Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Fashion, Features

Adam LeRoy of Jump The Gun, Unsung Hero No.12

Aug 2, 2010
-
Posted by Nick Coquet

Brighton has been a Mecca for mods since the early 60s, and for the last 18 years Adam and brother Jonathon LeRoy have been tailoring to button-down Brighton’s sharp-suited requirements at Jump The Gun on Gardner Street.

Why has mod style remained such an enduring part of British fashion?
We’re really just an early 60s gent’s outfitters with a mod angle to it. It’s about the fit, the cloth and the cut. If you’re the right shape for what we do it’s brilliant. You don’t have to be a mod to wear it well, it’s a suit, a regular outfit that’s cut differently. It’s just about dressing well, not necessarily being a mod. John Steed in the Avengers, Michael Caine in Alfie, they weren’t mods, it’s just a cool, well-fitted look.

So are they clothes for skinny guys predominantly?
A lot of people who do this kind of niche market won’t be as hardcore about it as we are. We won’t manufacture to fit everybody. You can either fit into it or not, we won’t make big baggy shirts so everyone can buy one. Ben Sherman for instance do a slim-fit range, but it’s nothing like ours. Our jackets go up to 48″ but the trouser cut is pretty slim. If you can’t get into them you can always buy shoes and a hat…

Do you get a lot of trade from outside Brighton?
People travel unbelievable distances, we’re really the only proper mod shop left. Merc in London is fine, we’ve known them for 20 years and we started out selling their stuff about 15 years ago – we were the only people they’d wholesale to in the UK. But we gave up because we wanted it all to fit how we wanted, with no logos on it. We’ve been approached by people like Lambretta saying, this is perfect for you, but we’re a mod shop, it’s not about a label.

You do stock some outside labels though?
We stock a limited range of Loake shoes, they’re a great shoemaker. Fred Perry – we do a very limited range of what they do. The shirts aren’t what you buy on the high street, it’s an M12, made in the UK, a very specific shirt. The fit and the quality are different. Fred Perry is a very traditional shirt, that’s why we stock it, but it has to be an M12. We could sell loads more of that they do, and Ben Sherman target t-shirts, but we’re just not interested.

You don’t have very mod hair?
I always got stick for having an Elvis sticker on my scooter! Mod’s about doing your own thing, sometimes people say you can’t mix this check with that check but i don’t really care. I sell reasonably serious mod gear but if you want to wait it with a pair of brothel creepers, do what you like…

More Unsung Heroes: Click Hereunsungx

Unsung Heroes
Aug 2, 2010
Email
Nick Coquet
Nick Coquet is the former Deputy Editor of SOURCE. He also DJs on the radio, designs websites and stands about in the nude for life drawing classes. He's shaken hands with Meat Loaf and bumped into Keith Richards, just so he could say he's touched him.
← PREVIOUS POST
Secret Eater: Circus Circus
NEXT POST →
Consume: Immediate
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Jim Jones All Stars Review
    Oct 26, 2025

    Jim Jones brought his new band to Brighton and absolutely tore the place up with a blistering set of raw rock 'n' roll.

  • Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts Review
    Oct 21, 2025

    Expectations are high with a new Inspector Morse story on stage, sadly this is more a ghost of a Morse story, although die hard fans might enjoy it for the nostalgia.

  • The Lovely Eggs Interview
    Oct 15, 2025

    The Lovely Eggs tell us about their 20th anniversary, the new album and tour with Polite Bureax and some comedy legends supporting.

  • Ocean Film Festival Review 2025
    Oct 11, 2025

    A selection of beautifully shot short films covering diverse ocean lovers' passion for interacting with the sea.

  • Fractured Album Launch, Saturday 20th December
    Oct 10, 2025

    Fractured celebrate the release of their new album supported by Amelia And The Housewives.

  • 2:22 A Ghost Story Review
    Oct 7, 2025

    An evening of two couples having dinner together has never before been so gripping and enthralling, filled with tension, with the ultimate question: is their new house haunted or not?

  • Richard Hawley Review
    Oct 5, 2025

    As Coles Corner turns 20, Richard Hawley dazzled and delighted an up-for-it Worthing crowd with a 2 hour-plus set.

  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Adam LeRoy of Jump The Gun, Unsung Hero No.12 - Brighton Source