Jigsaw

Jigsaw was founded in 1970 by John Robinson, who opened the brand's first shop in Brighton after a sheepskin coat he had brought back from a trip to Turkey drew an enthusiastic response from people who saw him wearing it. That reaction convinced him there was room for a British label built around durable, considered pieces rather than fast-moving trends. A second store followed in Hampstead, London, in 1972. Robinson's design sensibility was shaped by trips to Japan and by the work of Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake, whose ideas about cut and construction he combined with a more eccentric British sensibility. The approach brought Jigsaw industry recognition, including the British Fashion Council's Contemporary Design of the Year award in 1989. The brand expanded into menswear in 1994 and launched Jigsaw Junior, initially a girlswear line, in 1996 — building out from its original womenswear base into a fuller family label while keeping its emphasis on quality cloth and considered design.