Northern consumers spending £1,000 a time on designer brands focusing on casual and lifestyle products as they continue to ‘dress down’

Designer brands that focus on casual and lifestyle products are booming as affluent Northern consumers spend £1,000 a time ‘dressing down’ in the wake of the Covid lockdown, according to a leading designer clothing firm.

Since Accent Clothing, an award-winning family run independent business specialising in selling designer clothing online and in-store in Leeds reopened in April, it has noticed ‘significant changes’ in buying habits of both men and women.

Young consumers are increasingly spending £1,000 or upwards in a single visit to the store, reflecting the pent-up demand post-Covid.

But they are shunning formal wear in favour of designer hoodies, sweatshirts and trainers, reflecting the fact that working from home is continuing to be the norm for many people.

In response the store has added in several new brands to enable it to reach a younger, more fashion-led client base while maintaining its core business in denim and outerwear.

The store has shifted its trading focus to online channels in the pandemic, seeing significant growth, and is planning a major website and brand relaunch in October.

Ian Kelly, the newly appointed commercial director of Accent Clothing, said customers, particularly men, were investing higher sums in casual and lifestyle products, reflecting the continuing trend for people to work at least some of the week from home rather than going into an office.

‘Formal office clothing has been on the way out for several years now, and the Covid pandemic has accelerated the trend,’ he said. ‘Consumers have been working from home – and in many cases, will continue to do so even as Covid restrictions are lifted. Our sales suggest that they are preferring to dress down or be more casual, but still want to wear premium brands and are buying into high price point items.

‘Brands including CP, Belstaff, Billionaire Boys Club and BALR have had strong sales performance over recent months due to the increase in demand for our casual offerings. People want hoodies and sweatpants, but they want designer labels.’

Accent Clothing has also seen a ‘huge demand’ for trainers, with sales increasing 30% compared to pre-pandemic, which it expects to grow further.

‘We have introduced higher price point brands to meet with the market demand of having a luxury sneaker offer within the men’s business,’ Mr Kelly said. ‘Mallet, Filling Pieces, Android Homme, Paul Smith and Oliver Sweeney are now our key footwear brands driving the business.

‘We have also increased our denim brand portfolio with several luxury denim brands: Paige, 7 for all Mankind, Jacob Cohen and Purple Brand. We have always had a very strong denim business and now with customers looking for more niche higher price point items, we felt it was the right time to add these brands to the assortment.’

Womenswear has seen a similar growth in casual and lifestyle brands. There has also been particularly strong demand in British heritage brands such as Barbour and newly introduced label Holland Cooper, achieving high sales figures. Following this, Accent Clothing has introduced the Barbour ‘Modern Heritage’ collection, making it one of the few independent retailers in the country to offer this limited collection.

Building on its position as the leading women’s denim destination in Leeds, the store has introduced premium denim brands Paige, 7 For All Mankind and Good American. It plans to introduce a wider range of washes and fits as the female customer continues to become more adventurous with denim.

‘Following the slow return and reopening of society, our women customers are rediscovering the joy of dressing up and are integrating the lockdown uniform of sweats and loungewear with fun, new updates to their wardrobe in a high/low approach to styling,’ Mr Kelly said. ‘Catering to this we have introduced graphic activewear brand PE Nation along with Instagram favourite, British brand Olivia Ruben into our brand mix. This signals a new direction for Accent womenswear, expanding the contemporary lifestyle offer for a younger generation.’

Mr Kelly said the biggest growth in terms of the customer base is the 25 to 35 age range.

‘They are now starting to go out to bars and clubs and also to travel again. They are looking for new items to add to the wardrobe and have not been price sensitive when shopping. Typical clients can come in and spend upwards of £1,000 in a single visit to the store,’ he said.

He added there were ‘big plans’ for Accent over the next two years, mirroring buying trends accelerated by the pandemic.

‘To capitalise on our new digital customer base we have invested significantly in re-platforming and updating our website, which will relaunch in October this year alongside our rebrand of the Accent logo.

‘We are known for our denim and outerwear offer which we are strengthening further with the introduction of several new brands, all of which will be available both in store and online.

‘Our loyal customers love the personal relationships they have built with us in store over the years, and we really want to ensure that personality and depth of product knowledge is echoed on our online channels.

‘We are building on our customers’ love for casual and street wear brands and constantly adding in new brands to our assortment. Our denim sales are up compared with last year and we are seeing early demand for outerwear as customers prepare for the upcoming winter months.’
The women’s department will see significant change over the coming months with the addition of several new brands to meet the demand of Accent’s fashion clients. Accent’s new women’s buyer Cellina McIntyre has recently joined the team with a wealth of experience in luxury retail and will be responsible for sourcing new brands.

Matt Haycox, the serial entrepreneur and investor behind Accent, said: ‘With its new top team in place, Accent is perfectly placed to respond to the changing demands of the post-pandemic consumer.

‘I have shopped there for 25 years and am a huge fan of their clothing so it’s a dream come true for me to now be involved in the business as an investor.’

Accent Clothing is an award-winning family run independent business, specialising in selling designer clothing online and in-store. Considered ‘denim specialists’ and situated within Queens Arcade in Leeds City Centre, the store houses a warm and social atmosphere that filters through to the shop floor and its customers. Accent takes pride in sourcing garments and accessories that contribute to making customers feel special and unique. More importantly, Accent staff aim to build a rapport where possible with all customers. Its goal is to provide a first-class service without being intrusive and build long-term relationships with clients.