The son of a City tailor, David Reiss is one of an ever-diminishing circle of fashion business visionaries with a pedigree and position that remains unique. One of the few remaining independent, privately-owned companies in its sector, it has a proven business strategy that has capitalized on the worldwide power and potential of the brand name.

"I have a very sharp eye. If I see something I like then I can immediately see the bigger picture and how a singular element can slot in. That's been my whole philosophy and the way I run my business," he says. "The people I have around me have all got to have that sharpness and alertness and a certain level of decisiveness that will make things happen."

David Reiss now presides over a stable of stand-alone stores singularly defined by the Barrett Street headquarters opened in November 2007. The award-winning global flagship encapsulates the design philosophy that stands firm as the core value of the brand and the man that built it.