British luxury brand Represent, announces launch of 'Represent Woman' and appointment of Female-Led design team

It’s been 2 years in the making, undergoing endless developments and evolutions, but Represent’s first-ever fully-realised womenswear line, Represent Woman, is fin here. Though the brand’s menswear collection, spanning its core Initial line, Owners Club, and 247 has snowballed to amass a huge fan base in women across the globe, founders George and Mike Heaton’s plan was always to create a dedicated collection built on the Represent DNA but offeri something completely unique and new – a stand-alone edit informed by but not indebted to the men’s collections. As co-founder George Heaton puts it, it was never something that the team wanted to do “in a lacklustre way”. “We wanted to come at it like a storm,” he says.

The debut women’s collection takes the established codes laid out by Represent across the last decade – the clean lines, considered design, and bold graphics – and feeds them through a new, contemporary prism to give the Represent woman her own identity. She may be inextricably linked to the Represent man, but when it comes to the clothes she wears, she’s committed to doing her own thing. It was never a case of simply translating the menswear like for like into a women’s line – instead, her wardrobe compliments that of her counterpart rather than becoming a carbon-copy.

Importantly, a new womenswear team has been assembled within Represent, headed up by designer Toni Purdie. Toni cut her teeth at Topshop during the high street giant’s 00s golden era working across its elevated Unique and Boutique lines and has a deep understanding of what women actually want to wear. For co-founders George and Mike, it was a no-brainer to bring in a female designer to lead them forwards in this new direction. “We have no real experience of that and we definitely didn want to just create menswear for women,” George explains. “The creative direction between us is 50/50 between Toni and myself and Mike.”

The collection itself still has its roots in the casual sportswear aesthetic that underpins Represent, but it explores these codes in a more subtle way. Recognising a gap in the contemporary fashion landscape for cool, foundational pieces that are just as fitting for daytime as they are for night, To Purdie has created a capsule wardrobe that encompasses the needs of the modern woman. Leaning heavily into quality construction and craftsmanship, much of the collection is made in Britain using British-sourced fabrics, with the hardcore quality of the men’s line mirrored in the women’s offering.

“From joining the business as the sole womenswear team member armed with sketches and brimming with countless ideas, this journey has been two years in the making. Today, we are proud to have built a team of eight exceptionally talented women, each of whom has worked tirelessly to bring the Represent woman to life. It is with great excitement that we now launch the collection, a true testament to our collective dedication and hard work." Toni Purdie, Head of Womenswear - Represent

The debut SS25 offering from Represent Woman is entitled Overdrive and takes its cues from t icons of the 1960s speed driving scene both on and off duty. Slouchy, oversized hoodies that longer need to be ‘borrowed from the boys’ are turned out with soft fleece lining, having undergo months of development to get the fit and finish just right. Basics like racer-back vests and bo with clean cut-outs are elevated in premium cotton, and denim comes in linear cuts with minimal detailing – a jean jacket is blown up to become just a little bit oversized, while the jeans themselves are presented with a louche barrel-legged silhouette. Nothing is restrictive – like the menswear line, Represent womenswear balances comfort and cool.

There are also a series of more unexpected moments within the collection. A simple, spaghetti-strapped slip dress is printed all over with an abstracted print depicting rows of runners, as part of a subtle nod to the roots of Represent. Taking it away from sportswear, the style is crafted from 100% silk. “We really wanted some unexpected materials in the mix with the womenswear to differentiate it from the men’s,” says Toni. “It’s all about keeping the DNA but elevating it in a new way.” Also bearing this print is a boxy bowling shirt that can just as easily be thrown on with the collection’s long-line stonewashed denim Bermuda shorts as it can be chucked over a bikini on a day at the beach. The palette throughout is pared-back to hues of nude, stone, mushroom, and indigo.

“We’ve had ambition to launch women’s for many years. Unisex has been a strong trend for such a long time so we already have a pretty extensive customer base. Plus, our strategic partners such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, END. and Flannels have constantly been requesting that we do women’s.

We like to go fast at Represent, however we knew with women’s we have to do it in the right way, so we had to be patient, invest in the right team, put time into the development of the collections and ensure we are coming with a complete offer for the Represent woman." Paul Spencer, CEO - Represent

Spanning over 30 styles, Overdrive is just the start. Represent Woman is no flash-in-the-pan attem at forging a new path, with George and Mike Heaton committed to it becoming a long-haul journey. Launching on February 12, the offering has been given an expansive dedicated space in Represent flagship stores in Los Angeles and Manchester, and is also set to take over Selfridges with exclusive pop-up. “We always wanted Represent to be the full package, and the womenswear collection has completely exceeded what we thought it could be,” says George. “We know it will come with a lot of challenges, but we are so excited to see it launch.”

Represent Woman launches 10th February with an exclusive pop-up at Selfridges and 12th February online and global stockists.