There are few musicians who are as associated with a particular style of dress as Paul Weller. While his compatriots in the era of punk were donning ripped T-shirts and bondage trousers, he and his bandmates in The Jam were decidedly suited and booted. It was a sharp look to go with the sharp songs on the band’s first couple of albums, In the City and All Mod Cons. The second of these, from 1978, provided in its title a wordplay clue as to the genesis of the group’s look: a contemporary take on the Mod style pioneered in the late ’50s and ’60s.

Taking its name from “modernist” (a modern jazz-loving youth), Mod evolved into a sub-cultural wardrobe that was popularised by the likes of The Who and the Small Faces, bands that clearly inspired the young Paul Weller, whose The Jam, in turn, heralded in a fully blown Mod revival.

‘Clothes were important to me from a very young age,’ explains Weller today. ‘Clothes and music seemed inseparable to me as a young kid in the ’60s. That continued for me into the early ’70s, by which time I had a paper round/Saturday job and could save up to buy what I wanted. The fashion and styles were incredible in those decades. A lot of street fashion too, definitely not led by brands, so I was heavily influenced by that period; still am.’

Although Weller has matured from his early suited and booted ’60s wardrobe, through the more casual sportswear of his time fronting The Style Council in the ’80s to his current combinations of tailoring, T-shirts and sweatshirts– in effect the logical merging of his previous incarnations – the fact remains that throughout he’s stayed loyal to his youthful sartorial creed.

As knitwear is so much a part of Mod, it should come as no surprise that eventually the musician got together with Sunspel, makers of British luxury essentials since 1860. ‘I was greatly honoured to be asked to work with Sunspel,’explains Weller. ‘I’d shopped in there many times before and I’ve always loved its T-shirts especially. They’re a great quality and that applies to all its garments. Well made, great construction and above all, wearable. Great colours, too.’

Last summer, the very first Sunspel and Paul Weller collection appeared. ‘Our first collaboration [for spring/summer 21] went really well. I thought all the pieces were great, so I’m very pleased to have been asked back!’

The college stripe that featured in the first venture returns on a zip-up cardigan, while a Henley shirt and made-in-England T-shirt both feature contrast-colour details. A short winter mac is also in the new offer. ‘The autumn/winter collaboration [out on 22 September] follows on from that first one. There are some beautiful pieces in there, especially the cardigans and the white chinos. The college Henleys have turned out great too,’ says Weller.

And there’s no question as to where the ideas come from: ‘The inspiration for these designs are the same ones I’ve always had (and always will)… and that is essentially Mod,’ he states. ‘Though a few pieces in this new range are definitely Ivy College-inspired; that’s very Mod too!’

So how does a man known for guitar licks and lyrics make the transition to fashion designer? ‘On both collections we’ve worked the same way,’ he explains. ‘I bring in some sketches and some colour references, sometimes a picture of an old garment. David [Telfer, Sunspel’s creative director] and his team then draw this into a proper design and then we look at how to match the colours to what I have in mind. After this we’d get samples to try on, and look at how to improve them. This may take two to three attempts to get it right but we are all after the same ends, and that is quality and care, I believe.’

The green light comes from a personal wear-test: ‘The sign-off comes when I try on the sample and it feels right, and more importantly, [I can answer the question] would I want to buy this piece if I saw it elsewhere? I wouldn’t want [to be] part of anything I didn’t really like, so that’s a major factor in whether something’s finished or not.’

And if it passes muster for Mr Weller, with his meticulous eye for fashion detail, then that’s good enough for us.

sunspel.com