Back in 1993, a young Alastair Parker-Swift, was living an idyllic life - running a thriving windsurfing school during the summer in Salcombe, Devon and spending the winter months in France as part of the England freestyle ski team.

The windsurfing business was run out of a small shop on Salcombe high street, which provided the perfect opportunity to indulge Alastair’s entrepreneurial spirit. Seeing an opportunity, Alastair sourced some navy and white rugby shirts and using a local supplier created the original 93 patch rugby shirt. This first foray into the retail world proved an instant success with stock selling out within days, and after only 10 days of trading in Salcombe, Alastair decided to try and find premises in Cowes in time for the start of Cowes week.

With a week to go, a shop in the midst of renovation was found - the builders were encouraged and cajoled into completing the work ahead of schedule and stock was rapidly sourced. The shop did in fact open in time for Cowes week and generated sales that exceeded all expectations, and the Crew Clothing Co. brand was born.

For the first couple of years, the shops in Cowes & Salcombe were closed during the winter months so that Alastair could continue to participate in the England freestyle ski team in France. However, mid season in 1995, Alastair decided that the time was right to return to the UK and focus solely on building the Crew Clothing brand. Shortly after, the first London store was opened on the New King’s Road and the first hand drawn catalogue was mailed to just 2000 customers. Today, 17 years on, there are over 60 stores across the UK and over 3.2 million catalogues mailed every year.

The underlying appeal of the brand lies in the striking designs, vibrant colours and the quality of the fabrics; and this over the years has attracted a loyal following of customers. The loyalty of our customers and our commitment to retaining the essence of Crew has enabled us to grow the brand to where it is today.

Over the years Crew Clothing has been honoured to sponsor some prestigious social & sporting events such as The Whitbread Round the World Race, the England Polo Team and Masters Tennis at the Albert Hall. We have been the official clothing supplier to the England Polo team for over 5 years, and provide all of the kit for National and International matches including The Cartier International Event – the pinnacle of the polo calendar.

Our coastal roots and British heritage still remain core to the Crew brand, and although the business has grown significantly with over 400 staff, we are still a family run business and remain passionate about creating clothing which epitomises British Casual Luxury.

You can now shop for a wide range of polos, shirts, rugbys and jeans, with Crew online, by telephone, or by visiting one of our stores – simply visit Store Locations to find your nearest store.