Cotton Traders is a Business Reporter client
The fashion retailer follows a new brand direction with revitalised product ranges amid a phase of growth.
As premium fashion brands continue to post losses, British fashion retailer Cotton Traders is bucking the trend and building on its renewed momentum in the market by delving into new product territory while also harnessing its heritage.
The business has onboarded Melanie Harries as its new Buying & Merchandising Director to spearhead this investment in product strategy, with a focus on expanding its men’s and women’s collections through new lines that combine timeless style with a modern edge, driving appeal with a younger 50+ demographic.
Across its 38-year history, Cotton Traders has become synonymous with quality, comfort, attention to detail and inclusive sizing, remaining passionate about catering to different body shapes for men and women.
Colour and style continue to sit at the heart of its design ethos, and this is now evidenced in a brand new activewear collection, which is set to launch in December 2025. The collection blends functionality with fashion, offering inclusive sizing, flattering fits, premium fabrics and a fresh modern colour palette.
This new direction reinforces Cotton Traders’ commitment to provide thoughtful, well-made clothing across every category, as well as open brand engagement with its younger target audience – something it has been increasingly successful at over the past 24 months with the help of brand ambassadorial support from the likes of the BBC’s Alex Jones, actor Will Mellor, and A Place in the Sun’s Jasmine Harman.
Activewear has become increasingly popular with people aged 45-65 in the UK, but category spend has yet to reach anywhere near its full potential. Cotton Traders is perfectly placed to capitalise on this trend thanks to its established customer base and ability to connect with new audiences, having recently pivoted its positioning strategy with its Full of Surprises marketing campaign – a move that has been extremely successful in driving new consideration for the brand.
Having famously seen Nelson Mandela wear a Cotton Traders top during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the business is also going back to the roots of its founders and former rugby pros, Fran Cotton and Steve Smith, with the introduction of a new unisex heritage rugby collection launching in spring 2026.
The range will see classic styling paired with premium material for several limited-edition lines, with the success of the recent British & Irish Lions tour and increasing popularity of the Six Nations and women’s rugby driving demand for rugby-related clothing. Mainstream and luxury brands have tried to tap into this trend, but they are lacking the true heritage of Cotton Traders.
The business will also be further expanding its womenswear offering from spring 2026, with more shape and size representation and new materials incorporated into the collections.
This commitment to quality and size inclusivity has helped Cotton Traders break the £100 million turnover mark over consecutive years, with new customer acquisition, average basket spend and average repeat purchase of its customers all improving.
“In a competitive landscape, staying true to our core values is what’s setting us apart,” says Nick Hamblin, CEO of Cotton Traders.
“Clothes should look good, feel good and more importantly, last, and that’s why we focus so much on our material sourcing and attention to detail in the manufacturing process. When you put a Cotton Traders item on, we want you to notice the difference, and people are. This is where trust and loyalty are built.
“The response we’re seeing from new and existing customers is what’s giving us the confidence to explore new territory with the activewear range – something that has wide market appeal at present. With 70 per cent of our sales coming from women, we need to evolve as their clothing preferences change. The reaction we’ve had from our press previews has been phenomenal and has really cemented our decision to venture into this category.
“Our 40th year is coming up in 2027, and we are already looking ahead to further product strategy development to mark this incredible milestone. We will continue to move with the trends while never wavering from our commitment to provide thoughtful, well-made clothing that lasts.”
For more information, visit cottontraders.com.
