Johnstons of Elgin opens a store in New Bond Street

Johnstons of Elgin has been one of my favourite brands since I visited their mill in Elgin just over a year ago although I've yet to see their Hawick factory, where their cashmere knitwear is made.

 The Johnstons mill in Elgin

Here is a brand that has quietly been going about its business for over 200 years. Its design and manufacturing expertise is tapped into by some of the largest and most respected fashion houses around the world, something Johnstons doesn't talk about from both modesty and a desire to protect confidentiality of these renowned clients.

Outside the new store in Bond Street

The shop is opened by suitably-clad celebrities

Knowing something about the many pies they have had a finger in makes me proud to have had the chance to work with them on the opening of their new store in New Bond Street, London. Here you can buy their own products, mainly cashmere, made to the high standards that have drawn such attention from around the world. As so often with the best British brands, they are under-appreciated at home, but popular with consumers in the Far East, USA and elsewhere around the globe.

Inside the menswear section of the store

Having a London presence of their own allows British consumers to get to know this wonderful business and their high quality products, many of which I've been able to test out over the last few weeks. Cashmere of such richness and softness that make me wonder why I ever bought that cheap and thin stuff sold cheaply elsewhere, Johnston of Elgin's cashmere is the real thing in terms of quality and durability. Woven into cloth, it makes superb jackets which are a very luxurious and soft alternative to wool.

The herringbone-pattern runner and a cashmere Donegal tweed jacket and cashmere roll neck

Johnstons of Elgin jacket and cashmere cardigan

The shop is beautifully designed, with a 12 metre-long herringbone-pattern runner, as if from a loom, leading you from the door and downstairs to the menswear section. The design takes many elements from the mills in Elgin and Hawick. A large range of coloured knitwear provides a welcome relief from the rather monochrome appearance of many menswear stores in London as greys, soft blues, black and white have dominate the male palette the last few seasons.

Visit the Johnstons of Elgin store at 77, New Bond Street, London, W1S 1RY - see their website.

My visit to the Elgin mill is here.