Boden Boss Admits Being a ‘Nitwit’ as Struggling Fashion Brand Stumbles
By Josh White
Updated: 17:19 EDT, 26 August 2023
In a surprising twist, the head honcho of beleaguered clothier Boden has owned up to his folly, branding himself a ‘complete nitwit’ for pushing the brand into an overly hip direction.
Johnnie Boden, the main man behind the catalog label, pulled no punches, confessing that he really messed up when the company’s balance sheets started bleeding red ink.
The bigwig took an extraordinary stance, openly admitting to his recent screw-ups, like slashing the old-school catalog and brushing off its more conventional appeal.
This makeover for the well-liked middle-class favorite, famously sported by former prime minister David Cameron, is coming in hot. The plan involves sending messages to the customers, with Mr. Boden himself typing out lines like: ‘Apologies, I’m a real nitwit. I messed up.’
Remember when Mr. Cameron strolled around Cornwall in 2008, flaunting Boden’s flowery swim trunks? That sparked the ‘Boden man’ movement, giving the business a real high-five.
But, hold onto your trousers, the menswear line is temporarily on the chopping block. In the immediate horizon, Boden is pinky-promising the ladies that they won’t be chasing youth any longer. Also, the printed catalog, previously sent packing, is now here to stay.
Johnnie Boden, the captain of this catalog ship, fessed up to his major slip-ups when the numbers went south.
But wait, there’s more! On the women’s fashion front, our 62-year-old captain spilled the beans: ‘We forgot our essence. We went overboard with the changes. Less colors, shorter cuts, and chasing trends – that’s not us.’
According to The Times, the company recently reported a hefty annual loss of £4.4 million before taxes. Yet, even amidst the storm, the likes of the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte are still donning the brand.
‘Hey, these things happen. Apple almost bit the dust. Dyson’s electric car? Flat tire. Gucci was down for the count. I’ve made more mistakes than I’ve had hot dinners in my career, but I’ve powered through,’ says Mr. Boden, who snagged a CBE for his fashion feats this year.
He might have graduated from the Eton College and Oxford, but he spilled blood, sweat, and tears to get this business off the ground in the early 1990s.
He spilled the beans to the BBC in 2014, confessing his early creations were ‘clearly amateur hour.’ Yet, come that year’s end, he landed on the Rich List, worth a cool £300 million. The new leaf will first unfurl with the autumn/winter collection of this year.
Meanwhile, the Mumsnet online hangout is buzzing with chatter from former fans, all scratching their heads about where the brand lost its mojo.
One user sighed in February: ‘I had a crush on Boden thirty years back when I nabbed that poacher’s jacket… But now, can’t stand the sight.’
Another user chimed in: ‘Lost in the woods, they are. Who’s even their crowd now?’
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