Drapers Independents Awards 2022

Lauren Brown passionately believes local independents still have a viable future despite economic slumps and disinterested town councils. In Falkirk her Sisters and Misters stores reflect her confidence.

Three Drapers Independents Awards decorate the meeting room at the Designer Childrenswear head office in Sunderland. Owners Brenda and Kevin Coade are in the mood to add several more in the near future.

Independent retailers and the brands and agents that serve them discuss the challenges and opportunities of the last 12 months as they navigated the return to shopping in stores, supply chain issues, and the cost of living crisis

Drapers Independents Awards Community Champion winner Re:Imagine is breathing life into disused retail space and offering Derry designer-makers the opportunity to take the next step in their retail business journey.

Lifetime Achievement winner at this year's Drapers Independents Awards Sean Barron, chairman of Flairline Fashions, which trades as Pamela Scott has been bringing the best brands from London, New York and Paris to Irish womenswear shoppers for five decades. He tells Drapers what is next – including new shops, investment in digital and expanding into new categories.

Drapers celebrated the inspirational independent fashion retail sector at the Drapers Independents Awards 2022, at Grosvenor House London on 22 September.

With more than half a century in the business, the Thurles, Ireland-based independent Moran’s Menswear has consolidated from four separate retail locations in the 1970s to a 3,400 sq ft centralised superstore opened in 2019 under the ownership of Diarmuid Moran, who took over the family business in 1991. The new store is double Moran’s original retail and storage space, ...

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Judges noted all entries were exceptionally strong this year, but womenswear and menswear brand Aspiga was “totally holistic, head and shoulders above the rest”. The brand, which has eight stores across Wiltshire, Cornwall, Surrey, London and Barbados, submitted an extensive Impact Report which detailed its nine Sustainability Pillars. Judges were able to see, for instance, that Aspiga uses biodegradable cornstarch ...

Edinburgh-based designer womenswear retailer Jane Davidson won the Best Customer Experience award after scoring an exceptional 100% rating in a review conducted by Storecheckers – an independent company commissioned by Drapers to “secret shop” the finalists in this category. The reviewer visited the Jane Davidson store on Edinburgh New Town’s Thistle Street on a busy Wednesday. Despite the sales assistant ...

Humes Outfitters received unanimous praise from the judges for its impressive financials and business growth, as well as its revival of more traditional retailing methods such as mail order. In May 2021, the then-92-year-old menswear business opened its first dedicated womenswear store in its hometown of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. The new womenswear retail location at 22 Horsemarket is ...