Fashion
John Smedley unveils collaboration with actor Bill Nighy
Published
October 10, 2025
John Smedley has linked up with one of Britain’s best-loved actors, Bill Nighy, for a capsule collection “designed in partnership with someone who has been quietly loyal to the brand since the age of 17”.
He’s 75 now and for more than five decades has used the brand’s knitwear “as a foundational part of his wardrobe”.
It’s a first-of-its-kind creative collaboration for the brand and for the actor who “brings his enthusiasm and eye for detail to a collection that reinterprets signature silhouettes with a tailored nuance”.
The Bill Nighy for John Smedley collection launches on 17 October at Johnsmedley.com and in the brand’s London stores, priced from £200.
It’s actually unisex and features “a refined range of pieces designed with modern influences”. That means “larger collars, more prominent ribs, and subtle yet transformative tailoring cues”.
Included are “a sharply angled waistcoat and cardigan, conceived as a distinctive twinset — a nod to traditional suiting with a relaxed attitude”. Further key pieces include a cashmere and merino set of Long Johns (“a historically significant set of garments for the brand, and one of practicality for Bill who ensured they were included in the collection as he wears a pair on every set during his film projects”).
The palette is built around Nighy’s favourite deep navy and the fit is “unique, designed to be a shorter, boxier, unisex silhouette”.
The company also said that the detail of each piece “is driven by nuances of Bill’s personal and professional life featuring ‘Stay Modern’ as a statement of intent across product labelling and a bird motif originally an illustration of Bill’s drawn on every script throughout his career, re-imagined as embroidery details in various complementary hues across the range”.
Nighy said of all this: “If you’d told me when I was 17 that I’d be working with John Smedley to design a collection, I’d have arranged to be more cheerful in my early life. I wore John Smedley polos in the 60s and 70s in frontline defiance of the silk shirt open to the third button or the tie-dye T-shirts doused in patchouli oil. We were pioneers. As I got older, and Mod became Modernism they remained an essential item. If I do nothing else with my life, there will always be this. Don’t forget to Disco.”
And John Smedley MD, Jess Mcguire-Dudley, added: “Working with Bill was a true lesson in considered design — every decision was intentional, from fabric to fit. His genuine connection to the brand came through at every stage, from exploring the archive to the final fittings.”
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Following earlier increases in purified terephthalic acid (PTA), melt and PSF, Indian producers have now raised PFY prices. POY, FDY and PTY prices have been increased by ****;* per kg across all deniers and lustres with effect from March *, reflecting rapid cost pass-through amid heightened volatility in crude-linked value chains, according to the market sources.
In the previous weekly revision effective February **, ****, PTA was increased by ****;*.** per kg to ****;**.** per kg, while monoethylene glycol (MEG) was retained at ****;**.** per kg. Polyester melt prices were raised by ****;*.** per kg to ****;**.** per kg. Downstream PSF prices were also revised upward by ****;*.** per kg from March *.
May 2026 cotton settled at 64.59 cents per pound, down 1.02 cents. This marked the lowest settlement price for May contract since February 20, effectively erasing all gains made over that period.
Cotton futures on Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) fell over 1 per cent, with May 2026 settling at 64.59 cents/lb, the lowest since Feb 20, amid Middle East tensions and a stronger US dollar.
Rising inventories and risk aversion pressured prices.
Speculators cut net shorts, while crude oil surged.
ICE cotton traded mixed in early Indian hours today.
Total trading volume for the session came in at 73,225 contracts. ICE-certified deliverable No. 2 cotton inventory rose to 126,178 bales as of February 26, up from 119,457 bales the previous trading day.
The US dollar climbed to its highest level in over a month, making dollar-denominated commodities like cotton more expensive for international buyers and reducing export demand.
Market analysts stated that the Middle East conflict is putting significant pressure on cotton and that a broader risk-aversion tone is affecting the market.
On March 2, Iran continued launching attacks on US military bases across multiple countries in the Middle East, with explosions reported in several locations. An advisor to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed, with Iran threatening to strike any vessels attempting to pass through it.
US President Trump indicated that military action against Iran could last four to five weeks, while also expressing readiness for operations to extend considerably longer.
Major Wall Street indices declined on Monday as the conflict raised fears of disrupted global trade routes and renewed inflationary pressures. Analysts warned that investors appear to be rebuilding short positions in cotton, suggesting continued downward price pressure in the near term. The earlier May contract low of 62.86 cents per pound as a key support level that could be tested again.
CFTC data released the prior Friday showed that speculators reduced their net short positions in ICE cotton futures and options by 26,508 contracts in the week ending February 24, bringing net shorts to 48,922 contracts.
International crude oil and natural gas prices surged sharply on Monday following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with retaliatory actions forcing the closure of several energy facilities in the region.
This morning (Indian Standard Time), ICE cotton for May 2026 was traded at 64.75 cents per pound (up 0.16 cent), cash cotton at 62.59 cents (down 1.02 cent), the March 2026 contract at 62.59 cents ((down 1.02 cent)), the July 2026 contract at 66.75 cents (up 0.14 cent), the October 2026 contract at 68.18 cents (down 0.49 cent) and the December 2026 at 69.04 cents (up 0.12 cent). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trading recorded so far today.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
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