In 2011, George Heaton realized he could make a living by selling his art in the form of graphic-enhanced T-shirts appealing to the streetwear crowd in his native England and beyond.
Fast-forward 13 years and Represent, helmed by Heaton and his brother Mike, has seen its annual revenues grow from $63 million in 2022 to $100 million one year later through aggressive online sales and pop-up stores.
Now that the luxury streetwear label includes a full range of clothing, Represent is opening its very first store. And it has chosen West Hollywood, Calif., for its initial flagship.
The 3,100-square-foot space at 461 North Robertson Boulevard is in a trendy neighborhood shared with boutiques for H. Lorenzo, Maxfield and Chrome Hearts. The large space, filled with high ceilings and Restoration Hardware furniture, will also house an office for growing the company’s U.S. business.
The West Hollywood store will showcase the second drop of the brand’s summer collection that was shot in Joshua Tree National Park outside of Los Angeles. In addition, an exclusive drop of hoodies and T-shirts called the Robertson Collection will be at the retail outpost.
Los Angeles has always been important to the brothers. Mike Heaton said the siblings started visiting Los Angeles in 2015 after watching TV shows like “Entourage.” “We just wanted to experience that cultural fusion of music, aesthetic and style,” he explained.
Last year, the brand collaborated with the rock band Mötley Crüe on a capsule collection.
George Heaton has always known that Los Angeles would be an important ingredient in growing internationally. “From an early age, we have been heavily influenced by the style and culture of California. We somehow knew L.A. would be a part of our journey,” Heaton said in an email. “The concept [in West Hollywood] originally started out as a PR space, office and showroom. However, having spent more time in Los Angeles, it became apparent we needed a physical store.”
The new store will grow the U.S. beyond the 20 percent it represents in the Manchester-based company’s revenues. “We absolutely recognize we cannot manage international markets from the U.K.,” George Heaton explained. “We need to immerse ourselves in the culture and recruit stand-out local talent who really understand the market.”
Still, Great Britain makes up the brand’s largest market where Represent will open two stores in England this year.
Europe is the label’s second largest market, where the brand’s array of outerwear, T-shirts, hoodies, denim, cargo pants, puffer jackets, swimwear and shoes are particularly popular in Amsterdam and Prague. The streetwear label said it will commit to opening two physical stores a year going forward.
