Simon Carter King Of Cufflinks

Simon Carter might be regarded as the 'king of cufflinks' nowadays but in fact, the designer and founder of the renowned accessories and menswear label, started his career very differently. Raised in East Anglia, Simon came to London to study immunology at Chelsea College in the early 1980's but found he was soon drawn towards the glitter and glamour of London's fashion scene and the King's Road.

Towards the end of his degree he started working in 'Eat Your Heart Out', the trendy London, second-hand boutique frequented by new romantics and glam rockers. It was here that his career path began to emerge. Simon bought a 1930's pewter motorcycle brooch to sell in the shop, he quickly realised the sales potential it had. A few weeks later, armed with 100 copies of the brooch, he began trying to sell them on the King's Road. He struck gold when Cobra & Bellamy decided to buy fifty brooches. Today, the company sells accessories and menswear through stockists around the globe and continues to look for further expansion opportunities.

With the business a growing success, Simon also likes to pursue various extra-curricular activities, including classic car and motorcycle restoration and collecting antique english glass. He is an avid croquet player, with both UK and worldwide rankings.

• All designs are exclusive to Simon Carter.
• Simon Carter is known as the 'King of Cufflinks'.
• The silver-coloured plating is white bronze, which is a very hard-wearing alloy formed from tin, copper and zinc. We use it because it is chip-resistant and it does not tarnish.
• Cats-eye is microfilaments of glass fibre, more commonly used in the fibre-optic industry.
• Picture cufflinks such as 'Crystal Bristols' are either screen-printed or photo-printed. We use high-definition processes to ensure accuracy and detail.
• The cufflinks are always finished with a clear epoxy resin coat to protect the image.
• In addition to cats-eye and enamel, we use crystal for colour. All the crystals are hand-set.
• All cufflinks have a five year guarantee. This covers all defects.
• Stones used include: mother of pearl, onyx, hematite and paua shell.
Satin finishes are achieved by either fine sand blasting or acid etching.

Simon Carter was established in 1985. The company started selling pewter brooches for men but really found its niche selling cufflinks and watches in the late 1980s. Simon Carter introduced fresh and exciting designs and revolutionised the long stagnant men's accessories market. The products were a tremendous hit and the business soon began to grow.

The company continued to expand and in the early 1990s introduced sunglasses made in England. Around this time, the company decided to focus exclusively on Simon Carter branded products and to make the brand more upmarket with a new image and packaging. The move was a great success and retail price points doubled within two years.

In the mid-1990s Simon Carter continue to consolidate as the leading brand of cufflinks in the UK. These included the Aspirin design, the Highway Code and Victorian subversives ranges. Crowned by the press as the 'King of Cufflinks', Simon Carter's cufflink designs continue to lead the market today.

The company opened its own showroom and shop in London's West End in the mid 90s. International sales began to take off, with agents appointed to sell Simon Carter products in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia. Today, the accessories (which include watches, cufflinks, ties, luggage, small leather goods and pens) are carried in some of the most exclusive department stores and independent retailers including Poshcuffs in 35 countries around the world including Selfridges, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Takashimaya, Bloomingdales and David Jones.

Early 2002 saw Simon Carter significantly expand the product offer to include a menswear line. PB Tailoring was granted the exclusive, worldwide rights to produce suits and shirts under the Simon Carter brand. From the start, the range proved very popular with both buyers and customers alike and the collection is now stocked in House of Fraser, Moss Bros, Fenwick's, Liberty (UK), Brown Thomas (Ireland), Daimaru (Japan), Seibu (Hong Kong), Isetan and CK Tang (Singapore), David Jones (Australia) and in Tokyo's Takashamaya, a Simon Carter shop-in-shop is going from strength to strength

Simon Carter Designer Cufflinks