US menswear brand Untuckit has opened two London stores – in Long Acre, Covent Garden, and Westfield London – today in a move that founder Chris Riccobono said “made so much sense” despite the economic uncertainties in the UK.

Riccobono said the UK was the obvious choice for its overseas store expansion because of logistical reasons, the distance from the US and the number of British customers it already has.

The brand already ships worldwide and has plans in the pipeline for stores in France, the Netherlands and Mexico.

Untuckit has also opened a warehouse in Manchester to coincide with the launch of its UK ecommerce platform.

The brand, which predominantly sells shirts designed to be worn untucked, was founded in 2011 and has grown to 75 stores in the US and Canada over the last five years.

“There’s been a movement to casualisation in America,” Riccobono says. “And the UK is catching up.” The likes of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have recently introduced more casual dress codes, allowing men to be more experimental in their day-to-day wear.

Untuckit sells over 50 different sizes and aims for the in-store experience to be different from other menswear stores. As both UK stores are around 1,600 sq ft, all the designs and sizes cannot be on display.

At the back of the store is a rack of identical ‘try-on shirts’ allowing customers to find their ideal size and fit. Using an iPad or with help from a shop assistant, customers can then decide on what pattern or colour to choose, which is brought up from a stock room.

With a seating area, the latest men’s magazines to flick through and whiskeys and beer on request, Untuckit is aiming to appeal to its broad range of target customers aged 25-70.

Now the bricks-and-mortar stores are open for business, Riccobono says his next challenge is “getting the message out there and educating men that you can wear untucked shirts to work, casually or at a Michelin-starred restaurant” and still look smart.