Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 25th October 2024

Sims Wear is a British menswear brand delivering elevated wardrobe essentials produced from the best wool and textiles in the British Isles. Dedicated to quality, and to creating timeless luxury that will stand the test of time, Sims Wear is built on three pillars; the best grade fibre, the best yarn spinner, and the best knitter. The materials used are also a trio of excellence; Supima Cotton, Nomadic Cashmere, and Merino Lambswool create a collection of style and comfort crafted to last. Pieces are made to outlive trends, and everything is done in the UK, from the fibre carding and spinning, through to knitting, weaving, cutting and sewing. The Sims Wear look is all about simple wardrobe builders, a classically British aesthetic with modern quiet elegance at its heart. Colour, cut and fabrication is key, where Margate Beach meets Marylebone via Scotland and the Yorkshire Dales.

Founded by Rory Bennett and Billy Sims-Hilditch, the brand was born with a quest to find the perfect jumper. Billy chose a classic, super-soft navy blue cashmere crew-neck from a premium British retailer. It fit beautifully, felt great on, and went with everything. Sadly after only one year, the jumper had fallen apart at the seams. Having spent considerable amounts of time and money on the purchase, frustrated Billy set about researching what made a good jumper. This was when the Holy Trinity of knitwear, which is now intrinsic to Sims Wear, was identified, the best-in class fibre, yarn spinner and knitter. When these three are in place, something beautiful is created. The ever present chase for lower prices has meant that over the years, brands which were once associated with quality, sadly no longer live up to those standards.

In a further move towards sustainability, there is a Repair and Recondition service for knitwear. This means that if any unfortunate accidents befall your jumper, you can send it back to the brand to be repaired. Whether it’s patches on the elbows, or simply a hole which can be darned, most issues if caught early enough can be fixed. In the process, jumpers will also be reconditioned by de-pilling it and washing it, making sure it’s returned in exceptional condition.

“I wanted to understand where I could effectively buy a really nice jumper that I wanted, but I didn't want to effectively have to pay for a brand on top of it. I just wanted the good jumper. So, after a lot of that research, I came across this idea around three pillars of knitwear that you need to have a really good quality jumper. You need really good raw fibre, a really good yarn spinner, and a great knitter. Then if you get all three of those all lined up, then you should have a great piece of knitwear. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen or very rarely happens in modern businesses because people are chasing costs and whatnot. But I just had a theory that there are people out there like me that want to know that what they've got is as good as it can be without paying extra for a label.” 

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 225 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Rory Bennett and Billy Sims-Hilditch, Co-Founder of British made clothing brand simswear.com.

We discuss wool and British knitwear with Rory Bennett and Billy Sims-Hilditch of clothing brand Sims Wear.