- .High street favourite is to launch menswear for the first time next autumn
- .Brand is also expanding into Asia and shows at London Fashion Week
- Fans include Kim Sears, the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron
Whistles, the high-street brand beloved of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kim Sears and Samantha Cameron among others, is to launch its own range of menswear.
A new design team has been hired to work under Whistles design director Nick Passmore on the new range which will make its first appearance in stores next autumn.
Speaking of the decision to launch a new range of menswear, Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson told Vogue's website: 'We have defined our aesthetic, and achieved a consistency in our design.'
Famous fans: The Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron have both been photographed in Whistles
Wow in Kate Middleton's Whistles dress
Prepare your other halves for a makeover - Whistles is launching its very first menswear line next Autumn.
While we'll have to wait almost another year for the collection to launch, with a huge celebrity following and their own fashion week show, the womenswear line is going from stregth to strength.
Kate Middleton has long been a fan of the label, and the burgundy dress she wore a year ago is one of our favourites. The subtle V neck flatters her bust (without revealing too much - she is a Royal after all) and the floaty fabric gives slim Kate some curves. Note how she's swapped the gold belt for a wider black belt to match her shoes. Top marks for attention to detail as always, Duchess.
Whistles Sophie Rae dress is no longer available, but shop the gallery below for some similar versions from French Connection and Stella McCartney.
Royal fans in the making? The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry can now join the Whistles fan club too
She continued: 'Menswear is something that we have been planning to do since we started in 2008. We recognise that, as with womenswear, there is considerable expansion in the contemporary middle market, this is an ideal time to capitalise on this opportunity and bring the Whistles aesthetic to menswear.’
The collection will be available online and in key Whistles stores, as well as some luxury department stores.
Whistles started life in 1978 as an independent boutique and has since evolved into a leading womenswear brand, characterised by a contemporary, intelligent sense of style and design.
The brand, which already has outlets in Paris, Berlin, Munich and Moscow, is currently in discussion with a large American department store about opening a concession next spring.
And after making a well-received debut on the London Fashion Week catwalk last February, Whistles' expansion shows no sign of slowing down - helped along by a glamorous army of high profile fans.
Royal approval: The Duchess of Cambridge at the Olympics in Whistles - the woman behind is also in Whistles
Winning look: Kim Sears wore the brand to watch boyfriend Andy Murray take gold at the Olympics last year
The Duchess of Cambridge, Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears, and Prime Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha Cameron are staunch supporters of the brand, although Shepherdson herself cites gamine director Sofia Coppola as her muse, and 'go-to woman for inspiration'.
Nevertheless, the former Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa both have wardrobes full of Whistles clothes, and the Duchess is not afraid to show her thrifty side by recycling them.
Last summer the Duchess wore the £150 blue Bella dress to both the Diamond Jubilee Concert and the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony.
Despite the dress - and every other piece Kate wears - selling out moments after she was spotted in it, Shepherdson denies the so-called 'Kate Middleton effect' has boosted sales.
Speaking in 2012, she said: 'It raises profile, it’s great, we get known in countries we're not known in.
'But it's not going to turn us into a success overnight because she wears it. Fortunately, she looks great in it and it's a great advert, but no more than that.
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