By Donna Richardson
Crow & Jester has carved out a niche in menswear, celebrating individuality and expert craftsmanship. Their unique designs recently caught the spotlight when the charismatic Vinnie Jones donned their striking Baker Boy caps in Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix series, ‘The Gentlemen’.
The ensemble, a tailored jacket, richly textured tweed, and a stylish Baker Boy cap, exudes unmistakable British charm. Rooted in countryside tradition, this look marries timeless elegance with contemporary style, and designer Simon Horsley masterfully fuses classic techniques with a modern twist, creating exquisite handmade Scottish tweed caps that exemplify uniqueness, along with tailored garments that are both distinctive and sophisticated.
Now, as Crow & Jester celebrates 20 years in business, they have opened a new store in Burton-on-Trent, marking the next chapter in its story. Opened on 10 October, with Welsh sporting icons and Olympic medallists Jamie Baulch and Colin Jackson among the guests, the store brings together ready-to-wear collections, accessories and bespoke tailoring under one roof.
Near St George’s Park, home to England’s national football teams, this new space embodies a brand known for its unique approach. While honoring its British heritage, it also challenges conventional norms. With recognition from celebrities like Vinnie Jones and ties to the sports world and Olympic medallists, Crow & Jester shows that heritage can be seriously cool. The timing was impeccable. Just days after Vinnie Jones appeared head to toe in Crow & Jester at the premiere of the second season of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, and just days before designer Simon Horsley opened the doors to his new store in Burton-on-Trent.
It was a fitting moment for a British brand carving out a distinctive place at the intersection of fashion, entertainment and sport. Among the guests at the launch were Welsh sporting greats Jamie Baulch, an Olympic medallist who has known Horsley for around 20 years, and Colin Jackson, the former world champion hurdler and Olympic medallist.
But the spotlight was firmly on the new shop and what it means for Crow & Jester. Located near St George’s Park, home of England’s national football teams, the store brings together ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, and bespoke tailoring, giving customers a chance to experience the brand’s distinctive approach to British style firsthand.
For Simon, it is more than a retail space. It is an opportunity to show people what Crow & Jester stands for: traditional craftsmanship, individuality and a willingness to challenge convention without taking itself too seriously.
A shop with character
Crow & Jester is not a conventional countrywear shop. Traditional Victorian wallpaper and green panelling sit alongside industrial shelving and clothing rails. Bright pink and green Baker Boy caps add splashes of colour, while a vivid blue moose’s head and brightly coloured faux animal heads bring a playful twist. A beautiful leather sofa completes the setting.
The interior reflects his design philosophy: respect the heritage, but never be afraid to experiment.
“I love that juxtaposition. I’ve always been drawn to vintage fashion, but I appreciate contemporary design, too. The interesting part is combining them in a way that feels unexpected.”
Customers can browse handmade Scottish tweed Baker Boy caps, like the ones Vinnie wears, plus distinctive clothing and accessories, while those interested in bespoke tailoring can start a more personal conversation about fabric, fit, and design.
The store also broadens the perception of Crow & Jester beyond the caps that made it famous. It gives a physical home to a brand built around a broader vision of British style, combining heritage materials and skilled construction with contemporary colour, personality and attitude.
“We’re honest, approachable people who happen to create beautiful clothes,” Simon says.
The aim is not to tell customers how they should dress, but to help them discover what suits their own personality.
British heritage, with a twist
At its heart, Crow & Jester takes inspiration from traditional country clothing but refuses to be confined by it. Tweed, tailoring and classic headwear provide the foundations; unexpected colours and contemporary influences give the designs their distinctive edge.
“Tweed represents where I am now in life,” Simon says.
“I’ve always wondered why everyone wears the same green tweed and why country clothing has to look a particular way. Why not introduce a little punk fashion or London streetwear while retaining the beauty of traditional tweed and tailoring?”
His approach brings together influences that might initially seem worlds apart. A heritage fabric can become something striking and modern, while a traditional silhouette can be transformed through colour, proportion or styling.
“I love the heritage behind traditional clothing, but I don’t think you have to follow every rule or take yourself too seriously to create something luxurious.”
Simon is less interested in chasing seasonal trends than in creating clothing with lasting character.
“I’ve never been particularly interested in following fashion trends. For me, fashion should be about personality, not pigeonholing people into whatever happens to be fashionable.”
The Burton-on-Trent store lets customers experience that philosophy firsthand, discovering how individual pieces fit into a broader collection rather than viewing the brand through a single signature product.
From Heanor to Hockley
Originally from Heanor in Derbyshire, Simon built his technical expertise as a pattern cutter for established designers and labels, including Ozwald Boateng, Nigel Cabourn, Comme des Garçons, and Paul Smith. He later became a factory manager, gaining valuable insight into garment construction and production.
Determined to establish something of his own, he took out a loan in the 1990s to open a shop in Hockley, Nottingham, in the former Jesse Boot store. It was a defining step in developing his own design identity.
Crow & Jester subsequently secured wholesale relationships with retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Bentalls and Woodhouse. His experience across pattern cutting, manufacturing and retail continues to influence his work.
For Simon, technical ability and creative vision are inseparable. A garment must be beautifully made, but it should also have a distinctive point of view. The Burton-on-Trent store brings those principles together, letting customers explore the products and the thinking behind them.
The Vinnie Jones effect
Crow & Jester’s international breakthrough came through Vinnie Jones and Simon’s relationship. While making suits for the actor, Simon was asked to create a Baker Boy cap to complement his look.
The first prototype didn’t get immediate approval. Simon showed the design over a video call, and Vinnie’s response was direct: “I don’t like it.”
Simon went back to work, refining the shape and proportions until he was satisfied. Eventually, Vinnie delivered the verdict he had hoped for: “You know what? I love it. It’s absolutely spot on.”
What followed was not a carefully planned marketing campaign. Vinnie wore the cap on the set of the first season of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, and its distinctive look caught viewers’ attention.
The Baker Boy caps Vinnie wore in the series became signature pieces for Crow & Jester, introducing Simon’s designs to an international audience. Handmade in Scotland using British and Irish tweeds, the collection includes The Vinnie Jones and The Vinnie Jones in the Country. Both reflect the brand’s blend of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary character.
The show’s mix of sharp tailoring, British heritage and gangster glamour proved a natural fit for Crow & Jester’s aesthetic: polished but not predictable, traditional but with an edge.
Before the series, Simon might have sold around 20 hats in a year. When the first season launched, orders reached about 270 in December alone.
Demand spread well beyond Britain, with orders arriving from South Korea, China, Japan, Israel, Iran, Canada, America, Germany, Poland, Italy and France. The brand even developed a following among fans in America.
Vinnie has continued to wear Crow & Jester, including a head-to-toe look at the premiere of the second season of The Gentlemen. The wider collection also features designs such as The Vintage and The Gentlemen 2.
For Simon, the exposure has been transformative, but the products’ principles remain unchanged. The new store gives the brand a chance to turn that recognition into lasting relationships with customers who appreciate the quality and individuality behind the image.
Handmade in Scotland
The Baker Boy caps are underpinned by a painstaking production process. Made by hand in a family-run Scottish workshop, they feature carefully selected tweeds, quality linings and close attention to the alignment of checks and patterns.
Gary hand-cuts the fabric and matches the checks, while specialist team members work on the crowns. Achieving a precise finish takes skill and patience, particularly when matching patterns across different panels.
Simon’s standards are uncompromising. If a hat fails to meet his expectations, he rejects it and starts the work again. He would rather pay more than sacrifice quality.
His passion for fabric is equally strong. He describes himself as a magpie for tweed, drawn to unusual colours, textures and patterns. On one occasion, he bought 23 metres of fabric before checking the invoice, only to discover it cost £200 per metre.
The story reflects the enthusiasm that drives his creative process. He looks for materials that spark an idea, then turns that initial excitement into a finished product worthy of the craftsmanship behind it.
Bespoke tailoring: made for the individual
Bespoke tailoring remains central to Simon’s work. His background as a pattern cutter gives him a detailed understanding of how fabric and construction can be shaped around an individual. He has also worked with a family of tailors for around 22 years, drawing on an atelier that combines French, English and Portuguese techniques.
Simon develops patterns, oversees design and guides the fitting process. The customer is always the starting point.
“Ultimately, you’re trying to make the fabric envelop the person perfectly,” he explains.
“You’re essentially using a two-dimensional surface to create something that fits a three-dimensional body. You have to understand how to introduce shape, curvature and fullness into different areas of the garment.”
Understanding what a customer wants is just as important as technical expertise.
“That’s where the conversation begins. I’ll chat with them and ask what they like. I might ask them to show me pictures of outfits or styles that appeal to them.”
A bespoke suit is about much more than choosing a colour. It means considering posture, body shape, comfort, and personal taste, and usually requires two or three fittings to refine the result.
“For me, that’s the essence of bespoke tailoring. It isn’t a transaction where someone walks into a shop and says, ‘Simon, I want a blue suit.’ It’s about creating something together. I’m a fashion designer, and that’s what I want to do: design something with the individual.”
His ambition is simple: “If I don’t create something that makes that person feel absolutely incredible, then I haven’t done my job.”
The Burton-on-Trent shop offers a welcoming place to begin that process, bringing bespoke design’s personal service into the wider Crow & Jester experience.
Craftsmanship and going the extra mile
Simon’s commitment to customer service is illustrated by an extraordinary overnight tailoring job involving seven suits. After a client who had ordered the suits lost weight, urgent alterations became necessary. Simon and his colleague Calvin worked through the night, finishing at 4am before delivering the suits at 7.30am.
Vinnie Jones later told Simon: “Just so you know, son, that didn’t go unnoticed.”
For Simon, the experience reflects the responsibility that comes with being trusted to create something for another person.
“If somebody gives you an opportunity, you take it with both hands. You do your very best, even when it’s inconvenient or means working through the night.”
That willingness to go beyond expectations has helped build relationships with clients, including people in Jones’s wider circle. Each commission receives the same personal attention, with designs developed around the individual rather than a standard formula.
The same philosophy informs the details of the wider collection. From fabric selection and custom buttons to embroidered logos and metal fittings, Simon believes quality often lies in elements customers might not immediately notice.
Jamie Baulch: a relationship built on trust
Jamie Baulch’s relationship with Simon spans around 20 years, combining close friendship with a longstanding business connection. A former world indoor 400-metre champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Jamie also won Olympic silver as part of Great Britain’s 4×400-metre relay team.
Sport has also played an important role in Simon’s career. His work with Welsh sporting teams has demonstrated how tailoring can combine precision with a strong sense of identity.
For the Welsh Commonwealth Games team, Simon designed distinctive pinstripe suits paired with red shirts, creating a smart, individual, and unmistakably Welsh look. The outfits reportedly even attracted a compliment from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
For Simon, the commission reinforced the importance of clothing that gives people confidence and pride, whether they are competing internationally or attending a special occasion.
Jamie’s own career has also included business and fashion collaborations with names such as Yves Saint Laurent and Wella, and he is enthusiastic about the brand’s future.
“Simon Horsley of Crow & Jester is one of the best designers this country has ever seen,” Jamie says. “That’s a big, bold statement, but I genuinely believe it. When I first met Simon, I fell in love with his clothing and the way he thinks. I was immediately drawn to his designs.”
The hats have become talking points wherever he goes.
“I went to a breakfast recently wearing one of the Baker Boys, and it immediately became a talking point. People were saying, ‘Oh my God, I love that hat!’”
For Jamie, the connection between sport and fashion comes naturally.
“I’m really proud to be part of that crossover between sport and fashion. It doesn’t matter how old you get: if you like nice clothing, you like nice clothing.”
His attendance at the Burton-on-Trent launch alongside fellow Welsh sporting star Colin Jackson reflected the relationships that have helped Crow & Jester grow while remaining grounded in personal connections.
Creativity without a formula
Even the brand’s name reflects his personality. The Crow represents a more introverted, darker side, while the Jester embodies his exuberance and love of colour, pattern and visual stimulation. Simon has little interest in designing to a prescribed seasonal formula. He describes the possibilities of colour and pattern as being like walking into a sweet shop, with endless combinations to explore.
Simon shares his experiences with ADHD and explains how it influences his creative process. He doesn’t view design as a formula to repeat to meet seasonal deadlines. Instead, he believes that ideas require time to develop, and the creative process is often unpredictable.
“It takes me around three weeks to design a single piece. I couldn’t work by simply attending trade shows, studying catwalks and producing a certain number of designs in a particular colour palette.”
Instead, he relies on instinct, curiosity and an eye for unexpected combinations. A particular fabric or colour might spark an idea that takes weeks to turn into a finished design.
That willingness to experiment is part of what makes Crow & Jester distinctive. The Baker Boy caps may be its most recognisable products, but the brand’s identity extends beyond them: it brings creative freedom and serious craftsmanship together.
A new home for the next chapter
The Burton-on-Trent store gives Crow & Jester a physical home where customers can discover its clothing, accessories and bespoke tailoring while experiencing the personality behind the brand.
For Simon, success is not simply about capitalising on television exposure or chasing the next trend. It is about building a recognisable British brand with a clear identity: rooted in heritage, open to experimentation and committed to making beautiful things properly.
His journey, from Heanor and his early technical career to his former shop in Hockley, the international attention surrounding Vinnie Jones, and now Burton-on-Trent, has been shaped by his willingness to trust his instincts.
“Make beautiful things, make them properly, treat people well and don’t be afraid to do things a little differently. We take the clothes seriously. We take the craftsmanship seriously. But we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
That is the essence of Crow & Jester: traditional British craftsmanship with personality, individuality without pretension and the confidence to challenge the rules.
“I want people to buy into Crow & Jester, our values and our approach to design, rather than simply buying something because it happens to be fashionable.”
With its new Burton-on-Trent store, those values now have a place customers can walk into and experience for themselves. It marks a new chapter for a brand that draws inspiration from the past but isn’t confined by it.
Discover the collection at crowandjester.co.uk or visit the new flagship store at St George’s Park, near Burton-on-Trent.
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