Daks is a name synonymous with sartorial innovation. Established as a bespoke tailor in 1894 on London's Middlesex Street, the brand flourished when its founder, Simeon Simpson, spotted a gap in the newly mechanising market and swiftly transformed his bespoke workshop into a successful business mass-producing high-quality, ready-to-wear menswear. It is a testimony to Simpson's pioneering ambition that, during the early years of the 20th century, "Simpson Suits" were considered the pinnacle of off-the-peg gentlemen's tailoring.
Even so, the Simpson Suit is not the greatest invention that the house can lay claim to today – that prize must be awarded to Simeon's second son, Alexander. For decades during the 19th and 20th centuries, braces were the only means to keep a gentleman's trousers where he intended – squarely around his middle. Come the 1930s, though, braces were increasingly seen as old hat, uncomfortable and restrictive. Indeed, they were particularly irritating to Alexander Simpson because they impaired his golf swing. Resolved to do something about this, Alexander put his thinking cap on and promptly created the "Daks Top", the world's first self-supporting trouser, needing neither braces nor belt thanks to its patented adjustable buttoning waistband.
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