T.M.Lewin
United Kingdom
T.M.Lewin is a London shirtmaker founded in 1898 by Thomas Mayes Lewin. After closing all 66 UK shops in 2020 it traded online only, and it returned to the high street in April 2025 with a store in the City of London.
| Founded | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Thomas Mayes Lewin |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Parent company | TM Lewin Shirtmaker Limited (from 2022, per Wikipedia) |
| Segment | Premium and contemporary |
| Website | tmlewin.co.uk |
What is T.M.Lewin?
T.M.Lewin is a British menswear brand that began as a shirtmaker. Its range now covers shirts, suits and separates, knitwear, polo shirts, trousers, blazers, coats and accessories such as ties, belts and socks. The company is registered as TM Lewin Shirtmaker Limited.
History
Thomas Mayes Lewin and Geoffrey James Lewin opened the first store on Panton Street in London in 1898, and the business moved to Jermyn Street in 1903. The brand says it supplied uniforms to the RAF and the British Army in the First World War. Mail order began in 1993, and a partnership with John Francomb in 1983 introduced the Prince of Wales collar shape. The company says it has sold over 70 million shirts in its history.
Ownership
The Lewin family ran the business until 1978, when the McKenna family bought it. Bain Capital backed it from 2015. In May 2020 Torque Brands, a vehicle of Stonebridge Capital, acquired it, and in June 2020 all 66 UK shops closed with about 600 redundancies. Stonebridge then bought back the remaining assets, including the online business, in a pre-pack arrangement. Wikipedia lists TM Lewin Shirtmaker Limited as parent from 2022.
Business model and distribution
After 2020 the brand traded online only for five years. In April 2025 it opened a store on Bow Lane in the City of London. Its website also lists a wholesale partnerships page and country-specific storefronts, and Wikipedia notes an earlier store in Sydney from 2012.
Why it matters
T.M.Lewin is a well-documented example of a heritage retailer that shrank to an online-only model after a pre-pack restructuring and is now cautiously returning to physical retail.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to T.M.Lewin?
In June 2020 T.M.Lewin closed all 66 UK shops, and the remaining assets, including the online business, were bought back by Stonebridge. It returned to the high street in April 2025 with a store on Bow Lane in the City of London.
Where is T.M.Lewin from?
T.M.Lewin is a British shirtmaker founded in London in 1898. The first store opened on Panton Street and moved to Jermyn Street in 1903.