
Cult brand LESTRANGE, now counts Jenson Button as its biggest fan and backer
LESTRANGE, the British label known best for its smart separates, has garnered one of the biggest followings in menswearin recent years, selling ovr 100,000 units of its signature trousers. Now Jenson Button has turned his own love of the brand into a more secure financial backing
Words: Zak Maoui
Having a wardrobe that you both love and find easy to navigate is not something that comes easily to a lot of men. You've either got too many of the same thing, in different sizes and styles, or too few of something to wear those other things with. In short, your wardrobe can be the cause of stress, especially when you just want to get up, go and actually look half decent in the mornings without too much fuss. Sure, on the one hand it's great that menswear has come so far that it's not just about jeans and a simple white tee, but on the other there's almost too much of a broad spectrum of possibilities for some guys to get their head around.
Well, there's an answer to that and it's all down to two guys who shared similar frustrations. Over ten years ago Tom Horne and Will Green founded LESTRANGE, a brand that eschewed trends, dismissed too much faff in one's wardrobe and instead focused on a modular foundation. "A what?", you ask. In short, they wanted to create a wardrobe based on the separates you need and want, that could go with one another, in any combination.
LESTRANGE’s main focus is a laser-focused approach to solely creating essential garments, prioritising versatility and comfort, and resulting in an enduring future. LESTRANGE goes against the traditional release format, and instead of seasonal drops, it does not release standard collections, and rather drops consisting of refreshed updates to its core and signature products. “Each new design is considered and never departs from our core mission of introducing only what is needed, never in excess,” Horne tells Gentleman's Journal, taking us right back to the beginning when he and Green imagined LESTRANGE as fledgling brand., and explaining that the label's ethos has never changed. “We’re lucky that we have such a close relationship with our customers who are excited about being a part of the design process as much as we are. We involve them in it and essentially we create with them, to always make sure that they are leading the development of what is our core range.”
Now the brand’s core collection comprises a wide (but never too large) range of smart pieces that can be adapted to any walk of life. The 24 Trouser, the 360 Trouser, the 360 Jacket and the 360 Blazer are the key products, each of which can be paired up with anything else in the LESTRANGE product offering to create an aforementioned, modular and timeless look. Each piece is made using carefully sourced fabrics, including technical and premium Japanese fabrics, and in turn each of the products have been given special PFC-free water-resistant finishes, and are typically cut from 100 per cent renewable or recycled fabrics, resulting in the minimal, long-lasting products your 24/7 wardrobe needs. The stuff LESTRANGE is producing doesn't just look and feel good, but actually also does so - for your wardrobe, finances and the planet.
And its vision has landed. Since the brand’s inception all those years ago (it has passed the ten year mark and will soon be approaching its 15 year anniversary), LESTRANGE has sold a whopping 100,000 pairs (and counting) of its signature 24 Trousers. These come in two different fits, and a range of colours from sage and beige to Jasper blue, to whet whatever your fancy may be. They're the sort of trousers that cater to every walk of life, and that's exactly why you'll see them on men who work long hours in the City of London, as well as guys who are wandering around any borough on a Sunday morning. They've got the diversity of a standard chino, with the added benefit that they're cut from 98 per cent regeneratively farmed cotton comes from Scheffer in Brazil and 2 per cent elastane and feature a hidden elastic waistband and premium drawstring cords. “The 24 Trouser is the building block of the wardrobe,” Horne explains. “By removing the hassle of a traditional tailored waistband, and updating it with a hidden elastic waistband with drawcords, we were able to hit a customer that was looking for something they could wear everyday to the office, to drinks, on holiday without question.”
What’s more LESTRANGE, which has a coveted retail space on Earlham Street in central London, as well as locations in Shoreditch and Kings Cross, has garnered a cult following of dedicated fans. Ask any of your mates who work in the city or Soho about LESTRANGE, and chances are they'll say they own (or plan to own) a pair of the brand's trousers or one of the jackets.
And the brand has won over a mass number of household names from differing industries. Football coach Frank Lampard, Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón and actors Tom Holland, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Piven, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander are among the frequent wearers of LESTRANGE’s products.
One guy that is so enamoured with the brand is Jenson Button. As one of Britain's most famous racing drivers, Button, who has just started his second season racing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), has a career to rival anyone who has ever taken to the tarmac. While he is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Jota, his CV boasts much more than that. He became the youngest driver to score a point at the Brazilian Grand Prix, has started over 300 times for the Formula One, of which he won 15 Grands Prix titles, qualified on pole position 8 times and took part in a massive 50 podium finishes. What's more, he's now also a Sky Sports pundit. Meanwhile, he was one of the key figures in Netflix's global smash Drive to Survive, which sent both his and the Formula 1's popularity soaring on a worldwide level. No big deal, really.
But Button's passions, as much as they sit in the driver's seat with him, also lie else where. He's got an entrepreneurial spirit that has seen him partner with the likes of Rolex and Coachbuilt Whisky as a brand ambassador.
But with LESTRANGE, he wanted to do something a little different. Button fell for L’ESTRANGE after he tried on his first pair of 24 Trousers. Today, they’re his go-to for his lifestyle which sees him travel the world over as part of his intense job. “Just like collecting cars, my wardrobe grew massively and I got to the point of ‘having’ rather than actually ‘enjoying’”, Button says. “More isn’t always better and having a wardrobe that worked was essential and would work with whatever I’m doing, wherever I am. When I came across LESTRANGE, I loved that they were focusing on creating only the best, the ultimate wardrobe that could be worn as much as possible and for as long as possible.”
Button is such a fan of LESTRANGE that he can now boast that he’s an investor-turned-customer. For him the brand’s values align with his own: LESTRANGE is as understated as Jenson, who has a revered, humble reputation. It started with Button's manager James, who was already a fan of the brand. Button commented on the trousers James was wearing, and when James gifted a pair to Button, he was hooked. The trousers in particular were the 24 Trousers.
And Button is getting fully involved with the the business, and isn't just acting as a silent angel investor. "When Jenson got in touch, we had to chat," Horne says. "He’s involved in all sorts beyond racing, but for him, it’s about finding the things that bring excitement - people who share his focus on doing fewer things, but doing them well. That clicked and now we’re all in a WhatsApp group chatting about our next releases.”
To kick off the exciting and completely organic partnership, Button and LESTRANGE will unveil a unique content series that is focused around Button's entrepreneurial ambition as well as his career. Over the next few months, Button will curate and share his selection of LESTRANGE essentials, be it the 24 trousers or the brand's tees, which work for him equally as well on and off the racetrack.
Now read an interview with Nick Wakeman, founder of Studio Nicholson
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