MEN
Are you noticing any particular
trends for the summer?
Yes! Floral shirts are in, I’m not
talking the gaudy Hawaiian style, but
a statement print shirt is definitely
trending this summer. We’ve got a
great selection from HUGO by Hugo
Boss, Oliver Spencer, Simon Carter,
Baldessarini and many more. I’m also
noticing a pastel trend, which is very
obvious in the collections we have from
Calvin Klein and HKT by Hackett.
Pastels are a great way to add a bit of
colour to your wardrobe. Personally, I
have been buying a lot from the new
HUGO range. I find the clothes very
versatile, so I can mix and match for
a
smart-casual look.
Sustainability in the fashion
industry has been a huge topic
recently, how is this reflected in
store?
Yes, this is a very important topic
and as a business, we are making a
conscious effort to push our brands to
be more transparent when it comes to
sustainability. As a retailer, we are not
involved in the manufacturing process,
so our responsibility is to make sure we
support brands that prioritise this. New
brand Selected Homme has a strong
stance on sustainability, which was a
key driver in us acquiring them for our
new menswear department. They say,
‘With craftsmanship at the heart of
everything we do, using more sustainable
fibres is a natural part of developing and
delivering our curated collections. To us,
sustainability isn’t merely an add-on. It’s
not a capsule collection, but something
that permeates every collection. Every
initiative. We strive for every collection
to be more sustainable than the last. This
is to underline the responsibility we take
for our future environmental footprint.’
We’re also awaiting the Selected Femme
collection arriving in our womenswear
department this summer.
SHIRT £91, BALDESSARINI
What has the response been like since
launching?
We have been a bit unlucky that our
launch landed almost exactly at the same
time as the COVID-19 pandemic and
lock-down. All of our plans for launch
parties and a big campaign to promote the
department opening have been delayed, as
well as shop-fits and stock being a bit all
over the place. Having said that, since reopening
we are seeing growth every week
as people are venturing out and awareness
of the new department is growing. With
lots of people working from home, we have
seen a shift not only in purchase behaviour
but also a drop in footfall. Loungewear
has been flying off the shelves, and during
the hot weather we had recently swimwear
and shorts did well. But smart-casual
collections are suffering, with people not
going into the office as much and not
going out for dinners or nights out. But
we’re adapting. We have a great range of
brands and products and we know people
will love it once life gets back to a bit more
normality. •
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