The first Lord John men’s fashion boutique was opened in 1963 at 43 Carnaby Street in London, on the corner of Ganton Street (pictured above) by brothers Warren, Harold and David Gold, who graduated from selling suede jackets from a stall on Petticoat Lane.
Their choice of name led to litigation from John Stephen, who already owned several fashion shops in Carnaby Street.
A giant psychedelic mural was painted on the building in 1967, by the pop-art collective “BEV”, comprising Doug Binder, Dudley Edwards and David Vaughan.
Lord John became very popular with mods, and regular customers included groups including Small Faces and The Who.
By 1970, there were eight Lord John boutiques. The number eventually grew to 30 before they were acquired by the retail group Raybeck. The shops were sold in the mid-1980s and became branches of Next.