Every A-lister is wearing this streetwear brand right now

The Manchester headquarters of Represent, the streetwear label founded by George Heaton in 2011, seems fairly unassuming outside – your standard-fit commercial unit on the outskirts of Manchester. But walk inside and you’ll find it’s an homage to modern design – all polished concrete floors and glass walls flooding the space with light. The location feels fitting for this proudly British brand: Heaton was born and brought up in Manchester, and the HQ is only a short distance from the original Reebok foundations, another homegrown brand that quickly achieved international renown.
 
‘Being British was my way of being different to those labels I grew up wearing,’ explains Heaton. ‘I’ve always had a passion to create my own clothes from a young age [but] I was meticulous about the fit and feel of garments, something I felt has to go hand in hand with my artistic desire to design.’ (He was so particular when growing up, in fact, that he’d take clothes to his grandmother, a seamstress, to adjust and refine the fit to perfection. The label’s Essential Denim Fit, a relaxed take on the classic skinny jean, was in part a tribute to her).
  
The biggest point of difference from other streetwear labels is this homegrown spin. Heaton drew from classic British eras and palettes when designing. He was also insistent on using UK manufacturers as much as possible. It’s clearly a winning formula – offering luxury menswear at an affordable price point. ‘Represent can sit alongside the likes of Balenciaga and Amiri in stores such as Harrods, Harry Nichols and Selfridges, but be much more attainable to the customer,’ says Heaton.

Like so many businesses, the pandemic forced Represent to pivot its retail approach as shops were shuttered during lockdown. ‘It was a time where we had to show true grit,’ says Heaton. ‘We’d already placed our wholesale orders with our suppliers and factories, and had to decide whether to cancel production and wait it out or take that inventory direct to our customers through the website.’ They went with the latter and it was a move that paid off: sales rocketed by 300% online.
 
And as a nation now preoccupied with their health and staying fit, it was also a natural moment for Represent to begin producing activewear for its customers. Heaton started with designing the ‘247’ pant – made from a technical fabric that stretches four ways, but in a smart slim fit to take you seamlessly from the office to the gym. The 247 line has been growing ever since, and alongside these high-quality activewear basics, Represent provides a library of workouts, playlists and fitness plans available online (there’s also an app in the works for 2022). 
 
‘Training and wellness are my non-negotiables. [So] it made sense that we bridged that gap at Represent between fashion and functional activewear,’ says Heaton. ‘Fitness plays the most important part of building oneself, and that message is conveyed through the brand as a lifestyle.’ It’s hardly surprising that its pop-up at the newly opened Health Club in London’s Shoreditch House is already a success – tapping into the members’ appetite for chic yet functional activewear. So, what’s next? 
 
‘[On a brand level] we’re in talks about opening a flagship store, and the release of more 247 pieces along the mainline collection. For me personally, I’ll be joining 247 athlete Jake Dearden on a 10 marathons in five days challenge to raise money for the British Red Cross for Ukraine aid.’ A busy spring, for Heaton then – but one that will see the continued rise of Represent.