Whistles is a women's contemporary fashion brand with more than 40 stores and 60 concessions in the UK, USA, Europe, Hong Kong, and Australia. It was founded in 1976 by Lucille and Richard Lewin. In January 2008, Jane Shepherdson, former

Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS o ...

director, signed a deal to purchase a 20 per cent stake in Whistles and was appointed as chief executive. The brand was scheduled to unveil its relaunch days before Lehman Brothers collapsed. It survived the subsequent global economic recession of 2008-2009, during which one of its largest backers, Baugur, went bankrupt. In March 2016, Whistles and its then-46 shops were bought by the South African retailer,

Foschini Group TFG Limited, also known as The Foschini Group, is a South African JSE listed retail clothing group, which trades under various brands and has more than 3,000 stores within its portfolio. It is headquartered in Parow East near Cape Town. In 201 ...

Product

In the past, the style of Whistles was described as having "a pretty but decidedly yummy mummy-ish air". Since Shepherdson's appointment as chief executive, the clothes were said to have cleaner silhouettes with a more sophisticated palette; "baby pinks and lilacs have made way for olives, camel, china blue, tea rose and yes, plenty of black – and the detailing has a quirky vintage feel rather than being fussy." After this successful rebranding, Whistles had effectively shifted directions from boho-chic, which Shepherdson felt was outdated, to "effortless" and

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

. Having attracted loyal and therefore older customers for some time, their goal was to target younger customers, "between 25 and 45," who are "confident about fashion, has their own innate style, knows what she wants to look like, quite independent, works in creative industries like media, fashion, the arts." Unlike a number of brands at parent company Topshop, Whistles is not considered to be fast fashion, citing the needs of older customers in professional careers who want more expensive clothes that last longer while still retaining "the excitement of trends". The clothing and accessories can also be bought through

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...

in the United States. At retailers that sell Whistles products, customers can expect to pay anywhere within the ''contemporary'' or ''popular'' fashion price point.

Sustainability

In 2019, Whistles's Head of CSR and Sustainability, Francesca Mangano, outlined the brand's efforts to increase sustainability and decrease impact on the environment. In 2021, 55% of the corresponding year's collection "incorporated elements of responsible and lower impact materials," with 47% of the spring and summer and 53% of the autumn and winter collections incorporating "responsible materials". The sustainability efforts outlined include reducing the impact made on the planet's environment, protecting

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and fair labour standards, increasing inclusivity among employees, replacing fabrics with "more responsible fibres and lower impact alternatives", increasing responsible waste and chemical management, and collaborating with their suppliers to decrease environmental footprints left by transportation. Whistles is a signatory to the UK Government Modern Slavery Pledge, the End Uyghur Forced Labour Coalition, and participated in the

UN Global Compact The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is a princi ...

addressing the more than 400,000 seafarers stranded at sea due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

References

Clothing brands of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1976 Clothing companies established in 1976 {{Fashion-stub