Boden (clothing)

Boden is a London-based clothing company, founded in 1991 by Johnnie Boden. Their clothing and accessories are available through mail order, online and telephone in the UK, US and Germany. Boden also has two shops in London and Surrey. Boden products are only available direct from the company. The company has warehouses in Leicester, UK and Pittston, Pennsylvania, USA

History

Boden was founded by Johnnie Boden in 1991 and initially launched with eight menswear products. Womenswear was introduced in 1992. Childrenswear (Mini Boden)^[1] was bought in 1996 From Kate Barton who then became the chief designer. The website www.boden.co.uk was launched in April 1999. In 2002, the company expanded to America, and launched the US website, which now accounts for 30% of sales. Boden’s first shop opened in 2004 in Hanger Lane, London. The company launched a baby range in 2007. Boden’s second shop in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey opened in 2007. The company began trading in Germany in 2007, and launched www.bodendirect.de, the German website. Boden recently launched a new line for teenagers, called Johnnie B. This line features clothes from 10 to 16.^[2]

Products

Boden has a reputation for designing bright, attractive clothes for the upper middle classes <[1]>, <[2]>. Its collections are made up of the Boden range for men and women, Johnnie B for teenagers 10 - 17, Mini Boden for girls and boys aged 2–14 and Baby Boden for newborns to two-year-olds; new collections are launched every season.

Financial performance

In the summer of 2007, with more than a million regular customers, Boden announced a 60% rise in profits as its sales increased by 25% to £128.5m. The firm employs over 600 staff including newest model ^[3]. <[3]>

References

• Retail's most influential. Evening Standard. 2007-11-29. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• The dawn of the Boden family. The Journal. 2007-08-20. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• 'Tim Nice but Dim' turned into a tycoon, very casually. The Sunday Times. 2007-07-29. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• Catalogue king taking on the High Street. Evening Standard. 2007-07-27. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• You've got mail: Catalogue shopping comeback. The Daily Mail. 2007-08-06. Accessed 2007-12-20.
• How an old Etonian came to dress middle England. The Guardian. 2007-03-18. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• Explore best 100 companies. The Sunday Times. 2007-03-11. Accessed 2007-12-14.
• Why I get my kicks from a catalogue. The Daily Mail. 2007-02-07. Accessed 2007-12-19.
• If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The Telegraph. 2006-11-20. Accessed 2007-12-14.
• The Hooray who became a middle-class style guru. The Spectator. 2006-06-14. Accessed 2007-12-19.
• A middle class catalogue boom. Evening Standard. 2005-09-09. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• Focus: Johnnie English. The Times. 2003-03-18. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• Boden's way. The Guardian. 2003-05-14. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• Boden family values. The Telegraph. 2002-12-28. Accessed 2007-12-17.
• All bodes well for Boden. The Telegraph. 2001-11-10. Accessed 2007-12-17.

1. ^ Mini Boden
2. ^ http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,2033046,00.html
3. ^ Jordan Jay Victor Harrison

External links

• Boden's US website
• Boden's UK website
• Boden's German website
• The Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity