As shoppers flock to see the new Represent boutique in Manchester, brothers George and Michael Heaton can reflect on yet another milestone in their incredible journey to "building the best brand in the world." The self-made millionaires started the Represent brand in their home-town of Horwich with just £150 to make their own printed t-shirts.
Now, they lead a globally-recognised brand that this year has registered multi-million pound sales. Opening their first Manchester "lighthouse" for the brand, inside luxury department store Selfridges this month, is described as "placing the flag in the sand."
The brand has exploded over the past three years due to a huge boom in online sales, but it is all still based in the brothers' hometown in Bolton. They are in the midst of creating a stunning new headquarters for their 60 staff - complete with chef's kitchen and huge state-of-the-art gym - with plans to double the workforce in the year ahead.
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Having had such success online, the brothers are now looking at more physical stores across the globe - to "really give a presence of what Represent is," says George, 29. He and older brother Michael, 31, are "best friends" first and foremost, and are meticulous about every detail of the brand they have forged.
George says: "I was 18 when we started this, it has been going a long time but we've kept our customers from day one. We've always had that mindset to always be better, we nail it, and then we will always have bigger ambitions - the bigger you get the more you want.
"I think it's because we are so authentic as brothers and designers , everything we do is for the brand. The people who love the brand are like us too, and they're so into what we do.
"It doesn't feel like we're trying to sell clothes to anyone because people just get it. I started on the basis of making my own clothes, things that I would want to wear, in the most luxurious fabrics they can be, but at an affordable price point. Our aim has always been to build the best brand in the world."
It all started for the duo after both showed an early flair for drawing growing up in Bolton. They went on to study graphic design at Runshaw College in Leyland, and then the University of Salford.
When George was just 18, he had the idea to print t-shirts to show off their designs as part of a college project. From there, back in 2011, the idea was born for the brand that we see today.
They started promoting their clothing on the then fledgling social media platform of Instagram, and were able to naturally grow a following. Back in 2016 Justin Bieber wore the brand on his UK tour, and it snowballed with more celebrities, footballers and influencers wearing the brand, with the social feeds amassing a big following from dedicated fans.
George says: "It's a very engaged following, it's always been something organic to us. It's a good feeling to see people enjoying what we've created."
The brand was already making waves, but sales were plateauing around 2019. Then lockdown hit, and it saw the brand "explode" with online orders.
George says: "As a business we were turning over 8m and had goals of 10m. We plateaued in 2019, but then we've exploded since then. When lockdown started 2020 we were really able to pivot.
"We were such a small brand then, but we decided to start launching consistent products. Everyone was at home looking at their phones and so we were doing that every week, and we got this huge snowball of customers when a lot of brands just couldn't do that consistently.
"It made a new way of thinking for us and how we could run the business. Last year we turned over a record figure for us, and we aim to keep growing from here.
"We've got 60 staff in our headquarters in Horwich and we should be at 100 by the end of the year. It's a great time for the business, but there's pressures that come with that.
"The reason we stayed in Horwich is the brand is from here, and we wanted to continue the heritage. A lot of our original employees are still with us and they are local too."
As for the gym? George and Michael are well known for their passion for a exercise that they share on Instagram and following a healthy lifestyle - and want to enable their entire team to join in that ethos.
George said: "It's a 5,000 sq ft gym and we'll be putting on daytime and night-time classes too. It's such a big part of the brand and the lifestyle, that I want everyone who works with us to be a part of that too, that they can train when they want.
"Everything I want in my own life, I put into the business."
The UK stockists for the brand include high end department stores Flannels, END, Selfridges, Harrods, Browns and Harvey Nichols. And it's something they're passionate about expanding across the world.
George says: "It's about creating these lighthouses across the globe. We have a great partnerships in the UK and US, and we are looking to expand it globally where our customers can go in and really feel and see what the brand is about.
"When everyone is so consumed by the online presence of brands, there's no physical feeling there, but I want people to feel the product, be inspired by what it is and the brand's story."
The team will be heading to Los Angeles next for a collaboration with rock icons Motley Crue with a launch at the legendary Viper Room. Then there's new launches planned for home and beauty products too.
George and Michael still live together in a shared house in Horwich, which they make work as they're "always on different schedules". George says: "Being able to work with my best friends, and working with my brother, is what it's all about.
"When we were young we wanted to start a brand, we wanted to make some money and live a better life. We are at such a size now, there's so many people involved in the brand, with family and kids, that the decision making completely changes from being about us, to being about the whole team."
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