For a few American shopping addicts, brands like Topshop and ASOS induce just as much excitement as J.Crew or Club Monaco, but it's another thing to get your Midwestern mom to agree ("What shop? What sauce are you talking about?"). However, sales data shows that American consumers are becoming more and more interested in British brands and willing to embrace them with open pocketbooks, and brands like the aforementioned Topshop and ASOS might soon become household stateside names.
Unlike past invasion endeavors that attempted to tap into "American" sensibilities (Marks & Spencer's 1988 buyout of American shop Brooks Brothers filled the tie-and-suits brand with — gulp — khakis), British brands today are finding that relying on their special, local flavor is enough to send us Yanks swarming.
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Said Ian Geddes, U.K. head of retail at consulting company Deloitte LLP, "U.K. retailers that are succeeding have a strong, differentiated brand positioning that is well understood by the American consumer." Think about it: Upscale mass shops in the United States just don't have that quirky, cheeky, super-trendy vibe that Brit brands do, and lower priced stores like Forever21 just don't offer the same quality as Topshop and ASOS.
What does this mean for us? There are plans to expand Topshop and Topman to 20 locations in the U.S. And, ASOS will direct more of its attention to capturing U.S. audiences (brick-and-mortar pop-up shops, anyone?). And expect to see a rush of stores like Superdry and Jack Wills crop up alongside Abercrombie & Fitch and J.Crew. If that means we'll soon be able to pick up cropped floral co-ords along with our pastel button-ups, color us chuffed! (BoF)
Photo: Courtesy of Topshop