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‘I can’t imagine wearing anything else’: Goodbye to Old Town, the beloved Norfolk clothing company

Stylish but timeless, Old Town’s utility-inspired tailored clothes have won many fans among artists and celebrities. Now it’s to close, leaving devoted customers bereft

While Old Town focused on menswear (there were just a few dress patterns available), the Unity combo has a relaxed and elegant simplicity that has made it a unisex hit – so contemporary, practical and hard-wearing that hip restaurant Brat use it for their staff uniforms. Photograph: Courtesy of Luke TurnerThese are clothes loved by their creators – Willey and Brown are rarely seen out of them– and this enthusiasm extended to their fans, who include historian Tom Holland, musician Billy Childish, writer Rebecca May Johnson, designer Giles Deacon and actors Toby Jones and Maxine Peake.Novelist Ben Myers, an Old Town regular, says that the personal touch was as important as the quality of his trousers: “I rang to order my first pair and ended up talking to Marie for an hour as she’s from my neck of the woods in the north-east. Where do we lost souls go now?While there are plenty of traditional and workwear inspired labels out there, only a few – including Hebden Bridge’s HebTroCo, London’s Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, Kent micro-brand AWMS or, farther afield, Sweden’s French militaria-inspired Casatlantic – stand out from the crowd.

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