George Heaton talks Represent SS 18, Winston Churchill, and British Manufacturing

One of the big retail success stories in recent years is Represent, the British-made brand founded by brothers George and Mike Heaton. Their SS 18 collection at NYFW:M  was a little bit streetwear, a little bit athleisure, and very wearable while conveying a certain toughness in the wearer.

The show had an almost Roman arena quality, with stomping feet coming through the speakers. There was a clear feeling of British strength in the building. We spoke to George after the show about that.

And while it doesn’t relate to anything, really, we just want to throw this out there: George’s watch and necklace contained hypnotizing universes of diamonds. Respect.

SHOP: Represent

You’ve got it on your clothing: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” What does that Winston Churchill quote mean to you?

It’s not about war, at all. It’s about British victories. It’s flying a flag for Britain. There’s nobody else doing it, getting everything made in Britain. That’s a real big thing for us. It’s been successful for us.

What does British made mean?

It means as much as we can get made in Britain, we do. All our clothing’s made in Britain. All our outerwear’s made in Britain. The only thing at the moment is our denim and footwear, which is now in Italy. I can’t get anything done in Britain with footwear at the moment, it’s such an intricate thing to do, there aren’t any factories that can do it.

Why is it important to you?

It’s just heritage, isn’t it? We like to take it with us wherever we go.

What was the concept of the sound design today? The stomping made it seem like we were outside a giant arena.

It was based off our graphics, the Winston Churchill graphics. So it was more a rally than random noises. I wanted it to look like that. We use heavy footwear, heavy soles. I wanted it to have that feeling.

What’s one style move you think more guys should try?

That’s a hard one. I’m not a risky guy with what I like to wear. But the way we style the shows, we mix and match a lot. I would say wearing shirts with joggers: a smart top with a more chilled-out sport pant. A button-up shirt with a classic jogger. Go for it.

via http://ift.tt/2uj2DnJ