The co-founder and creative director of the British luxury streetwear brand is creating high-quality clothing with his community in mind.
George Heaton isn’t just a fashion designer. Many would also consider him a visionary who — alongside his brother Michael — continues reinventing the landscape of luxury streetwear with his British label, Represent.
More than a decade after starting the company as a college project, Heaton has turned Represent into one of the most sought-after brands in the industry. The goal: deliver high-quality, thoughtfully designed essentials. “Ever since that first year, my thought process has been, ‘How do I create a full wardrobe for myself?’ and still today, it’s about creating that full wardrobe for the customer by day, by night, and in the gym,” he says. “I want to be able to walk into my wardrobe and everything be Represent.”
By frequently giving customers a transparent glimpse into the design process, production updates, and sneak peeks into his personal life (like his dedication to fitness), Heaton sets himself — and his label — apart. He holds a genuine connection with his loyal audience, and it’s paid off.
Equinox+ sat down with the co-founder to discuss what goes into creating a brand and crafting an experience — one that will now be available in the Shop at Equinox with a collection of five wardrobe essentials to take you from the Club to the streets.
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What inspired you to bring Represent to fruition?
“I’ll take it back to when I was 18 years old. I was in college when I started Represent. I was just looking at brands on the West Coast, like Diamond Supply and streetwear brands that were screen printing T-shirts. I was studying graphic design in college and wanted to figure out how to make money afterward. I didn’t want to work for a design agency or drive down to London [from Manchester] and have to do an office job. I decided to print 25 t-shirts with a Represent logo that I designed and sold them to my friends and their friends.
“I ended up buying a Big Cartel website — which was like the Shopify of 2010 — and that was our free platform to market from. I grew the brand organically while at university for three years after that. Then my brother [Michael] joined, and he took over anything design-led as I wasn’t a very good graphic designer.”
When it came time to choose your brand's name, you picked from several random options. How did you narrow it down to Represent?
“I just had 12 names down on a sheet of paper, and ‘Representing’ was one of them. A friend next to me in one of my classes told me to take the ‘-ing’ off of it…I’m glad we picked Represent from the start because it means so much to us now. It literally represents what we are and what we do.”
What kind of personality do you feel embodies the spirit of your brand?
“It’s usually guys around 18 to 35 and people focused on themselves. Personal development is a big thing we express on our social media. People who follow us through 247 [our workout app and clothing collection] are just trying to become better in who they are. I think the Equinox Club member is really aligned in this.”
What do you think sets your brand apart in such a competitive industry?
“We recently ran a global study, and the top thing representing our brand is our quality. We pride ourselves on delivering luxury quality at an accessible price point. The fit, the silhouette, and the shape of each garment are really unique to us. In terms of design and craftsmanship, you can notice a Represent garment from afar just by the way the collar sits on the neck, the arm length, the way we have poppers rather than cords, etc.”
How much of your brand is about staying on top of trends? What’s the creative process like?
“[We keep things fresh], where 60 percent of our collection is covered by our main line, Owners Club, and the essential pieces of your wardrobe — these are the ones you’ll see in the Equinox Shop. Then 20 percent of Represent is trend-driven, where we can push boundaries, like with some leather items and different colorways. The other 20 percent is our 247 activewear.
“We’re always here to keep the customer first and keep them engaged with the brand. Our launch cadence is regular: On most Wednesday nights, we launch something new. We’re very consistent with what we do and always test the market and new fits and fabrics. We love to speak to the consumer directly through our personal channels. We use social media to figure out what they want and what we can do differently and still bring that newness every week.”
Are there any items you’ve created or changes you’ve made in response to customer feedback?
“Every Monday morning, we debrief on what everyone’s seen over the last week, whether it’s on social media or during Fashion Week or just things we’ve seen direct movement from things we’ve done in the past. For example, if we have success with one product, we will always try to figure out ways to dissect it, move it forward, and make it better. Maybe it’s changing the fabric. Whatever it may be to keep the product evergreen and perennial.”
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Are there any unexpected places you find inspiration?
“To be fair, Los Angeles is always a place my brother and I would return to. There’s so much creativity here in the style and entertainment industries. People here always push the boundaries of trying new things and how things fit. Then you see the trends pick up here [in the U.K.], but L.A. has always been a major hub for finding out new things that are about to hit the horizon.”
As a global brand, have you ever been surprised by a style that resonates in one country and not another?
“The way pants fit here [in the U.S.] as opposed to the U.K. is much wider and baggier. Everyone in England, especially in our market, still wears that tight style of jeans. And cropped jerseys here are such a big thing. We tried to bring that to the U.K. for many years, but they just can’t seem to grasp it.”
What has been your secret sauce to success?
“It’s quality and consistency, like I said about the cadence of the drops being so regular and listening to customers. Plus, we are the personalities behind the brand and draw the consumer in. They become part of the Represent cult that we’ve built. They can meet us at a store installation — we bring that consumer wherever we go. It’s not always product focus. The product is now a byproduct of the brand and how we represent a lifestyle.”
What have you learned about yourself in the last year as an entrepreneur?
“I’ve learned more about having that personality behind the brand and speaking to the audience directly. We have such a leg up on our competitors, especially bigger ones that don’t have a voice behind their brand. Customers don’t want to follow a brand — they want to follow who’s behind it. It works in our favor.”
What would be your ultimate desire for the brand? What’s next?
“We’re in such a growth moment now. We’re doing as much as we can. We’re trying to say no to some things now. It’s about maintaining consistency, managing growth, and not pushing it too far. We don’t want to explode and fall. We want to grow the team and diversify the U.S. team but still try to keep things under one roof.”