Demand for Johnny Tuxedo suits already spreading around globe

Johnny Tuxedo, a suit supplier whose target market is young men aged between 16 and 25, has sent its products to customers as far afield as Australia, the Caribbean and the United States since its launch on St George’s Day.

Although the suits have sharp tailoring and the brand focuses on “British heritage and daring style”, founder Austen Pickles said there was also an emphasis on affordability, with an entire suit – including shirt and bow tie – costing customers £120.

Mr Pickles said: “If we ever had a doubt about the size of the market, we certainly don’t now. In the last seven days we have had orders from Austria, Belgium, France, Australia and Curacao in the Caribbean.

“We have had so much support from the region, with some students from Leeds University among the first recipients, and the response worldwide has been simply unbelievable.”

Mr Pickles already runs the £10m tailoring company Buxton Pickles from its headquarters in Ilkley, along with bespoke tailoring firm Norton and Townsend, which has outlets in Ilkley and Spitalfields in London but does most of its work through eight tailors who visit people at their homes or offices.

He said the Johnny Tuxedo brand was something fun and different which he had been considering for some time before he made serious headway with his plans last summer.

He and his business partners set out to cause a stir from the outset: on the day of the official launch, Johnny Tuxedo and his friends were seen abseiling from Leeds Town Hall before speeding off in an Aston Martin in true James Bond style.

At the launch party, held in a television studio on Kirkstall Road, the company organised live music from Dan Burnett and had fresh pizzas being cooked in a stone oven just outside the room.

The Aston Martin even made another appearance, taking some of the Johnny Tuxedo models into the studio as the event got under way.