John Smedley fact file

John Smedley are creators of the World’s Finest Knitwear. Established in 1784, we are the oldest manufacturing factory in the world, crafting beautiful, high quality garments that are designed to last, made in Britain and distributed the world over. John Smedley only use the finest quality materials including their Sea Island cotton, extra fine Merino wool, cashmere and silk. Each garment is carefully created using 1.5km of the finest yarn, 1.2 million stitches, 230 years of experience and the skilled hands of 50 British craftsmen.

Merino wool

John Smedley mostly uses extra fine Merino fibres. They are so fine and light it is an ideal fibre for year round wear. Even when air is cold or damp, a molecular process called ‘heat of sorption’ releases heat, which can be felt by the garment wearer. All fibres do this, but extra fine Merino does it four times as much as nylon and at least double this for polyester. Synthetic fibres don’t have this ability, which is why they are not as comfortable. 

The ideal travel piece

This natural elasticity means its ‘wrinkle recovery rate’ is exceptional, especially in a moist environment like a shower room; wrinkles in an extra fine Merino garment will hang out readily.

How to style

Here at Filati, we love to celebrate colour and John Smedley is all about being vibrant. Match with a pair of jeans or tailored trousers and finish off with smart sneakers.