How Our Camo Came About

The first suit was made in 1996 for a gentleman who loved going to the opera but hated to conform. He wanted to make a point and thought we would know best how to do so. 

The original Woodland colourway, British military-issue Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM), came from a surplus store in Soho (Soho, London, that is). And the suit was cut, naturally, in-house on Savile Row. 

Something of a hit, similar suits were subsequently worn by many others, including Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman on the cover of the February 1998 cover of George magazine (top), Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox for the Eurythmics world tour of 1999 and, a little later, Tinie Tempah (above). And so camo became a Richard James favourite, featuring on many pieces - from standout silk evening jackets (bottom), to more conspicuous than covert accessories.