Stutterheim x Whistles - Limited Editions - Shop – Stutterheim Raincoats. Whistles goes eco-chic in collaboration with Ciel. Rejuvenated high street chain, Whistles launches its first eco collection with sustainable label, Ciel. BY Hilary Alexander | 20 June 2011 A model wears silk dress, £150, Ciel for whistles.co.uk. Dress, £150, whistles.co.uk. Knickers, £45, whistles.co.uk. Whistles, the high street boutique chain and one of Kate Middleton's favourite shopping destinations, which was re-energised by retailing supremo, Jane Shepherdson, has launched its first capsule eco collection in conjunction with Ciel, the award-winning, Brighton-based sustainable label.
The collection comprises eight summer beachwear pieces made in beautiful vintage 'art-prints' through a collaboration with Ciel and the Liberty archive. The delicate feather prints, in turquoise, orange or violet colour combinations on organic silk, are used for two different styles of 70's-look beach-dresses - one a halter-bandeau, the other a button-through, sleeveless smock - both with matching side-tie knickers. Whistles Launch First Unisex Collaboration. After successfully adding a menswear range to their artillery for autumn/winter 2014, Whistles have revealed their first offering to please both sides of the fence.
Teaming up with niche Scandi rainwear brand Stutterheim (fans include Kanye West and the ELLE fashion team) the result is two sleek yet simple raincoat designs. Buy the navy with orange and white stripes for yourself, and the grey with white and black stripes for your boyfriend to craftily acquire both. We’re all familiar with Whistles' dreamy, directional collections, but for those who don’t frequent the menswear section (or venture to Stockholm) too often, Stutterheim is a Swedish rainwear brand, founded in 2010 by Alexander Stutterheim. Inspired by his fisherman grandfather, the coats are simple, timeless and, oddly, sexy. ‘Whistles collaborations are about finding experts in the market and working with them to produce beautiful, functional, carefully crafted exclusive pieces,’ said Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson. Drapers Retailers: Retailers in the fashion industry.
CEO Talk | Jane Shepherdson, Chief Executive Officer, Whistles | CEO Talk. LONDON, United Kingdom — Perhaps it’s not surprising that, in her spare time, Jane Shepherdson does flying trapeze in Hoxton, smack in the heart of achingly hip East London. Right from her earliest days in the fashion industry, Shepherdson has been known for taking risks and having her finger on the pulse of what’s cool. After getting her start as an assistant buyer at Topshop, back in 1984, Shepherdson spent twenty years working her way up the ladder to become Topshop’s brand director, effectively overseeing the retail, product, finance, HR and property departments of a company that, under her leadership, was transformed into a globally recognised brand, emblematic of the dynamic nature of British high street fashion. But in 2006, one week after Topshop boss Sir Phillip Green announced a now-defunct fashion collaboration with Kate Moss, Shepherdson abruptly resigned.
Shepherdson’s next move was closely watched. BoF: Let’s start with the results. JS: The results are good. BoF: Really? Fashion retailer’s radical change of clothes. Whistles’ existing customers were not happy with her decision to overhaul the company’s collection of dowdy dresses. However, the move did attract younger shoppers. And Whistles’ latest results show the strategy has paid off. Underlying UK sales rose 20pc and the company returned to the black with pre-tax profits of £1.1m. The brand has also won strong reviews from the fashion press for its mix of contemporary casual and workwear for women.
The company’s customers are now typically aged between 25 and 50. Ms Shepherdson says the entire clothing range has been changed since 2008, and only one in 10 Whistles customers of five years ago still shops there now. “When we took over it was a brand that had lost its relevance with contemporary women,” she says. The retailer has 90 stores and concessions in the UK, including 48 standalone sites, and after reinventing the company Ms Shepherdson now aims to grow it. Ms Shepherdson believes that Whistles could grow to 60 standalone stores in the UK.