You know the scene in Skyfall where Bond is sitting at a bar, scrolling idly through his Tinder profile. He is dressed in a beautiful John Smedley 30 gauge black gentleman’s jumper.
How did that come about? It’s the only appearance to date for John Smedley in James Bond and so I managed to corner Managing Director Ian Maclean (pronounced Maclean like in the Die Hard movies) in a small nook at their Jermyn Street branch.
Me: Ian thanks for indulging me, how did John Smedley manage to wind up in the James Bond franchise?
Ian Maclean: To talk about the jumper itself, it’s a classic John Smedley style and it’s been in our collection 30-50 years. Maybe even Ian Fleming knew about it. It’s a classic V neck gentleman’s pullover made from very fine New Zealand merino wool.
Me: Did Daniel Craig request for this jumper to be in Skyfall?
Ian Maclean: I know Daniel Craig specifically has been a fan of our brand for a very long time. He’s worn garments of ours whether it’s in the movies or not in the movies. I know there was a clothing sponsor in the movie they paid a lot of money to dress the actors.
We know that Daniel Craig made a specific request to wear a John Smedley jumper. He wanted something he was comfortable with, he’s familiar with, and so we provided him with the black jumper you see in the movie. Thanks very much to him.
Me: Has the brand seen an uptick in sales since its involvement? Do people ask for this jumper?
Ian Maclean: Most certainly! It does have a good positive business, any we’re a small British business with a small marketing budget, we will take any opportunity we can.
Me: And has there been any contact or outreach from EON since? Will we see Daniel wear John Smedley in No Time to Die?
Ian Maclean: There’s been no outreach from EON, but fingers crossed he will.
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