Gear Boutique, Carnaby Street 1967

This authentic 1960s photograph shows the Gear boutique, one of the best-known menswear shops of the Swinging London period. Founded in 1966 by John Stephen, widely known as the King of Carnaby Street, Gear became one of his most successful ventures and was soon copied by other retailers. The shop helped popularise sharply tailored, affordable menswear aimed at younger, style-conscious customers, with bold colours, narrow cuts, and a more commercial take on mod fashion. By the end of the decade, the Gear name had expanded beyond Carnaby Street into other parts of London and overseas, although its prominence declined as fashions changed.

To the left stands Morrells, the long-established hardware and decorating business, a reminder that Carnaby Street was never entirely given over to boutiques and youth fashion. The contrast between traditional traders and newer fashion outlets was part of what gave the street its distinctive character at its peak. Morrells survives today, trading from nearby Great Portland Street, making it one of the area’s longest-lasting retail names.