“On trend” is a term that crops up with unfailing regularity in style speak, because to paraphrase The Kinks, there will always be dedicated followers of fashion. But as the same powerhouse names peddle their hype from Kensington to Kota Kinabalu, there are some establishments that have long favoured a more considered approach.

London-based Connolly started life in 1878 as a saddle maker, later becoming the go-to currier for luxury British automotive companies including Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce, before expanding into a fully fledged lifestyle brand in 1995 under the guidance of owner Isabel Ettedgui.

For Ettedgui, Connolly’s ace card has always been designing to transcend seasonal shifts in taste and, crucially, go the distance, whether it’s the supple leather seat of a DB5 or a capacious cashmere coat.

‘I don’t believe in overproduction,’ says Ettedgui. ‘I do believe in paying for quality and knowing all of my makers. I hope to create pieces that will never date, that will always have an intrinsic beauty and relevance.’

This “buy less, buy better” mantra is a philosophy that many brands are now pushing in the wake of greater consumer consciousness as we face the daily doom scroll about the plight of Mother Earth. At Connolly, however, it’s always been ingrained in the fabric of the business.

But for a brand that is the antithesis of flash-in-the-pan consumerism, it is, subconsciously, a trendsetter. In 2010, after the passing of Isabel’s husband, Joseph, who had bought the business a decade earlier, the Connolly flagship on Conduit Street was shut and Ettedgui thought about her next move. ‘There was so much good will after we closed and my daughter kept telling me her friends were wearing their fathers’ old Connolly pieces,’ says Ettedgui.

So, when she came across a vacant site at 4 Clifford Street, Mayfair, she knew it was time for the next chapter and since the store’s opening in 2016, the thoroughfare has become a mini mecca for other under-the-radar brands specialising in quiet luxury.

While completely redesigning the building – which is also her home – Ettedgui set about assembling a team that shared her vision, from Parisian fashion designer Marc Audibet – a progenitor of minimalism in the ’80s – to leather goods wunderkind Couli Joubert, an alumnus of Maison Margiela and Hermès. Lorraine Acornley, former creative director of one of Scotland’s most prestigious woollen labels, Begg x Co, was appointed head of knitwear – a genre central to the Connolly offering.

‘Finding the right creative team gave me enormous confidence to create a new-look Connolly based on our old values but moved forward to appeal to a cross-generational and fluid audience,’ explains Ettedgui.

This idea of re-tuning heritage codes for the 21st-century dresser is evident in the autumn/winter 2022 collection’s overblown checks and houndstooths and chunky-purl knitwear. So too is the fluidity that Ettedgui describes, with the brand’s continued “Shared Wardrobe” concept, a unisex line introduced a decade before “gender-fluid” became a buzzword in the industry.

Autumn/winter 22’s overarching theme revolves around mountain living, tapping into Ettedgui’s love of loden – a hardwearing woollen cloth originally worn by farmers in the highlands of the Austro-Italian Tyrol. Sporty submariner rollnecks, Fair Isle knits, easy-fit trousers in earthy hues from burgundy to pine shadow green all tip a brim to the alpine and après lifestyles.

Outerwear – a genre the brand excels at –stands out on its own merit whether it’s the undyed quilted Snow parka or Bertie coat, inspired by a country cover-up worn by the Duke of Windsor in the 1930s, but refashioned for contemporary tastes. ‘We cut it in a more modern way – sharper, yet still with a good drape,’ explains Ettedgui.

Perhaps the piece from the line that exemplifies Connolly’s championing the best of British craftsmanship is its handmade organic cashmere vest, produced from a rare clip of Britain’s only cashmere goat herd – and one of the last we’re likely to see as the long-term supplier is now retiring their animals after a challenging few years. There has been just enough from the clipping to produce eight hand-knitted, chunky vests, that are, quite simply, cloud-soft, slouchy perfection.

While the superbrands pursue their strategy of rule by fad, it’s clear from the seamless workmanship of the collection that Ettedgui and her team are in this to create something more meaningful – a wardrobe for life. Because some things never go out of style.

Connolly, 4 Clifford Street, London, W1S 2LG; connollyengland.com