“Retail has changed immensely; we prefer to offer a product and service that’s only available in person”
supporting us from the very beginning, and in some cases we are now serving the second generation of the same family. Staying one step ahead of fashion trends and customer demand has stood us in good stead for the past 36 years, and we hope it will continue to do so! Our flagship store is in Maidstone – a very
historically Hugo Boss; we are the longest- standing independent stockist in the country, which always impresses our customers! There’s currently a resurgence from the Italian brands as well; collections from the likes of Gran Sasso, Doucal’s and RRD (Roberto Ricci Designs) are proving incredibly popular with our customer base. Focusing more on high quality product and service and less on big brand names is certainly working for us.
Staying one step ahead Retail has changed immensely since the early days. With the birth of the internet and social media, the world has become a much smaller and more accessible place. As a company we have never been tempted to enter this fickle, fast-moving technological space; we prefer to focus on the needs of our regular customers and offer a product and service that’s only available in person. Some of those customers have been
affluent part of the country – and offers quality products for both the male and female discerning shopper. We have some very well- known famous people who like to shop with us, partly because we offer something different and partly because we treat them just as we would with anyone else that walks through the door. We continue to attract new customers with our quality-focused clothing brand mix and truly personalised customer service. It never ceases to amaze me how many new emerging brands are coming into the clothing and accessories market each year. Not all are household names… yet, but it’s exciting to see new trends coming through and to follow the journey of these growing brands. Alas, I wish the same could be said for fashion
footwear; unfortunately I feel the market has become a bit stagnant in recent years. How many variations of a trainer can we stock?! The industry is in need of a new Patrick Cox – or similar – to drive the footwear industry forward again. It’s easily said of course, but it happened once and it can happen again! The direction of our company is now down
to our son Ryan, who shares the same basic principles as my wife and I. Ryan started at Woods almost 30 years ago as Christmas cover while he was at college; I think his intention was
always to seek experience elsewhere before getting fully involved with the business, but he threw himself in and he’s been here ever since! And we wish him many, many years of success ahead.
Contact
Woods Designer Clothing 1 Royal Star Arcade, Maidstone, Kent. ME14 1JL
sales@woodsdesignerclothing.com
APRIL 2026 • FOOTWEAR & FASHION TODAY • 43
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