In this Customer Spotlight, we explore the life and experiences of Peter Robinson, an esteemed photographer deeply connected to British fashion and style. Born in February 1944 and educated at Leicester College of Art and The Royal College of Art, Robinson developed a passion for sharp, tailored looks, from the mohair suits of his youth to the high-quality shoes he values today.

With a career spanning six decades, Peter Robinson is celebrated as one of the world’s foremost football photographers. He has covered 13 World Cups and 10 Olympic Games, capturing the spirit of these iconic events. His early works appeared in Football League Review, that sold for 5 pence, leading to contributions to renowned magazines like ONZE in Paris and Sports Illustrated in New York. His football images have been featured in over 350 books and thousands of magazines, earning him the title of “arguably the world’s greatest living soccer photographer,” as noted by The Athletic/New York Times.

In this conversation, Robinson shares stories of his first notable purchase and visits to unique shops in Leicester as well as John Simons. He reflects on the influence of iconic figures like Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, and particularly Miles Davis whose distinctive styles have shaped his aesthetic sensibilities.

His best-selling monographs, Football Days and 1966 Uncovered, both awarded 'Illustrated Sports Book of The Year,' further highlight his mastery of visual storytelling. Today, his work resides in prestigious institutions, including the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin and the National Portrait Gallery in London, thus solidifying his legacy.

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF CLOTHING THAT YOU BOUGHT? WHAT WAS IT AND WHERE DID YOU BUY IT?

It was purchased in Leicester from a tailor called Charles Scotney. It was a mohair suit, like a tonic mohair suit. I wasn’t interested in the country soft look; I wanted the sharp look.

HOW OLD WERE YOU?

Probably 16ish and paid for it from my first job.

WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO OUR SHOP? I SUPPOSE IT WAS COVENT GARDEN YOU VISITED.

Yes, it was Russell Street, I also used to visit Austin’s Shaftsbury Avenue before it closed.

COULD YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF IT WHEN YOU FIRST VISITED? HOW WAS IT DIFFERENT TO OTHER SHOPS?

I certainly knew this clothing was different. Everything they sold was unique especially the stuff from the USA – and well worth the 200 mile round trip from Leicester. I wanted to be different, and clothes were a good way to express that difference. Also John, Ken and Jef were so helpful I didn’t spend time looking at myself in a mirror, I just sensed I was going to look good. I’ll tell you also, there was one slightly similar shop, in Leicester; it was called the Irish Manufacturing Company, we called it “The Irish”, it was in a Victorian shopping arcade right in the middle of the city and they too had been importing stuff from the states. I bought a lot there. That would have been in the late 1950s early to late 60s. They had very interesting stuff that could not be found elsewhere in Leicester, in fact I guess 90% of my clobber came from them and John Simons.

AND WHAT ITEM OF CLOTHING WOULD YOU SAY YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

Shoes were always important, I like quality shoes. I discovered the other day in a cupboard a pair of slip on loafers made by Charles Jordan that I thought I had lost – they are superb. God knows how much they cost but they were probably like £300 or something and I hadn’t worn them for 30 years. I also liked Chelsea boots with the zip up sides. I definitely like shoes, and shirts, they were always really important. I have always loved American button down shirts. Sleeveless sweaters too. Even though I liked blue jeans, it wasn’t necessarily part of my look. When I did get jeans, I always bought Wrangler rather than Levi’s. I can’t remember if it was because they were cheaper, or the cut was different, or perhaps even the colour. But when I did look for blue jeans, I always looked for Wrangler. Austin Reed in Leicester was popular but I only purchased sweaters there.

AND WHAT ABOUT A STYLE TIP THAT YOU MIGHT GIVE TO A YOUNGER GUY?

You want identity, then you need to buy clothes that set you apart, and maybe go find a good clothes shop that can and will spare the time to help you to achieve that look – a John Simons for instance.

DO YOU HAVE A SARTORIAL HERO?

Yes, there is definitely only one hero, Miles Davis by a ‘mile’. He was a sharp dresser, so cool, I raved about him in that incredible Oxford button down green shirt in Denis Stock’s image of him on the 1958 Milestones album sleeve.

For pop music, it was Eddie Cochran. He was in a 1956 film called A Girl Can't Help It. I thought he was far more interesting than Elvis, right? And he made the British scene look garbage. I loved his haircut, hair was important. I’m lucky to still have a good head of hair. No beards then. I would never have a beard then, although I do now.  I’ve also got a feeling it was no turn ups in those days. All of the trousers I had did not have turn ups, and I liked the shiny look though for jackets and trousers, I didn't like knitted tops or woolly jackets or ties.

Eventually, in the early 70s as a photographer I needed to not make myself stand out because I was observing people and disappearing into the background. I needed to be invisible, so I favoured a grey or black look – maybe like James Bond.

IF YOU COULD GO TO ANY CONCERT IN HISTORY, OR EVEN AN EXHIBITION, WHO WOULD IT BE DEAD OR ALIVE AND WHAT WOULD YOU WEAR TO ATTEND?

Your question says ‘any concert in history,’ in that case it would have to be to see Mozart conduct the first performance of his opera Don Giovanni in Prague in October 1787. In my lifetime, however, it would be a Buddy Holly and The Crickets gig I went to in March 1958. I’m probably one of the few people still alive that went to Buddy Holly’s two concerts in Leicester. I was 14 or so, a year later he died. He was really different, his voice was different and his band, The Crickets, were tight. There were just three of them including Holly.

CAN YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU WORE TO THE HOLLY CONCERT?

Yes, it's only 66 years ago. I was wearing Wranglers and an American shirt, both from The Irish. My shoes were chukka boots in black. My hair was slicked back, it was called a DA, a ducks arse, I was 14. As an aside, Holly also played in Liverpool and its written that John Lennon was in the audience. Music featured early in my life. My grandmother had many jazz records (78’s) in her house and whenever I stayed over with her from age five onwards, which was often, I played her collection constantly. So when I started to get really interested in music, it was jazz musicians that I referenced, because I thought it was adult, cool, sharp and especially American. As I mentioned before, I certainly remember the record sleeve image of Miles in his green button down, as sold probably by John Simons. On the other hand I didn’t like British pop music there were no musicians with style. America however had Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent and guitarists like James Burton.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PHOTO?

I remember hating sports particularly any team games. It was a good school, six hundred boys or so. They did archery and fencing and this is what I was interested in. It was all about timing and hand-eye coordination, which has proved to be an important factor throughout my career.

There are two images of mine that might illustrate this point, one is the picture of the Two Bobbies, and the other is the picture of the Italian captain from the World Cup Final in 1994. For The Two Bobbies picture, I remember framing up with Charlton on the right and whilst I held that framing I could see this figure of a police officer approaching from the left and knew I simply had to wait for him to enter the frame, and thats exactly what happened. I made just one frame on the Bobbies image, yet I now suspect in this age with a motor driven digital camera, todays sports photographer would probably have made more like fifty shots. Now, the image of Franco Baresi, the captain of Italy in 1994. He is coming up to get his second place medal. You look at him and know that something is going on inside. He isn't showing any emotion – his switch is set to off. He's trying hard not to look angry, sad or pissed off. In fact, he doesn’t wish to be there, he would prefer if the ground would open up and he could crawl into the hole. He is about to get the medal put around his neck and its more like a noose. The World Cup is tantalisingly close, maybe less than a metre away but he has to ignore it and walk past it, but like the Two Bobbies there are no before or after images, it's simply one frame. As before, I framed up and simply waited until every element in the image came together. I suppose in a way it's rather like being well coordinated in a fashion clothing sense – everything working together, head to toe.