Daniel James was born in London in 1959‍ From 1975 to 1980 he trained as a theatrical Costumier and make-up artist working for the likes of Kate Bush on the lion costume for the album Lion Hart and with the movie Director Ken Loach as assistant make up artist on the film Black Jack.

He established Daniel James Designs in 1982 after he and his night club business partner opened the original Skin Two' night club in Soho London.
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He quickly realized there was a market for couture rubberwear and with features in Vogue' Elle' & The Times he rapidly emerged as the leading designer and manufacturer of haute-couture rubberwear.

Through his extensive experience of this unique material Daniel James has perfected manufacturing techniques unprecedented in quality. For the first time he successfully combined the traditional restraints of fetishism with the aesthetic elements of classic fashion.

At Daniel James' Kensington shop his clients ranged from the very private collector to international celebrities including Cher, Lauren Hutton, Bianca Jagger, Zandra Rhodes.
He has also created costumes for Clairol. Honda, Pirelli, Toyah  & Bob Carlos Clarke.

In 1989, Daniel James moved on to open his first high-end T-shirt shop in Fulham, London. Over the next few years, he expanded by opening shops on King's Road, Chelsea, Sloane Street, High Street Kensington, Covent Garden, South Molton Street, and also a concession in Harrods.

His clientele included Elton John, Michael Jackson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lenny Henry, Mick Jagger, and many other celebrities.

Now, for the first time since 1986, his new collections are available to purchase online.