Just down the street from Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, and within walking distance of Porsche, Bentley and Rolls-Royce main showrooms is a discrete establishment owned by a man passionate about driving, classic cars and high quality clothing.

His name is Oscar Udeshi, and he’s produced a range of men’s clothing that includes shoes, shirts, trousers, gloves and sweaters, as well as a driving jacket to complement the company’s car coat and - I just know you were going to ask this - special boxer shorts, with reinforced stitching at ‘crucial stress points’.

The British-made shoes are available in two heights; high-cut to an FIA Standard with red Nomex stitching, and low-cut for those ‘long-distance’ moments. Both versions have ultra-thin, yet durable, non-slip soles with a rear ‘kicker’ and a right-side extension to prevent wear through extended heel-and-toeing. For the 4x4 driver Udeshi makes a slightly heavier version, with a Vibram sole (as used on the Special Forces boots) for winter.



The same level of thought has gone into the garments in the ‘Driven’ collection. The shirts are cut shorter with high side vents to prevent the owner sitting on them, while the breast pocket is deleted and sleeve pockets are introduced for sunglasses or a mobile phone, easily accessible with the seatbelt fastened.

The same feature is found on the sweater, knitted from fine gauge Sea Island cotton, while the extra-soft brushed cotton-linen fabric trousers have no hip pocket, are narrow cuffed to avoid catching, and have a lower waistband to reduce pressure on the stomach over long periods at the wheel.

Needless to say the soft lambskin driving gloves have been well thought out too, and feature 500 ventilation holes, having had all internal labels removed to eliminate the risk of chafing.

In addition to the ‘Driven’ collection there’s also a range of very high quality men’s footwear (that includes some innovative shoe trees), as well as more traditional suits and shirts, silver and silver/mother-of-pearl cufflinks together with some exceptional hand-woven silk ties. Very Classic Driver.

Finally, for those about to take delivery of their Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, or considering going top-down in the Ferrari Superamerica this summer, can we point out that an alternative to the exclusively woven fine Egyptian cotton and Irish linen shirting is a fabric developed by scientists with a million ventilation holes, for increased comfort on those scorching days of summer – that’s special construction allows the skin to be sun-tanned underneath.

Cool in both senses of the word.

For further information please visit www.udeshi.co.uk.

U D E S H I London
8 Davies St
London W1K 3DW

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: U D E S H I