The Local Merchants

The Local Merchants opened in Leigh-on-Sea in 2020, set up by two friends determined to bring proper classical menswear back to the high street. They restored a 1900s open-fronted glass shopfront themselves and filled it with hand-picked European and independent labels rarely seen in the UK, including Berwich, Informale and Studio 73, which they were among the first to bring here.

The edit runs to sartorial jackets, knitwear and casual wear from names like L.B.M 1911, Gran Sasso, Eton and Valstar, alongside footwear from Myrqvist and Filippo De Laurentiis. There's a strong Made-to-Measure service too, guiding customers through fabric, fit and finish for weddings, work and everyday wear, and the shop now ships worldwide.