How ‘mumsy’ British brand Boden broke the US: Label shunned by UK millennials finds success across the pond after the Princess of Wales and other stars championed its designs
- Boden, founded in the early 1990s, is enjoying enormous success in America
- While US millennials love the British brand, young people in the UK are less keen
- It is thought the Princess of Wales has helped the brand achieve record profits
Mail-order fashion brand Boden might not be top of the list for millennials in the UK when it comes to re-vamping their wardrobe.
But after the company recorded record sales in the US, it seems the quintessentially British brand has found its target market across the pond – and the Princess of Wales might well have something to do with it.
The brand, which Kate Middleton has chosen to wear on several occasions for public engagements, is known for its bold patterns and cute designs – and it is thought the US’s fondness for the British Royal Family that has fuelled sales for the brand across America, with some labelling the Princess of Wales the ‘antidote’ to celebrities like the Kardashians.
British brand Boden, which has had a resurgence in the US, has been worn by the Princess of Wales for several royal engagements including a visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2018 when she was pregnant with Prince Louis, during which she sported a red Boden coat (pictured)
Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh sported a patterned dress from Boden as she attended the brand’s 30th birthday bash in London last year
Actress Sienna Miller was spotted strolling in New York City last week wearing a pair of paperbag jeans from Boden, which originally retailed at £80
The Telegraph reports that last year, the brand founded by Johnnie Boden in 1991, recorded an enormous increased in sales from the previous year – jumping from £111 million to £134 million. In the rest of the world, its takings were significantly less impressive.
It is thought young people in the UK have tended to shun the brand for its ‘mumsy’ style – which perhaps isn’t helped by its old-fashioned catalogue model.
In particular, many UK millennials remember their own mothers ordering from the catalogue in the 1990s which has put them off. By contrast, people in the US of the same age do not have the same associations with Boden as it branched out across the pond later on.
The newspaper reports Boden’s US profits now ‘far outstrip’ the UK, with its pandemic offering appearing to have attracted a cult following for its ‘polished-but-not-too-glamorous’ designs that were easy to order online.
Radio presenter Amanda Holden arrived at a charity event for Global Make Some Noise in 2019 in a Boden t shirt and pink skirt
Glen Senk, chairman of Boden and US citizen, told the publication it was the brand’s Britishness that accounted for its thriving reputation across the pond.
He said: ‘Boden’s particular British sensibility does resonate with the US customer. We love British music, British theatre and television – and we love British fashion.’
Glen added that ‘thirty-something’ women in the US see Boden as a brand that is designed for them, whereas women of the same age in the UK don’t.
Another potential explanation for the rise of Boden in America is the fall of once-beloved brand J Crew, which had previously been popular with young people but declared itself bankrupt in 2020 when the world was in the grips of the Covid pandemic.
But one of the main reasons for Boden’s success in America has been put down to the Princess of Wales’s appearances in outfits from the British brand – both at in-person royal engagements and on Zoom during the pandemic.
In 2018, Kate, then pregnant with Prince Louis, wore a bright red collared coat on a royal engagement as she visited Great Ormond Street Hospital.
During the pandemic, she also appeared on Zoom calls for various engagements while wearing Boden outfits, including a £110 pink tie-neck blouse as she spoke to Jasmine Harrison, the youngest woman to sail the Atlantic Ocean solo, to mark International Women’s Day in 2021.
The Princess of Wales wore a £110 pink tie blouse from Boden as she joined a Zoom call to mark International Women’s Day in March 2021
Johnnie Boden (pictured in New York this month) admitted the Princess of Wales provided inspiration for new designs for his brand, which are put together with her in mind as their target customer
A few months earlier in November 2020, when the UK was in a month-long lockdown, the Princess of Wales sported a £75 blue scalloped cardigan from the British brand as she took part in a Zoom call to mark the end of her Hold Still digital exhibition.
And it seems Kate has started a trend among other public figures – with lots of UK celebrities stepping out in Boden outfits for big events.
In 2019, radio presenter and reality TV judge Amanda Holden dazzled in a brightly-coloured outfit from the brand – with a £48 multicoloured, striped t-shirt paired with a £70 pink belted miniskirt.
Amanda donned the outfit to attend a Global Make Some Noise charity event – and made a grand entrance in the outfit as she used a scooter as a walking aid, following an injury.
Made in Chelsea star and mother-of-two Millie Mackintosh also donned a patterned, high-collar maxi dress from Boden to attend the brand’s 30th birthday celebrations in London in September last year.
Most recently, Hollywood actress Sienna Miller stepped out in New York City in a grey turtleneck jumper and white paperbag jeans from Boden – originally priced at £80 but currently on sale for £40.
New York-based fashion writer Eloise Parker told the publication Kate was the ‘antidote’ to Kim Kardashian.
She said: ‘No mother of young children wants to roll to the school pick-up wearing skin-tight Balenciaga – but put on a print maxi dress or a trench like Kate does and you feel amazing.’
It seems the Princess of Wales has become an accidental ambassador for the brand through her design choices over the past few years, with Johnnie Boden recently admitting the brand’s bosses design clothes with a Kate-like figure in mind.
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