Boden returns to its beloved classics – plus the six star buys to try now

During his 33-year retail career, Johnnie Boden has excelled at many things, from pear-print skirts to childrenswear to dressing the Princess of Wales. But what the bespectacled Old Etonian really excels at is apologies.

If the Inuits famously have 100 different words for snow, Boden has a similarly variegated language for saying sorry. “I made a catalogue of mistakes and felt like a fool,” he said last year, after the storied British fashion brand he founded in 1991 made a £4.4 million loss. “Sorry, I’m a complete nitwit,” he added in an email to his customers. “I effed up.”

Which, not to put too fine a point on it, he did. While some brands “eff up” by failing to move with the times, Boden could be said to have moved with them too slavishly, with all the velocity of a gazelle, minus its grace and finesse. By chasing trends too blindly, the brand frightened off its core customer, that loyal coterie of well-heeled middle-class women who weren’t interested in androgyny, utility or stealth wealth, and still rather hankered after a jolly floral print. “We forgot who we were,” Boden admitted. “We changed the product too much. We had less colour, we had shorter silhouettes and we had the sorts of products that were on trend, which is not very us.”

What is very “them” is quality. Like Marks and Spencer, Boden’s reputation is staked more on quality than it is on trends. Rather than copying the catwalk, what it excels at is distilling trends: discarding the most outlandish ones, cherry-picking those that fit their customer profile and – crucially – rounding off the edges so that said customer can integrate them into their wardrobe without fear. Boden Woman definitely doesn’t want to frighten the horses. She wants to look fashionable, but not in a fawning way.

The good news for her is that Boden is slowly getting its mojo back. Thanks to the long lead times that are standard throughout the clothing business, changes can take time to effect, but current signs are positive, with the company reporting an 18 per cent rise in sales in the first half of 2024. Womenswear sales are up by 35 per cent, fuelled by a 47 per cent rise in dresses. “We’ve truly turned the supertanker now,” said Boden, in a statement that was unusually apology-free.

In terms of what it’s getting right, firstly, it effectively addressed what it was getting wrong. It ditched menswear – a sensible move, given that every man in Surrey who wants a paisley-print shirt has probably already bought one. It stopped chasing the youth vote, ridding its womenswear of anything too short, edgy or monochrome. It also cut back on discounting, helping boost margins and returning it to profitability.

Having shed these hindrances, it then went back to doing what it does best. When it launched womenswear in 1992, Boden was an outlier. Now, it’s fighting for space in an overcrowded market. In the quest to provide women with smart, stylish and sustainably minded wardrobe solutions priced between £50 and £500, there are more knights in shining armour than there are fair maidens to dress. The “mid-market” is saturated with compelling British brands, from Me+Em to Jigsaw to Cefinn. And that’s before you factor in stiff competition from the French ones, such as Sezane, Sandro or Rouje.

If you want to succeed in this market, you must sharpen your offer, focus on what sells and above all, know your customer. When I interviewed Johnnie Boden in 2021, he baulked at the “yummy mummy” label that beleaguered the brand, saying it was “absolutely indisputable that most of our customers have children, but it feels too narrow a definition”.

Instead, he offered up a fictitious customer, Kate. “The defining thing about our characters is that they’re busy,” he said. “Kate is early 30s with children, probably a teacher, very busy. But what really defines our customers is their attitude. They’re optimistic. We’re an optimistic brand. Moody fashion is just not us.”

Which is probably why Boden’s autumn/winter 2024 collection is full of cheer. Yes, there are neutrals – no collection can or should be without its blacks and navys – but there are also plentiful cherry reds, sugar pinks and emerald greens.

Dresses come in floral or geometric prints (Boden has always been synonymous with print) but there are also plainer styles, in denim chambray or corduroy, priced between £110 and £140. Outerwear is plentiful, and runs the gamut from cream fleece gilets (£110) to military-inspired coats (£240). Footwear is particularly strong, and includes longtime Boden stalwarts such as colourful ballet pumps (£98) and suede Chelsea boots (£150), as well as more trend-led leather knee boots (£230) and mules (£120).

It’s also brought back its well-loved “Richmond” trouser, a cropped, narrow shape that fans adore. By staying true to traditional styles for which the brand is so well loved and offsetting them with just the right amount of newness, Boden should continue to do well.

Its marketing has also been polished. When you log onto the website, your screen is flooded with images of a curly-haired model in her 30s, beaming munificently as she fishes in a pond, frolics in a dell and strides purposefully past Cornwall’s famous Ship Inn.

It’s all Peak Boden, which is to say that acolytes will love it, and everyone else will roll their eyes. Whichever side of the picket fence you’re on, the images are strong, and tell a story. This is particularly important, given the reintroduction of the Boden catalogue, derided as a waste of paper by some but loved by others for its ease of use. In this digitised world, many would agree there’s something comforting about leafing through a lookbook.

It also appears to have swapped celebrity ambassadors (such as the broadcaster Lauren Laverne) for a network of “Boden partners” comprised of influencers and mumfluencers with loyal Instagram followings. Although when one of your biggest fans is the Princess of Wales, brand recognition is guaranteed. Another fan is Carrie Johnson, whose Instagram feed has recently been full of love for Boden. Obsessed with tank tops, sustainability and Falabella horses, the 36-year-old mother of three is the perfect ambassador for the brand. Although if Boden is trying to get away from the “yummy mummy” tag, he’s going to have to run a lot faster.

For the consultant and stylist Virginia Chadwyck-Healey, Boden’s biggest strength is its British Bulldog spirit. “I’ll never forget Johnnie telling me ‘You can never rest on your laurels – you’re only as good as your last collection’. When you have that awareness, a business will only ever remain on its toes. Johnnie has a fiendish loyalty to delivering for his customers, who are very vocal. These latest figures prove he’s listening to them, as well as to his own convictions, and giving them what they want again. I for one have my eye on a tartan skirt. And my favourite boots I’ve ever owned? Not a Chloe pair. My Boden pair.”

The six star buys at Boden now

1. Boots

Everyone wants a pair of brown leather boots this season, and these are comfortable as well as chic.

Knee-high leather boots, £230

2. Cardigan

A black round-neck cardie is an easy autumn wardrobe update, and this responsibly sourced cashmere one ticks all the boxes:

Cashmere cardigan, £140

3. Loafers

Similar to Gucci’s classic gold loafers, these are well priced and well suited to enliven any outfit:

Leather snaffle heeled loafers, £130

4. Jacket

Leopard is everywhere this autumn, and this jacket offers a quintessentially Boden take:

Military jacket, £180

5. Shirt

An oversized striped shirt is an ideal autumn purchase for work or weekends:

Relaxed cotton shirt, £80

6. Dress

This floral print is as close to leopard as it can be, without actually being leopard. Voilà: a nod to autumn’s biggest trend without being slavish:

Cord shirt dress, £135