LONDON — Represent, the fast-growing British menswear label that’s said to have attracted the attention of fashion investors, on Saturday will unveil its latest flagship on the luxury-filled New Cathedral Street, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Selfridges, Paul Smith, Canada Goose and Harvey Nichols in downtown Manchester.
Occupying a two-floor space that used to house Burberry, the 5,419-square-foot store will be the brand’s first permanent location in the U.K. The company opened its first outpost in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, in March.
A hoodie and a T-shirt will be exclusive to the Manchester store.
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George Heaton, founder and creative director of Represent, said the flagship will operate as a concept store and provide a bespoke shopping experience to customers.
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“The aesthetic mirrors the L.A. store — a minimalist white interior, much like our spaces in retailers such as Selfridges and Harrods, with a three-meter-tall version of our signature ‘R’ initial on the wall,” Heaton added.
The opening marks a homecoming moment for the brand, which was founded by Heaton and his brother Mike in Manchester 13 years ago.
“As we continue to grow as a brand, opening our first physical U.K. store was a natural progression. We have done lots of pop-ups and opened a permanent shop-in-shop in Selfridges in February 2023. The demand was high; long queues and people camping overnight, it was clear that there was a need for a physical store, and given that Represent was born in Manchester, and it’s where our global headquarters are based, the city was the only choice — it is in our DNA,” Heaton said.
The store will carry a full range of the brand’s offerings — priced around 795 pounds for a leather jacket, 205 pounds for a pair of shoes, to 100 pounds for a graphic T-shirt — with the second floor dedicated to its performance range, 247 by Represent, the fastest-growing part of the business. It’s projected to account for 14 percent of total revenues by the end of 2024.
The retail expansion comes after a period of sustained growth fueled by weekly drops online and in prime retail partners. The brand was ranked the 68th fastest-growing private company in the U.K. by The Sunday Times earlier this year.
With a compound annual growth rate of 81.4 percent from 2020 to 2023, the brand’s turnover was measured at 81 million pounds last year, up 67 percent year-over-year. It is set to reach 100 million pounds by the end of 2024, Heaton said.
“Our goal for the next four years is to increase this to 250 million pounds by 2028,” he added.
In September, the brand unveiled a new permanent space on the menswear-focused second floor in Harrods.
For its London flagship, first reported by WWD, the brand will take over a more than 5,000-square-foot space that used to host Princi, the Italian dining concept acquired by Starbucks in 2016, at 135 Wardour Street next spring.
Heaton also teased that next year Represent will team with a major global sports brand for a collaboration. Before that, it will first drop a capsule with a luxury British heritage brand, known for its motorcycle outerwear.