Simon Kneen Promoted to Brand President of J.Hilburn

J.Hilburn, the Dallas-based direct seller of made-to-measure menswear, has elevated Simon Kneen to brand president.

Kneen, whose long design career includes Brooks Brothers and Banana Republic, joined J.Hilburn in 2019 as chief creative officer. In his new role, he will oversee brand strategy, creative direction and product development — formally recognizing a role he has been acting in for some time.

Since joining J.Hilburn, Kneen has been instrumental in shaping the brand’s modern aesthetic and elevating its design offerings through refined, seasonally focused collections. As brand president, he will help unite the visual identity, product innovation and client experience under a single, cohesive vision, the company said.

“Simon’s deep understanding of design and brand-building has been invaluable,” said Beth Putnam Williams, interim chief executive officer of J.Hilburn. “As brand president, he’ll continue to drive our creative evolution while ensuring every expression of our brand reflects the craftsmanship and sophistication that define J.Hilburn.”

The company was founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Hil Davis who recruited Veeral Rathod, an investment banker, to join him as CEO. Neither are involved in the business any longer. In 2020, J.Hilburn filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but came into court with a plan to be taken over by its largest trade creditor, the Hong Kong-based TAL Global Alliances, its current owner.

“My role extends to all touchpoints that the client has, including marketing,” Kneen told WWD about his newly created position. He said the goal is to have J.Hilburn be “recognized as one of the leading men’s custom menswear brands…and make sure that the brand vision is executed under one viewing eye.”

Although J.Hilburn creates tailored clothing, Kneen said the company also offers a total custom wardrobe, “from denim and T-shirts to hoodies and joggers, formal suits, tuxedos and everything in between,” he said.

The company operates 12 studio spaces around the country — additional locations will be added this fall in Granite Bay, Calif., Newburyport, Mass., and a third spot — and has a network of around 1,000 stylists who work with customers to ensure the proper fit and design details. Merchandise is delivered in around two to three weeks.

Unlike its competitors such as Knot Standard, Indochino, Proper Cloth and others, Kneen believes his design background helps set J.Hilburn apart. “You don’t need to explain a custom-made suit to a lot of guys, whereas a custom-made wardrobe, particularly all the categories we offer, needs a little bit more. And I do think my own personal flavor in color combinations, having a designer point of view for a collection, is quite different. It’s not a collection of stuff as such, it’s definitely a collection with a point of view and inspiration and a story behind it, which I love to tell.”

The U.K.-born Kneen has a long history in menswear. He served as creative design director for Retail Brand Alliance, the former parent of both Brooks Brothers and Adrienne Vittadini, before being recruited by Banana Republic to serve as executive vice president of design and creative director. He was with Banana for six years but left in 2013, at which point he collaborated with brands including MadMen, L’Wren Scott and Narciso Rodriguez. Before coming to the States, Kneen was head designer for Balmain in the late 1990s.