Oscar Pinto-Hervia OBE

Every Pinto Hervia garment begins long before the first pattern is cut.

Growing up in Chile, I learnt to appreciate craftsmanship long before I understood fashion. My grandfather, a carpenter trained while serving in the Chilean Navy, approached every piece of furniture with precision and patience. My mother, a nurse, made her own clothes from French patterns, sewing every garment by hand with remarkable accuracy. Together, they taught me that quality begins with construction, careful observation and pride in making something properly.

Before making Britain my home, I spent two years living in Buenos Aires. Soon afterwards I arrived in London and later Manchester, where I discovered a completely different culture and a new way of looking at clothing.

Learning English at thirteen opened another world, but it was Britain's street culture that truly captured my imagination. Through magazines such as The Face, i-D and Blitz, and simply by observing the people around me, I discovered Mods, Punks, New Romantics, Ska and many other tribes. For the first time I understood that clothing could communicate identity before a single word was spoken. With clothes and attitude, you knew where people felt they belonged.

That understanding has remained with me throughout my life.

I've always been equally fascinated by creativity and commerce. Fashion gave me the opportunity to bring those two interests together. Over more than three decades, I built one of Britain's leading independent luxury fashion businesses, working with many of the world's most respected designers and introducing their collections to customers who valued originality, craftsmanship and design.

My greatest education, however, came from the people I met.

Every day I spoke with architects, artists, photographers, musicians, designers and customers from every walk of life. I wanted to understand not simply what they wore, but why they wore it. Which garments became favourites? Which remained unworn? Why did some pieces become part of everyday life while others never truly earned their place?

Those conversations shaped the way I think about clothing.

Over time I realised I wasn't interested in designing garments for special occasions.

I wanted to create an intelligent wardrobe.

A wardrobe built around movement, comfort and thoughtful design. Clothing that could move effortlessly through the day — from work to dinner, from travelling to meeting friends, even to a dance floor — without feeling over-dressed, under-dressed or out of place.

I've always believed that quality should be recognised through construction rather than logos. The best garments reveal themselves over time. Thoughtful proportions. Carefully chosen materials. Precise craftsmanship. Clothes that become more familiar with wear rather than less relevant with age.

The influences behind Pinto Hervia are many. British tailoring, military clothing, Punk, Ska, New Romantic culture, Bauhaus, DADA, Art Deco, and designers such as Katharine Hamnett, Helmut Lang, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood have all shaped the way I think. Yet the aim has never been to recreate those influences. It has always been to distil them into clothing that feels contemporary, functional and relevant.

Pinto Hervia is the result of those experiences.

Every garment is designed in London and made in England, combining decades of observation with British craftsmanship, considered construction and materials chosen for the way they look, feel and wear over time.

In 2024, I was honoured to be appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to British fashion. More than a personal honour, I see it as recognition of the importance of supporting British craftsmanship, creativity and independent design.

The aim has never been to create more clothing.

It has always been to create clothing that earns its place in an intelligent wardrobe.

One built for movement.

One built for everyday life.

One built to last.