L A Smith was established in 1857 in the heart of the City of London, as Lloyd Attree & Smith.

During the 1850s and 60s, the business grew to be one of London's leading manufacturers of shirts, ties and cravats. It was also an innovator, including registering the trademark "Nogatco" (the word 'octagon' backwards) for the original Mr Lloyd's invention of an octagonal silk cravat that could be folded different ways to show eight different designs.