we bonded on nights out at university — now celebrities wear our suits

Sam (L) and Julian (R) run Batch LDN making affordable smart casual suits (Picture: Batch LDN)

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Best friends Julian Osborne,31,and Sam Matanle,30,met while studying at university,and bonded over their love of late nights.

But after graduation,the pair headed to London — and swapped parties and hangovers for the corporate world.

Julian got a 9 to 5 in management,while Sam Matanle became an operations manager.

Then,in 2020,Sam approached his mate with an idea. He wanted to create a ‘smart-casual’ suit,without the designer price tag. Julian,who admits to having long-had a passion for fashion,loved the idea.

‘I went through all the typical teenage stages: from dressing in an emo-style with skinny red jeans and Vans; to wearing Topman buttoned-up polo shirts,’ he said.

‘Living and working in London we needed to be able to dress smart-casual,but doing so well was very difficult.

The Batch LDN team work together in their flagship London store (Picture: Batch LDN)

‘Our goal was to create a product that solves the problem of what to wear when you want to look good.

‘A suit you know you’re going to get compliments on and it’s more affordable.

‘We wanted to create an outfit for all occasions.’

But,Julian admits while the pair were enthusiastic,they lacked experience.

‘I hadn’t thought about designing clothes before and we had zero experience in the fashion industry,other than retail,’ he says.

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‘Often we’re guilty of focusing on what’s not working but you can’t knock what we’ve been able to achieve in the last three years and the shop in Covent Garden is the best example of that.’

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